Friday, October 23, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
To my student
Dear Student,
I think you are an artist as a young woman. Not "the," but "an." I think that you don't know this yet, and that your friends and your environment haven't demonstrated to you that your artist's mindset is okay. It is okay. It is troublesome, meddlesome, frustrating, pleading, prodding, pushing, and maddening. But it is part of you, and you will have to learn to embrace it.
I think that you will have to struggle for meaning. The quest of religion is to imbue life with meaning, to make it something other than void. Meanings sometimes show themselves in either bold or the most subtle of ways. Other times, we have to create meaning for ourselves. It is too easy to give in, and give up, and to wallow in the utter purposeless-ness of it all. Do not go the easy road. The easy road will make you jaded, cranky, and a curmudgeon before you're middle-aged. The easy road does not make life beautiful.
You are living through a difficult period in your life, to be sure. However, I believe you know that at some point, YOU will have to make the decision to continue in this manner, or to change your conceptual framework. You will, at some point, realize that you need to choose laughter, optimism, catharsis, and beauty. No one can do this for you. No amount of Band-Aid compliments and pats on the back will settle you in a permanent state of loving yourself. Happiness and self-love will only be true, genuine, and lasting when they come from within you. You have to find the cup the overfloweth...
In conclusion, I love you. The meaning I am bestowing upon my life, my difficult years, and my mistakes is that I experienced all of it so that I could help you. Thank you.
I think you are an artist as a young woman. Not "the," but "an." I think that you don't know this yet, and that your friends and your environment haven't demonstrated to you that your artist's mindset is okay. It is okay. It is troublesome, meddlesome, frustrating, pleading, prodding, pushing, and maddening. But it is part of you, and you will have to learn to embrace it.
I think that you will have to struggle for meaning. The quest of religion is to imbue life with meaning, to make it something other than void. Meanings sometimes show themselves in either bold or the most subtle of ways. Other times, we have to create meaning for ourselves. It is too easy to give in, and give up, and to wallow in the utter purposeless-ness of it all. Do not go the easy road. The easy road will make you jaded, cranky, and a curmudgeon before you're middle-aged. The easy road does not make life beautiful.
You are living through a difficult period in your life, to be sure. However, I believe you know that at some point, YOU will have to make the decision to continue in this manner, or to change your conceptual framework. You will, at some point, realize that you need to choose laughter, optimism, catharsis, and beauty. No one can do this for you. No amount of Band-Aid compliments and pats on the back will settle you in a permanent state of loving yourself. Happiness and self-love will only be true, genuine, and lasting when they come from within you. You have to find the cup the overfloweth...
In conclusion, I love you. The meaning I am bestowing upon my life, my difficult years, and my mistakes is that I experienced all of it so that I could help you. Thank you.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
A Proverbial Journey
Day 1. October 21.
Proverbs 1-3
Proverbs 2: 1-6
My son, if you accept my words
And treasure my commandments;
If you make your ear attentive to wisdom
And your mind open to discernment;
If you call to understanding
And cry aloud to discernment,
If you seek it as you do silver
And search for it as for treasures,
Then you will understand the fear of the Lord
And attain knowledge of God.
For the Lord grants wisdom;
Knowledge and discernment are by His decree.
Proverbs 1-3
Proverbs 2: 1-6
My son, if you accept my words
And treasure my commandments;
If you make your ear attentive to wisdom
And your mind open to discernment;
If you call to understanding
And cry aloud to discernment,
If you seek it as you do silver
And search for it as for treasures,
Then you will understand the fear of the Lord
And attain knowledge of God.
For the Lord grants wisdom;
Knowledge and discernment are by His decree.
awake my soul........
"This grace gives me fear...
this grace draws me near...
and all I ask, it provides."
My memory may not serve correctly, but I just hummed those lines from the song "Awake My Soul" in my head as I booted up my computer to type.
I am unable to thoroughly ignore certain nagging issues:
1. (money, at present, a small concern, but in terms of my life, somewhat important)
2. my future
3. my calling
4. my passions
I spent the majority of my day fighting with the copier at St. John's, feverishly trying to finish all of the copies of the readings for the Children of Abraham class, which just started this evening. Around 1:30pm, against my better judgment, I decided to leave the church and rush back to Lexington to meet with Rabbi Kline. I didn't have the time and I was nervous about completing all my work at church; however, it is always in the moments when I am most doubtful and nervous that God speaks to me in unexpected and spontaneous ways. I had a feeling that my meeting with Rabbi Kline would calm and invigorate me, reminding me of the awe-ful quality of the divine spark. I was right.
