Stephanie Spellers, canon to the presiding bishop on evangelism, reconciliation and creation care. God didnt sin, man did. "Who are those unfortunate souls?" he asks. ', Whatever one's views on the ordination of women, one thing is clear; women priests and women bishops in TEC have not made churches grow or thrive. Consider 1 Corinthians 1:10-13. It is about really internalizing this and making a lifelong work of questioning, having discussions, listening.. Its about what weve done institutionally and systemically. 30:5-6). My purpose in writing this article for you to read is rooted in my own desire to have you also be sure to fol- low the Shepherd and not the voice of a stranger. Criminal-justice reform and helping previously incarcerated people re-enter the community was the focus of aProvince 8fall conference, which includes Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Navajoland, California, Idaho and the Pacific Northwest. How will we participate in repair, restoration, and healing of people, institutions, anod systems? This apparently is lost on the Presiding Bishop. 3:21), for the remission of their sins. Bishops and priests in the Episcopal Church have the freedom to marry, and can be gay or transgender. God didnt need reconciling, man did/does. Any time you make an effort to be more open and caring and courageous, that will spill out into all the rest of your life. Proclaiming the dream:How can we publicly acknowledge things done and left undone? (LogOut/ To help dioceses and congregations take on this lifelong mission, in the spring of 2017, the Episcopal Church released its Becoming Beloved Community vision for racial reconciliation efforts. Gay Clark Jennings and the other officers of the House of Bishops and House of Deputies. TEC is losing more than it is winning. $17.95 Order Now Buy from Us eBook Keywords life questions theodicy Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Asecond resolutionsaid to engage the people of the Episcopal Church in storytelling about historical and present-day privilege and under-privilege as well as discernment towards restorative justice and the call to fully live into our baptismal covenant. Thelast resolutioncalled for the church to support legislation for reparations for slavery. The Anglican Church originated when King Henry VIII split from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534, when the pope refused to grant the king an annulment. This is not about trying to lay guilt on people. When 25,000 people are leaving through death and only 5,000 are being replaced through children who stick around the end is near. This decline has accelerated, with membership falling 17.4% in the past 10 years. The eternal destination of your soul may hang in the balance, hinging upon how you may treat the issue of truth vs. error. . The diocese received a Mission Enterprise Zone grant of $75,000 for the center and its work. They are the ones who freely give each Sunday. When the Episcopal Church began to oppose racism in church and society, certainly there were political ramifications to this, but certainly most people today agree that something had to be done. The recent loss of the Diocese of Ft Worth to Bishop Ryan Reed and his Episcopalians was a wrenching experience for the handful of remaining parishes, but a super ego loss for PB Michael Curry and central casting who believed the courts would see in their favor. Worse, God did not need to be reconciled to man. The show premiered in Staten Island Jan. 21, and continues in Poughkeepsie March 4, in Manhattan Sept. 23, and in White Plains Oct. 14. There is always some other, alien-ness.. The push for full inclusion led to the passage of Resolution B012 and homosexual marriage. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. They use and bind the Book of Common Prayer with its enclosed Articles of Religion for religious practices. For Sunday School we just played and had arts and crafts no Bible training. So, you may ask, why leave? So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. This church did at least claim allegiance to Christ. My crisis was real. He says in the Gospel reading today that he is the light of the world. But bear in mind that Episcopalians share many non-religious Americans progressive politics. You do have to do something. On Feb. 13, Episcopalians often commemorate theRev. You dont get to just sit around and think about it for the rest of your life, Meeks said. They share their stories and a new story gets written." Ryan P. Burge teaches political science at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois. My meeting with Alex was tense. We will still be lawless relative to Gods Law if we refuse to hear and follow his pure Word, and reject the voice of the stranger. The commonplace notion that Anglican means "not Episcopalian" is no coincidence; this is precisely the conclusion that the average church-going American would reasonably draw from following the news. Members of the Presiding Bishop's staff have curated lists of resources for racial justice and reconciliation, but no can identify who exactly are the racists in TEC! Instead, we would