I left my hour-long conversation with Rabbi Kline absolutely beaming...... I got to my car and wanted to weep from happiness. I don't know how or why it is, but I seem to be extraordinarily blessed with encounters with God-infused people. Perhaps I have just prayed "Your will be done" and "God, let me see you" with enough fervor that it actually happens. I don't know.
Rabbi Kline, like so many well-meaning Episcopalians and non-religious friends, asked me a few times during the conversation, "So, when are you getting ordained?" I laughed nervously. "Rabbi - not you too! Whenever I go to Mission House, I leave with hives because everyone asks - 'So, Allison..... discernment committee?' And I have to run away and hide!" He laughed, and like all the well-meaning Episcopalians, said, "At some point you may just have to accept what everyone else already knows to be true."
Is that it? Is that the source of all my worry? Will I find peace and solace when I finally just give in? Possibly...
But I also have what I think is a God-given conviction that I might not be called to ordination, or even to an Episcopal seminary. Where is God calling me? What does God want of me? I can't shake my intense and unstoppable love of Judaism, Islam, Morocco, children, dancing, music, Irish dance, my students, my students, my students............ I can't figure out how to live my life at peace, and happily, absent these things.
How can I possibly combine them all? And how can I remain true to my vocation to serve the church......... but be faithfully free enough to serve it outside of its walls? I have no freaking idea!
Tonight I received the unfortunate news that I would not be progressing in the Mitchell Scholarship competition. Strangely, when I read the email, a wave of relief ran over me. "This means something," I thought - and my mind rushed back to Rabbi Kline's office and the conversation we had had. I'm not meant to be in Ireland, at least not on the Mitchell Scholarship.
WHERE THE HELL DO I GO NOW?
The possibilities are endless, and I have no idea what God is calling me to do. The only focus I have it that it has something to do with religion. However, God and I will be doing some bargaining, because I refuse to give up dancing. I'll give up music, but I will not give up dancing and religion. I just can't.
this grace draws me near...
and all I ask, it provides."
My memory may not serve correctly, but I just hummed those lines from the song "Awake My Soul" in my head as I booted up my computer to type.
I am unable to thoroughly ignore certain nagging issues:
1. (money, at present, a small concern, but in terms of my life, somewhat important)
2. my future
3. my calling
4. my passions
I spent the majority of my day fighting with the copier at St. John's, feverishly trying to finish all of the copies of the readings for the Children of Abraham class, which just started this evening. Around 1:30pm, against my better judgment, I decided to leave the church and rush back to Lexington to meet with Rabbi Kline. I didn't have the time and I was nervous about completing all my work at church; however, it is always in the moments when I am most doubtful and nervous that God speaks to me in unexpected and spontaneous ways. I had a feeling that my meeting with Rabbi Kline would calm and invigorate me, reminding me of the awe-ful quality of the divine spark. I was right.
I left my hour-long conversation with Rabbi Kline absolutely beaming...... I got to my car and wanted to weep from happiness. I don't know how or why it is, but I seem to be extraordinarily blessed with encounters with God-infused people. Perhaps I have just prayed "Your will be done" and "God, let me see you" with enough fervor that it actually happens. I don't know.
Rabbi Kline, like so many well-meaning Episcopalians and non-religious friends, asked me a few times during the conversation, "So, when are you getting ordained?" I laughed nervously. "Rabbi - not you too! Whenever I go to Mission House, I leave with hives because everyone asks - 'So, Allison..... discernment committee?' And I have to run away and hide!" He laughed, and like all the well-meaning Episcopalians, said, "At some point you may just have to accept what everyone else already knows to be true."
Is that it? Is that the source of all my worry? Will I find peace and solace when I finally just give in? Possibly...
But I also have what I think is a God-given conviction that I might not be called to ordination, or even to an Episcopal seminary. Where is God calling me? What does God want of me? I can't shake my intense and unstoppable love of Judaism, Islam, Morocco, children, dancing, music, Irish dance, my students, my students, my students............ I can't figure out how to live my life at peace, and happily, absent these things.
How can I possibly combine them all? And how can I remain true to my vocation to serve the church......... but be faithfully free enough to serve it outside of its walls? I have no freaking idea!
Tonight I received the unfortunate news that I would not be progressing in the Mitchell Scholarship competition. Strangely, when I read the email, a wave of relief ran over me. "This means something," I thought - and my mind rushed back to Rabbi Kline's office and the conversation we had had. I'm not meant to be in Ireland, at least not on the Mitchell Scholarship.
WHERE THE HELL DO I GO NOW?
The possibilities are endless, and I have no idea what God is calling me to do. The only focus I have it that it has something to do with religion. However, God and I will be doing some bargaining, because I refuse to give up dancing. I'll give up music, but I will not give up dancing and religion. I just can't.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
a revolutionary church
I regret that I haven't taken the time to write the past few days, but truly, I have been so emotionally overwhelmed that I have retreated inward. I have not had a single inclination to share. Time to overcome that and start working on a way to give people back at home some insight into the General Convention experience.
On the whole, what I can say about General Convention and the style of discourse that has occurred here is that it is a model for members of faith communities - and for other legislatures. It has been painstaking and occasionally contentious, but more often than not, it has been marked by a sincere attention to the validity of everyone's own spiritual journey, and own work to discern the Spirit in their lives. It has been marked by deep Christian love - transformative and renewing.
I will return home to the Diocese of Lexington with enthusiasm for a meaningful dialogical process we used at Convention. Since Provincial Synods (and in the planning stages for months prior), there has been an initiative afoot to help deputies, bishops, members of the ECW, and other participants learn to listen and hear deeply. Through Public Narrative (www.publicnarrative.org), we utilized a mission-focused loose rubric for storytelling and dialogue to help us learn about and from each other, and find common threads that bind together our stories and our live and call us to go out into the world and do mission work. The process was very reflective, contemplative, and interactive; it called forth stories of joy, stories of pain, stories of trial and error, experiment and discovery, exclusion and ostracism and the healing power of inclusion.
Austin, one of my fellow deputies from Lexington, mentioned tonight the constant problem we encounter when facing conflict - within and without the Church. We - Episcopalians and human beings, period - have not learned to talk and listen, and be in loving conversation with each other prior to conflict. Because we neglect this important aspect of relationship building, when conflict arises, we turn to pointing fingers, throwing dangers, and demonization. Any dialogue that starts at that point is tinged with a highly emotional and anger-filled atmosphere, and healing can't start. If we don't know each other before anger explodes, then there is almost no hope once it starts. It just brews.
The three year hiatus between 2006 GC and 2009 has been a period of healing - for the most part. There have been divorces within our church, and there has been the constant threat from the fundamentalist elements within our Anglican Communion to "kick us out" or be in impaired relationship with us. The utter confusion of most of our Anglican counterparts as to our Episcopal polity (democratic governance within a church? quoi?) has come to the forefront. In a Communion where bishops hold most of the power and make the decisions for their churches, where the national experiences are so wholly different as to make the American experience inexplicable and alien, and where progressive Christian scholarship has opened up new understandings of scripture, doctrine, and Christian history - we are a strange strange strange Church. We are a beautiful church, rich in diversity, unafraid of engaging with scholarship and modernity. This is different from the experiences of many of our Anglican brothers and sisters. In the Episcopal Church, as an elected deputy, this 22-year-old female has a vote that equals that of her bishop. How radical! How new! How true to the way the Spirit has moved in the American experience, exposing the cruelties of the lack of representation and the evils of exclusion.
The Episcopal Church was the post-Revolution church in the newly constituted United States of America, and acting upon the wisdom of the founders of this country, the founders of this Church maintained a representative, democratically elected bicameral legislature for the government of the Church. No longer would laity have no voice, would priests and bishops dictate without the blessing of their congregants. This church would NOT be a theocracy. This church would protect the dignity of each of its members - and this has been the onward revolutionary march from our creation to the present day, the constant renewal of our identity to fully respect and honor the dignity of all people. It has taken us centuries
We are living into our constitution and continually discerning the way forward. We were the church of the Revolution; today we are a revolutionary church.
On the whole, what I can say about General Convention and the style of discourse that has occurred here is that it is a model for members of faith communities - and for other legislatures. It has been painstaking and occasionally contentious, but more often than not, it has been marked by a sincere attention to the validity of everyone's own spiritual journey, and own work to discern the Spirit in their lives. It has been marked by deep Christian love - transformative and renewing.