feel secure and trusting. Want more from the Friendly Atheist? If any branch of American Christianity is on the decline, this is arguably not one atheists should be rooting for. And North Carolina is feeling the affects, with church buildings shuttering across the state due to lack of members and donations. The distinction is between pledged money that was promised for the year and paid during the year versus plate money which was donated primarily by those who did not pledge. The Episcopal Church does, however, discriminate against orthodox Episcopalians to the point that they are no longer welcome in TEC if their views conflict with TEC's new-found orthodoxy. Often the yearly contribution remains the same, even when a person worships less frequently (thanks to online giving and bank bill payment programs). The church will be baptizing less than 10,000 infants per year. Some countries besides the USA have Episcopal churches, usually planted by American Episcopal missionaries. Justice for homosexuals, blacks, the poor (though TEC can hardly claim to know much of that as TEC is basically a white wealthy denomination) but you can officially rail against it, in the name of justice. By 2019, that had declined by more than half to just 17,713. Predictions are circulating that the Episcopal Church will be dead by 2050. I know there are good and friendly folks in the Episco- pal Church of which I was once a member. VirtueOnline is the Anglican Communion's largest Biblically Orthodox Online News Service, read by more than 4,000,000 readers in 170 countries each year. TheUnited Thank Offeringministry identified Becoming Beloved Community as its 2018 grant theme, asking grant applicants to show how they would put the vision into action. They also base their beliefs on the Bible and recite creeds to explain their beliefs about God. Their average Sunday attendance was in the area of ten or less, so it was inevitable sad, though. "Who are those?" he asks. TEC absorbed the cream puffs and became the Church of Puffery. I certainly find this moment to be a dark time, but it also reminds me, reveals to me the darkness already experienced. Do your discernment over what it looks like to practice love, to be reconcilers and healers, what you need to do to repair the breach., The Episcopal Diocese of Iowa hosted a community conversation to address racial equity gaps in education in the Iowa City school district on Jan. 22. 28:9). And even if more and more Christians are fed up with the rampant hypocrisy and abuse, especially in evangelical and Southern Baptist circles, ditching the label doesnt necessarily mean theyre ditching the faith. I was an antagonistic stu- dent, at times, in the Bible class I was attending. Speaking as a pastor of a church that is likely to close in the future its a lot easier to make the decision to close the doors when the money runs out instead of when people would rather go worship with a larger community in another church. Decline is not inevitable. (See Heb. How will we actively grow relationship across dividing walls and seek Christ in the other? The Episcopalians blow them all out of the water in terms of accessibility and ease of use. This is a dangerous sign for the future of our state. An episcopal church has bishops in its organisational structure (see episcopal polity ). Churches that sit empty hurt neighborhood property values and become eyesores in the community, Helman explained. There will be community discussions on equity gaps in education; pilgrimages following the underground railroad; an urban retreat with meditation;Freedom School curriculum,founded during the 1960s Civil Rights era to empower black Americans; a summit for women and girls of color; and a summer tour to prepare young black students for college. But, that leaves a bigger question can a denomination continue when it has money but no people? The folks I stud- ied with had no denominational axe to grind. As a result they voluntarily and gladly submitted to being baptized (immersed not sprinkled the only baptism authorized in Gods Word) in water, into Christs death (Rom. 10:17; Acts 2:37-38.) Initiatives include holding regional, public sacred listening and learning engagements, launching a story-sharing campaign and allocating the budget for lifelong formation of transformation. This was a $100 million dollar kick in the cassock to TEC that they will not soon forget. The Rev. In 2014, the average Episcopalian gave $2057. What will happen to all of those beautiful church buildings? I was in a terrible predicament. She can be reached atamysowderepiscopalnews@gmail.com. A man dies and goes to hell. The emergency relief totaled more than $4 million if all 109 dioceses and mission areas requested the money. The liturgical service also takes some getting used to. In a 2002 HBO special, Robin Williams listed his top 10 reasons for being an Episcopalian. To connect academic research to the everyday. I was a lay read- er for St. James Episcopal Church in Church because of any personality clashes with anyone. The Episcopal Church Is Dying. WHY THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH IS WRONG ON JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING! Church of the Firstborn (Heb. Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe; Forward into battle see His banners go! The clear teaching here is that no matter how many times one might ingest wafers and wine, or have had water poured upon him as an infant, no one can ignore the Word of God and expect any remis- sion of sins or favor from God at the Judgment Day. On Feb. 10, there was a church leader training. In 2009, 725,000 people attended an Episcopal church on an average weekend. Nor is it only for churches with diverse congregations. Jesus said that repentance and remis- sion of sins (Luke 24:47) would be preached in his name. For their sin TEC lost five bishops, a humiliating slap in the face to Curry and the HOB. It also shows a lack of reliance upon the voice of the Shepherd. I did not leave the Episcopalgood as another; therefore, it made little difference to me what church I belonged to. Baptism of infants and small children is a common prac- tice. They were first able to hear the Truth. Im not unique in how that is accomplished. Here in North America, this has caused some defections (fewer than at first predicted), some legal suits (most have been settled in favor of the Episcopal Church), monetary fallout (hard to separate from general economic downturn), and bad feelings (which, sadly enough, remain). Barlowe's opinion notwithstanding, many think the Episcopal Church is doing lots of things wrong, and not just in the last few years, either. They are not sinners. (LogOut/ You take the wine, you bless it, you give it to the people. Will a Sacramental system (meaning special observance of the Lords Supper and baptism) save a person? The notion of white supremacy is woven into the fabric of this country, historian Cynthia Copeland told Episcopal News Service. What should the followers of Christ be called? Racism lies at the heart of his call to evangelize and he has a built-in audience of 98 percent whites in The Episcopal Church. It's also rumored to be haunted, and its alleged resident ghost has a bizarre origin story. Whenever ones life is in error, and it is con- fronted with Truth, therein arises a predicament. But, I came across some data in the last few weeks that I just had to look at in more depth. Washington National Cathedralwas one of the first to sign on, doing conversations on the churchs legacy of slavery, including their windows, which depicted the Confederate flag and Civil War. You will see that God is not a plastic God with a tinker toy church, wherein men can form their own churches in neglect of the total authority of Jesus through his Word over his church. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. In 2020, the Rev. . The Birth of a Nation is a 2016 film inspired by the true story of Nat Turner, a lay preacher slave who led a rebellion in 1831. In property disputes, TECs true face was revealed when former PB Jefferts Schori said she would sooner sell parishes they won in court battles to saloons rather than fellow Anglicans. Your analysis contains a number of flaws. The American-based Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion of which the church is a part had long been engaged in a bitter struggle over the roles of homosexuals and women within the church. The norm of weekly attendance has been supplanted by the increasing number of regular attendees whose worship regularity trends toward biweekly or once a month. Amy Sowder is a special correspondent for the Episcopal News Service and a freelance writer and editor based in Brooklyn. Instead, they have Bishops. Today, we're going to look at my top picks for the most famous Episcopalians. A crisis had arrived. The Episcopal Church continued to suffer declines in membership and worship attendance in 2021, well below pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, according to recently released statistics. Should anyone be called Father as a religious title? Two couples (one Methodist and the other Not Really Anything in the Past) have joined in the past month. The next room is even worse. The differences between my own beliefs and what the Scriptures taught became more and more glaring. Church practices have treated African-Americans as other, dependents in need of charity similar to those in mission fields abroad, rather than as equal citizens, according to a St. Markstimelineon events of African Americans struggle for recognition in the Episcopal Church. Indeed, if this church were a publicly traded corporation, the Board would have directed the firing of the whole of the leadership, from the Presiding Bishop to most of the rectors, years ago. He is the head of his church, his body. But, that doesnt tell the whole story about the future of the Episcopalians. I began to feel hypocritical to claim to be a Christian and not be following the teachings of Christ, the Shepherd of the sheep. Leaders of a Low Church congregation place a "low" emphasis on such things and follow a freer worship style. Such titles are the voice of a stranger, not the Shepherd. One path will lead to true blessings from God and the other will lead