I will return home to the Diocese of Lexington with enthusiasm for a meaningful dialogical process we used at Convention. Since Provincial Synods (and in the planning stages for months prior), there has been an initiative afoot to help deputies, bishops, members of the ECW, and other participants learn to listen and hear deeply. Through Public Narrative (www.publicnarrative.org), we utilized a mission-focused loose rubric for storytelling and dialogue to help us learn about and from each other, and find common threads that bind together our stories and our live and call us to go out into the world and do mission work. The process was very reflective, contemplative, and interactive; it called forth stories of joy, stories of pain, stories of trial and error, experiment and discovery, exclusion and ostracism and the healing power of inclusion.
Austin, one of my fellow deputies from Lexington, mentioned tonight the constant problem we encounter when facing conflict - within and without the Church. We - Episcopalians and human beings, period - have not learned to talk and listen, and be in loving conversation with each other prior to conflict. Because we neglect this important aspect of relationship building, when conflict arises, we turn to pointing fingers, throwing dangers, and demonization. Any dialogue that starts at that point is tinged with a highly emotional and anger-filled atmosphere, and healing can't start. If we don't know each other before anger explodes, then there is almost no hope once it starts. It just brews.
The three year hiatus between 2006 GC and 2009 has been a period of healing - for the most part. There have been divorces within our church, and there has been the constant threat from the fundamentalist elements within our Anglican Communion to "kick us out" or be in impaired relationship with us. The utter confusion of most of our Anglican counterparts as to our Episcopal polity (democratic governance within a church? quoi?) has come to the forefront. In a Communion where bishops hold most of the power and make the decisions for their churches, where the national experiences are so wholly different as to make the American experience inexplicable and alien, and where progressive Christian scholarship has opened up new understandings of scripture, doctrine, and Christian history - we are a strange strange strange Church. We are a beautiful church, rich in diversity, unafraid of engaging with scholarship and modernity. This is different from the experiences of many of our Anglican brothers and sisters. In the Episcopal Church, as an elected deputy, this 22-year-old female has a vote that equals that of her bishop. How radical! How new! How true to the way the Spirit has moved in the American experience, exposing the cruelties of the lack of representation and the evils of exclusion.
The Episcopal Church was the post-Revolution church in the newly constituted United States of America, and acting upon the wisdom of the founders of this country, the founders of this Church maintained a representative, democratically elected bicameral legislature for the government of the Church. No longer would laity have no voice, would priests and bishops dictate without the blessing of their congregants. This church would NOT be a theocracy. This church would protect the dignity of each of its members - and this has been the onward revolutionary march from our creation to the present day, the constant renewal of our identity to fully respect and honor the dignity of all people. It has taken us centuries
We are living into our constitution and continually discerning the way forward. We were the church of the Revolution; today we are a revolutionary church.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Thoughts from the floor
Thoughts from the floor
To entertain ourselves during particularly pedantic and unnecessary discussions on the floor, Bungee and I write things on the disposable table cloth that we find funny. So far, we have constructed a running list of all the things for which a handful of deputies have voted “no.” These resolutions generally have been matters of wide acceptance (ie funding for Christian formation, education, etc.) The whole multitude of deputies will shout collectively “Aye!” when prompted, but then there will follow 5-10 deputies who will, with great fervor, yell “NO!”
Tongue-in-cheek, mind you, it seems that not all Episcopalians are in agreement. So far, we have resounding NO’s from a few deputies on the following:
NO to the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s – to end global poverty)
NO to Lifelong Christian Formation
NO to Education
NO to peace
NO to reconciliation
NO to justice
NO to youth
NO to evangelism (with a running tally of 7 votes in which some deputies have said no to Evangelism)
NO to timely order of business
NO to prison ministry
NO to end of life ministry
NO to Jubilee Ministries
NO to ministry to wounded soldiers and veterans
NO to protecting adults from sexual predators
Bungee and I laugh about this, because in reality, the “NO’s” are to the resolution, or resolution with amendment, as presented to the house, and NOT to education, peace, justice, etc. It’s just funny to think that the “NO” deputies are really opposed to things like peace. No one is opposed to peace. People just yell “no” to resolutions dealing with peace.
This morning the House continued discussion of Resolutions B023 and D050 – consenting to the election of the Bishop-elect of Ecuador-Central and calling for the Convention NOT to consent, respectively. The Spanish-speaking deputies from Colombia, Ecuador, and Puerto Rico, along with English and bilingual American deputies spoke to the resolutions in quite a volatile discussion. The deputation from Ecuador Central was itself divided on the matter; some wanted Bishop-Elect Reverend Luis Fernando Ruiz Restrepo, and others claimed that the election had occurred in a non-democratic fashion, and wanted to be able to elect their own bishop. (For further information and thorough reporting on this matter, see: http://ecusa.anglican.org/79901_112517_ENG_HTM.htm) In the end, the house voted more than 70% in favor of the election, and Bishop-elect Ruiz walked to the front of the house, his wife walking with him and holding his hand, to a thunderous standing ovation. It was a wonderful end to a long and tense argument on the floor.
I was deeply moved by the painful testimonies of some of the Ecuadorian deputies, who obviously felt that they had been wronged by the proceedings of their diocesan convention and further action in the House of Bishops. I voted no to consent on Ruiz’s election, not due to any testimony I heard of his character (in which he sounded like a caring pastor and an exemplar of God’s love), but due to my concern that the dissent in Ecuador was still so ripe and so grief-filled, that we might be wrong to elect a Bishop unwanted by (seemingly) many in the Diocese. In the end, I am joyful for the many who stepped forward to speak on behalf of Ruiz, and I do believe that he will be a good leader for the Diocese of Ecuador Central.
(after posting at 1:00am, I am off to bed).
To entertain ourselves during particularly pedantic and unnecessary discussions on the floor, Bungee and I write things on the disposable table cloth that we find funny. So far, we have constructed a running list of all the things for which a handful of deputies have voted “no.” These resolutions generally have been matters of wide acceptance (ie funding for Christian formation, education, etc.) The whole multitude of deputies will shout collectively “Aye!” when prompted, but then there will follow 5-10 deputies who will, with great fervor, yell “NO!”
Tongue-in-cheek, mind you, it seems that not all Episcopalians are in agreement. So far, we have resounding NO’s from a few deputies on the following:
NO to the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s – to end global poverty)
NO to Lifelong Christian Formation
NO to Education
NO to peace
NO to reconciliation
NO to justice
NO to youth
NO to evangelism (with a running tally of 7 votes in which some deputies have said no to Evangelism)
NO to timely order of business
NO to prison ministry
NO to end of life ministry
NO to Jubilee Ministries
NO to ministry to wounded soldiers and veterans
NO to protecting adults from sexual predators
Bungee and I laugh about this, because in reality, the “NO’s” are to the resolution, or resolution with amendment, as presented to the house, and NOT to education, peace, justice, etc. It’s just funny to think that the “NO” deputies are really opposed to things like peace. No one is opposed to peace. People just yell “no” to resolutions dealing with peace.
This morning the House continued discussion of Resolutions B023 and D050 – consenting to the election of the Bishop-elect of Ecuador-Central and calling for the Convention NOT to consent, respectively. The Spanish-speaking deputies from Colombia, Ecuador, and Puerto Rico, along with English and bilingual American deputies spoke to the resolutions in quite a volatile discussion. The deputation from Ecuador Central was itself divided on the matter; some wanted Bishop-Elect Reverend Luis Fernando Ruiz Restrepo, and others claimed that the election had occurred in a non-democratic fashion, and wanted to be able to elect their own bishop. (For further information and thorough reporting on this matter, see: http://ecusa.anglican.org/79901_112517_ENG_HTM.htm) In the end, the house voted more than 70% in favor of the election, and Bishop-elect Ruiz walked to the front of the house, his wife walking with him and holding his hand, to a thunderous standing ovation. It was a wonderful end to a long and tense argument on the floor.
I was deeply moved by the painful testimonies of some of the Ecuadorian deputies, who obviously felt that they had been wronged by the proceedings of their diocesan convention and further action in the House of Bishops. I voted no to consent on Ruiz’s election, not due to any testimony I heard of his character (in which he sounded like a caring pastor and an exemplar of God’s love), but due to my concern that the dissent in Ecuador was still so ripe and so grief-filled, that we might be wrong to elect a Bishop unwanted by (seemingly) many in the Diocese. In the end, I am joyful for the many who stepped forward to speak on behalf of Ruiz, and I do believe that he will be a good leader for the Diocese of Ecuador Central.