to a false sense of peace with God when there really is none. By Ryan P. Burge, Eastern Illinois University. He knew I had come for answers to discrepancies I had found between the Word of God and the teachings of the Episcopal Church. Even though I didnt like what I was seeing when I compared myself and beliefs with Gods Word, I still didnt want to change. I was personally friendly with many people in the congregation of those adhering to Episcopalian beliefs in Essex Junction, Vermont. Bestselling YA novelist Bryan Bliss turns his hand to a challenging topic teenagers don't want a simple answer forthey want to know what's at stake, how it affects the world, and what difference they can make. In 1980, there were over 56,000 but by 2000 that dropped to 46,603. In closing, please consider the consequences of being deceived by error while mistakenly believing it to be the Lord you are following. The overall picture is dire, said Zscheile, as reported by Church Leaders. Even the demons believe and tremble! How do you make an Episcopalian look at his shoes? According to the trend lines there will be no weddings in the Episcopal church in 2025. Interim Ministry Blessings. 3:15) Church of God (1 Cor. The ASA of 725,000 in 2009 represented 33.3% of its baptized membership of 2.176 million. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. Denominations and churches have split over theological, political, and social issues. But, I had a problem. In the Episcopal Church, it's the bishop's job to make sure that every single person who's a member of our church has made a mature profession of faith in Jesus Christ" - a moment he believes every Christian should . General Convention in 2015 allotted $2 million to this work. Episcopalian teachings on this subject is not only an addition to Gods Word, but also a contradiction of the Shepherds word. Thats the future that may be facing the Episcopal Church. The Episcopal Church is a mainline Christian denomination with a division of nine provinces and dioceses. The pandemic, meanwhile, did not halt the ongoing trend of rising pledges. I learned that following the Shepherd will bring forgiveness of sins and a home in Heaven. Are there enough young people to sustain the population? I went to Alex, my friend and the priest at the congregation in Essex Junction. They were sinners. Those people are on fire. Weve left that, progressed, and we dont go by just the Bible. That sealed my thinking. I person- ally liked the Episcopalian priest. Recall that the average Episcopalian is in their late sixties today, which means that the average attendance (which was about 550,000 in 2019) will likely be around 300,000 in 2030. In other words, it was all right with Alex if the Episcopal Church did not follow only the voice of the Shepherd. However, when the plate and pledge figures for 2014 and 2019 are correlated with the baptized membership for those years (instead of the ASA), there is a 12.6% growth in per capita giving ($667 to $751) which is fairly close to the inflation rate. Meg Wagner/Diocese of Iowa, TheDiocese of Iowais creating a new Racial Justice Center in the heart of Iowa City, using the churchs Becoming Beloved Community guide as its framework. By 1990, that had dropped to 31,815. It has ruptured the entire Anglican communion, pushing the body of 80 million Anglicans to the brink of schism. I myself flocked to the Anglican/Episcopal tradition for this reason. Dont believe me? The Episcopal Churchs Practice and Teaching. We aim to share new findings and give notice to new ways of thinking about the public presence of religion. When asked if they identified with the Episcopal Church or the Anglican church, 73 percent said they identified as . What the presiding bishop and the officers hoped for was to offer up a framework, not necessarily a program, for racial reconciliation, Spellers told Episcopal News Service. Several bishops retweeted a message of "Lord God of peace, hear our prayer" from the U.S . Episcopalians follow a liturgy written in their Book of Common Prayer. Their priests are called both Father, and Reverend. Some of their priests take on even grander and elongated titles of honor and elevation. Thats why Becoming Beloved Community is a labyrinth, she said. By 1990, that had dropped to 31,815. It refers to money which was actually donated during each year. 2:19-24, NKJV). In an article for Living Church, David Goodhew presented some numbers about weddings and baptisms occurring in the Episcopal Church that will be disheartening for members. She now accepts practicing homosexuals membership roles, without repentance. Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? What behaviors and commitments will foster reconciliation, justice, and healing? Based in Seattle, Washington, Heidi Kim, staff officer for racial reconciliation, justice and creation care for the Episcopal Church, recently talked with Episcopalians in Massachusetts, where theyre doing an audit of the ordination process, studying the people whove dropped out and looking at patterns of exclusion that people of color, women and LGBTQ might be experiencing. This also involves the Becoming Beloved Community story-sharing campaign, as well as reconciliation and justice pilgrimages; multi-lingual formation and training; and liturgical resources for healing, reconciliation and justice. In 1886, plans were made to construct a new tower for the church. To put it bluntly, money is not the issue. The Diocese of South Carolina is the last remaining legal hold out. I wanted to be Heaven-bound. There are individual acts of racism, but it is not a systemic problem. The church can name itself however she wishes, including the directed by our physical heads. The Episcopalians in Scotland were and are not the established church; they were a legally recognized but oppressed church which refused to recognize the Hanoverian kings. [Episcopal News Service] The season of Lent, the 46 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter, begins Feb. 10 this year, and across the Episcopal Church there are a number of devotional resources to help Episcopalians observe a holy Lent. . In 1980, the Episcopal Church reported 38,913 weddings. Some of the worst things Christians have done in history involved the conversion of pagans. Original guilt for sin (inherited sin), does the Bible teach that babies and small children are sinners, in need of redemption? Bishops from theDiocese of Indianapolis,Northern Indianaand theLutheran Indiana-Kentucky Synodmeet regularly to plan how engage in the Becoming Beloved Communion vision, releasing a video to encourage story-sharing. It has changed and it is dying. The implications for the Episcopalians are dire. That's also the year when priests started complaining about having to fill out the report. Even if you think its too pessimistic to think the entire church will die away in a matter of decades, the trend is clearly heading in the wrong direction for members of the church. Yet, we get new members all the time from various denominational backgrounds. Attendance similarly declined across all domestic dioceses, but was especially pronounced in Oregon (-56.2%), Newark (48.2%), Maryland (49.4%), Easton (46.7%), Lexington (50.8%), North Carolina (-52.8%) and Iowa (-48.9%).. This is a group that the non-religious can find common ground with and unite with come election season. But, if the Episcopal Churchs teach- ings were not that of Christ, the Shepherd, then they would not lead me to for- giveness of sins and a home in Heaven with Almighty God. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself (Ezek. Episcopalian is a synonym for Anglican in Scotland, the United States and several other locations. So, I grew up thinking one church was as Essex Junction. I want that for you, dear reader, desperately. 9. TEC has steadfastly refused to cut deals to stop the litigation except in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The more I studied, independent of my denominational biases and without sectarian prejudice, the more I could see that what I was practicing was not what is found in the pages of the New Testament of Jesus Christ. There are no verses of Scripture which use the word sacrament or sacramen- tal. The Bible does not even hint that there is any such thing as a sacramental salvation. Consider, One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination (Prov. By 2030, the number of baptisms will drop to below 10,000 per year. This is what he thinks; "One of the things that I'm aware of is that we hear the word evangelism and think automatically about someone telling somebody something so that they'll change. There was no pretense in Alexs answer. Baptisms of children are only doing marginally better. Theyre just all over 65. Just before I departed the Episcopal Church, I wanted to give her every benefit of the severe doubts that study of the Scriptures had infused into my mind. In announcing the statistics on Nov. 22, the Episcopal News Service pointed out that some of the reported numbers for the denomination still leave room for optimism.. The "Eternal Sin": The True Meaning of "Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit". There is no one proper name given to the Lords church, the church he died to build. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch" (Acts 11:26, NKJV). 74% support same-sex marriage. He can be contacted viaTwitteror hispersonal website. Baptisms of children are only doing marginally better. According to the Episcopal Church, it affirms the dignity and equality of all human beings and welcomes all people without any exceptions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, orientation, age, or any other reason. Now, there are two possible explanations that I can think of to explain this trend. Absalom Jones, the first African American priest ordained in the Episcopal Church. Officials in The Episcopal Church are reacting to the United States Supreme Court opting to not reverse a decision granting a breakaway diocese $100 million in church properties. "Nothing but bad things happen if any facility sits for too long, but that's especially true for a church," Helman said. I wanted to follow the voice of the Shepherd and receive the forgiveness of my sins in reality, and be added to his church, the church of Christ. I think these days it really depends on location, but in general the average Episcopalian is still upper middle class to wealthy. That represents a 2-3% year-over-year decline. But from where I sit as an Anglican Christian, I dont feel too afraid by Burges findings. By 2019 that had increased by about fifty million dollars. Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? This means that denominational leaders are not going to be forced to disband when the accounts hit zero, but will instead have to make decisions based on other, more amorphous factors. Dwight Zscheile, an Episcopal priest and professor, warned that, at the current rate of decline, the denomination will effectively cease to exist by the year 2050. Concept of God: Trinitarian: God the Father, the son and the holy spirit. In 2019, that had declined again to just 6,148. Article XXV on page 607 definitely teaches the concept of salvation by the sacraments. In short, a person can re fuse to hear Gods Word and rejectsubmission to the Truth all his life, yet, if he was baptized as a baby (one of the two Episcopalian sacra- ments) and is a partaker in the Lords supper; then, he will be saved from his sins. I did not want to change my beliefs. None of the Episcopalian practice regarding sprinkling infants is in Gods Word. The Episcopalians calculate what they call plate and pledge, which is an accounting of not just money dropped in the offering plate, but also the amount that members have pledged to donate in the future. The Episcopal Church is a United States-based member church of a worldwide communion referred to as the Anglican Communion. I dont think that its an exaggeration at all to believe that the Episcopalians will no longer exist by 2040. Telling the truth, proclaiming the dream, repairing the breach and practicing the way are the four parts of the Episcopal Churchs Becoming Beloved Community vision, which the Diocese of Iowa is interpreting locally to meet community needs. What is the Methodist Church? As the American progeny of the Church of England, the traditions and architecture of both its parish churches and diocesan cathedrals have been strongly influenced by the same in the United Kingdom. They become good or bad based on the response of the congregation. Curry's understanding of the gospel falls short of the Biblical story. I dont recall who suggested it, except it was regarded as good advice by me. Yet, angels are not allowed to make changes, deletions, or additions to the Word of God. We can reasonably assume that not all pledged donations will eventually be collected, but its still a decent metric to gauge financial health. Richard Witt, executive director of the statewide nonprofitRural & Migrant Ministryand member of the Episcopal dioceses reparations committee. 1:6-9, NKJV). I thought, and I thought. I spare you that in hopes this article might cause you to also consider the evidence for Why I Left the Episcopal Church. The discussion of these matters in this treatise is but a small portion of what could be discussed. A predicament future that may be facing the Episcopal church is a synonym for Anglican in,... The area of ten or less, so it was regarded as good advice by.... Legislation for reparations for slavery certainly find this moment to be the Lord you are following if Episcopal. Myself flocked to the brink of schism too afraid by Burges findings is! To cut deals to stop the litigation except in the face to and... Episcopal News Service, read by more than $ 4 million if 109. Consider, one who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his Prayer is an abomination Prov... 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And can be gay or transgender Becoming Beloved community is a dangerous sign for the most Episcopalians... Rest of your soul may hang in the Bible and recite creeds to explain trend... Push for full inclusion led to the Word of God and the disciples first. Historian Cynthia Copeland told Episcopal News Service and a new story gets written. science at Illinois. Their priests take on even grander and elongated titles of honor and elevation as a religious title and had and! Following the Shepherd will bring forgiveness of sins and a home in Heaven out of the Word. Using your Twitter account full inclusion led to the Lords church, the Master... Trying to lay guilt on people Alex, my friend and the other Really., dear reader, desperately of Pittsburgh have the freedom to marry, and social issues and seek in. On page 607 definitely teaches the concept of salvation by the sacraments ongoing trend of rising pledges truth! Said they identified as share new findings and give notice to new of. Just had to look at in more depth, even his Prayer is an abomination ( Prov dark,... Cause you to also consider the consequences of being deceived by error while mistakenly believing it to presiding! This trend to just 17,713, Meeks said ; therefore, it was that for a whole they... Ryan P. Burge teaches political science at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois left the Episcopal church a!

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