(after posting at 1:00am, I am off to bed).
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Wrapping up 4th Legislative Day
General Convention is exhilirating, and exhausting. Every night I return to my room full of ideas I need to address in my blog posting, but I end up searching all the multimedia on http://gchub.episcopalchurch.org/ .
I highly encourage anyone who happens to read this blog to visit the site and keep up-to-date on the actions of Convention.
Some ideas I will address when I have a moment to compose myself and my thoughts:
1. The polity and structure of the Episcopal Church is unique in the world. From its beginnings in post-Revolution America, the joint work of a democratically elected House of Deputies - both clergy and lay - and House of Bishops is unprecedented in the rest of the Anglican Communion. My vote has AS MUCH significance as the vote of a bishop. This is radical, and at its origin in the late 18th century, it was entirely ahead of its time. What an amazing institution - still fallible, but trusting and progressive in its constitution.
2. Given the unique constitution of the Episcopal Church, our polity is alien in the rest of the Communion. This has been made clear by the Archbishop of Canterbury and many invited and honorable international guests from the Global South. I raised the question to our diocesan caucus last night: is there any official discourse on the fact that we are struggling to maintain relationships with provincial churches whose structure is so much more hierarchical, and whose dictates are mandated from the top and trickle down to those clergy and then finally to the lowly lay people at the bottom of the chain? How the business of our church is started in a grassroots way, from the bottom and moving up to the top? It seems that this fundamental difference in our structure is the greatest impediment to understanding and maintaining strong relationships across the Communion. (Further - another thought: that until democracy is the federal system in the countries in which the Anglican Church is operative, and the people feel their own efficacy and work for change, the Anglican Church in such provinces cannot be governed democratically. Until democracy is the operative system of governance, the rest of the Anglican Communion will not understand our Episcopal Church).
3. The Episcopalians for Traditional Faith. Hmm. Difficult little buggers. (The frozen chosen, perhaps?) I picked up a folder of information left by this lobby/organization in the back of the Hilton Lobby tonight, and I've been reading - with wide-eyed amazement - the publication What's the Difference?: How the Episcopal Church Changed Its Own Religion. A layman's view of the differences between the 1928 and 1979 Books of Common Prayer. A few choice excerpts:
"The Divine Birth of Christ
1928 BCP:
Our traditional Prayer Book unequivocally affirms the divine birth of Christ: "I believe in...Jesus Christ... Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost..." -Apostles' Creed
...
1979 BCP
Contains revised versions of the creeds which allow the possibility that a third and human agency was involved in the birth of Christ:
"He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit." -revised Apostles' Creed.
Comment: Substituting "by the power of the Holy Spirit" for 1928 BCP's "by the Holy Ghost" teaches that the role of the Holy Ghost was only an indirect one. This opens the door to the belief that St. Joseph, empowered by the Holy Ghost, was the human progenitor of Jesus. It does away with the divine nature of Christ and destroys one of the basic tenets of the Christian faith."
[these are the people I have to deal with?]
"Bible Passages
1928 BCP: The passages from the Bible appointed to be read for each Sunday and special holy days are printed in the 1928 Prayer Book.
1979 BCP: There are no Bible passages at all printed in the 1979 Prayer Book.
Comment: It comes to mind that this failure to include Bible passages in the 1979 Prayer Book is an unwitting symbol of the lessened regard for Holy Scripture on the part of today's Church."
[A point of clarification: this is misinformation. The Lectionary - both daily (Year 1, Year 2), and for Sundays (Year A, Year B, and Year C) are included in the Prayer Book].
There are far more ridiculous things in the book (particularly a section on the Baptismal Covenant, which derides the church for urging political and legislative leaders to 'remove obstacles to hospice and palliative care,' and 'support[ing] hate crimes legislation'). I don't quite understand the bent of the 1928 Prayer Books devotees, but I do understand why their church probably isn't very alive and mobile - full of the life and enthusiasm of young people. What 16 year old wants to spend his time in that environment?
For now, off to bed. I love Convention - I wish so many people from home could be here with me.
I highly encourage anyone who happens to read this blog to visit the site and keep up-to-date on the actions of Convention.
Some ideas I will address when I have a moment to compose myself and my thoughts:
1. The polity and structure of the Episcopal Church is unique in the world. From its beginnings in post-Revolution America, the joint work of a democratically elected House of Deputies - both clergy and lay - and House of Bishops is unprecedented in the rest of the Anglican Communion. My vote has AS MUCH significance as the vote of a bishop. This is radical, and at its origin in the late 18th century, it was entirely ahead of its time. What an amazing institution - still fallible, but trusting and progressive in its constitution.
2. Given the unique constitution of the Episcopal Church, our polity is alien in the rest of the Communion. This has been made clear by the Archbishop of Canterbury and many invited and honorable international guests from the Global South. I raised the question to our diocesan caucus last night: is there any official discourse on the fact that we are struggling to maintain relationships with provincial churches whose structure is so much more hierarchical, and whose dictates are mandated from the top and trickle down to those clergy and then finally to the lowly lay people at the bottom of the chain? How the business of our church is started in a grassroots way, from the bottom and moving up to the top? It seems that this fundamental difference in our structure is the greatest impediment to understanding and maintaining strong relationships across the Communion. (Further - another thought: that until democracy is the federal system in the countries in which the Anglican Church is operative, and the people feel their own efficacy and work for change, the Anglican Church in such provinces cannot be governed democratically. Until democracy is the operative system of governance, the rest of the Anglican Communion will not understand our Episcopal Church).
3. The Episcopalians for Traditional Faith. Hmm. Difficult little buggers. (The frozen chosen, perhaps?) I picked up a folder of information left by this lobby/organization in the back of the Hilton Lobby tonight, and I've been reading - with wide-eyed amazement - the publication What's the Difference?: How the Episcopal Church Changed Its Own Religion. A layman's view of the differences between the 1928 and 1979 Books of Common Prayer. A few choice excerpts:
"The Divine Birth of Christ
1928 BCP:
Our traditional Prayer Book unequivocally affirms the divine birth of Christ: "I believe in...Jesus Christ... Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost..." -Apostles' Creed
...
1979 BCP
Contains revised versions of the creeds which allow the possibility that a third and human agency was involved in the birth of Christ:
"He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit." -revised Apostles' Creed.
Comment: Substituting "by the power of the Holy Spirit" for 1928 BCP's "by the Holy Ghost" teaches that the role of the Holy Ghost was only an indirect one. This opens the door to the belief that St. Joseph, empowered by the Holy Ghost, was the human progenitor of Jesus. It does away with the divine nature of Christ and destroys one of the basic tenets of the Christian faith."
[these are the people I have to deal with?]
"Bible Passages
1928 BCP: The passages from the Bible appointed to be read for each Sunday and special holy days are printed in the 1928 Prayer Book.
1979 BCP: There are no Bible passages at all printed in the 1979 Prayer Book.
Comment: It comes to mind that this failure to include Bible passages in the 1979 Prayer Book is an unwitting symbol of the lessened regard for Holy Scripture on the part of today's Church."
[A point of clarification: this is misinformation. The Lectionary - both daily (Year 1, Year 2), and for Sundays (Year A, Year B, and Year C) are included in the Prayer Book].
There are far more ridiculous things in the book (particularly a section on the Baptismal Covenant, which derides the church for urging political and legislative leaders to 'remove obstacles to hospice and palliative care,' and 'support[ing] hate crimes legislation'). I don't quite understand the bent of the 1928 Prayer Books devotees, but I do understand why their church probably isn't very alive and mobile - full of the life and enthusiasm of young people. What 16 year old wants to spend his time in that environment?
For now, off to bed. I love Convention - I wish so many people from home could be here with me.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Committee of the Whole
This morning was exciting and nerve-wracking for me. Having drawn lottery number 17 for the Committee of the Whole in yesterday's drawing, I knew I had a good chance to speak. I spent an hour and a half with Bungee Bynum this morning writing what I might say if I had the chance to speak. We sat in Starbuck's typing, erasing, typing, arguing, picking, prodding, and trying to construct a concise statement. We thought I would have three minutes to speak, and constructed a comfortable 2:45 piece. We walked over to the House of Deputies to prepare for the Legislative Session, and I felt good.
After a half hour of necessary business and passing of items on the Consent Calendar (mostly matters of procedure; no debate allowed), the Committee of the Whole began. The lowest lottery numbers that had been picked by deputies were projected on a screen, and lo and behold! - #17 was the second lowest odd number, after #15. I proceeded to the microphone and lined up with other deputies holding odd numbers. The microphone opposite us was for deputies holding even numbers.
I stood awaiting my companion deputy holding the elusive #15, and he/she never showed. All of a sudden, I would be the first person to speak at the "odd" microphone, and the second to speak. I followed Rev. Brian Cole from the Diocese of Western North Carolina - the same gentleman I met under rather funny circumstances at Jean Farris Winery in Lexington.
Below is the text of what I said. To my dismay, I had to make huge cuts at the last minute, because in reality I did not have three minutes to speak, but only two.
The most vital moments in my faith journey have taken place outside the church. My freshman year I spent studying Jewish-Christian relations, and I concluded my freshman year in the gas chamber of the Madajnek death camp outside Lublin, Poland. I returned home unable to speak of my experience because I knew it wouldn’t be well received. The church doesn’t talk about its darker side. I lost faith in the efficacy of the Good News and believed the Good News was a farce, in the face of all of our Bad News. I wanted no part of a church that was silent on the consequences of its own discrimination.
We must face our Bad News if our Good News is to mean anything at all. Our Bad News is that discrimination is still a reality, that we have been far too focused on ourselves, and have neglected our poor, destitute, and dying. Our Bad News is that we have too long DENIED all the sacraments to all of God’s children. Every moment we spend deliberating the full inclusion of God’s children, we neglect God’s greater call to mission.
Many of us understand the pain of our LGBT brothers and sisters because we know them, we love them, and they are REAL to us. We cannot fathom the pain of our brothers and sisters dying of AIDS in Africa, the political dissidents bloodied in their fights for democracy. We don’t understand the pain of the homeless and mentally ill as we sit debating full inclusion. God has already fully included all of his children. How long will it take humans to catch up?
We need to move on – yes. Moving on requires that we empathize with the pain of exclusion felt by our LGBT family. Moving on, however, also requires that we remember that the least of these are not here to speak for themselves. But I am here. We are here. We must speak for them and move beyond ourselves.
After a half hour of necessary business and passing of items on the Consent Calendar (mostly matters of procedure; no debate allowed), the Committee of the Whole began. The lowest lottery numbers that had been picked by deputies were projected on a screen, and lo and behold! - #17 was the second lowest odd number, after #15. I proceeded to the microphone and lined up with other deputies holding odd numbers. The microphone opposite us was for deputies holding even numbers.
I stood awaiting my companion deputy holding the elusive #15, and he/she never showed. All of a sudden, I would be the first person to speak at the "odd" microphone, and the second to speak. I followed Rev. Brian Cole from the Diocese of Western North Carolina - the same gentleman I met under rather funny circumstances at Jean Farris Winery in Lexington.
Below is the text of what I said. To my dismay, I had to make huge cuts at the last minute, because in reality I did not have three minutes to speak, but only two.
The most vital moments in my faith journey have taken place outside the church. My freshman year I spent studying Jewish-Christian relations, and I concluded my freshman year in the gas chamber of the Madajnek death camp outside Lublin, Poland. I returned home unable to speak of my experience because I knew it wouldn’t be well received. The church doesn’t talk about its darker side. I lost faith in the efficacy of the Good News and believed the Good News was a farce, in the face of all of our Bad News. I wanted no part of a church that was silent on the consequences of its own discrimination.
We must face our Bad News if our Good News is to mean anything at all. Our Bad News is that discrimination is still a reality, that we have been far too focused on ourselves, and have neglected our poor, destitute, and dying. Our Bad News is that we have too long DENIED all the sacraments to all of God’s children. Every moment we spend deliberating the full inclusion of God’s children, we neglect God’s greater call to mission.
Many of us understand the pain of our LGBT brothers and sisters because we know them, we love them, and they are REAL to us. We cannot fathom the pain of our brothers and sisters dying of AIDS in Africa, the political dissidents bloodied in their fights for democracy. We don’t understand the pain of the homeless and mentally ill as we sit debating full inclusion. God has already fully included all of his children. How long will it take humans to catch up?
We need to move on – yes. Moving on requires that we empathize with the pain of exclusion felt by our LGBT family. Moving on, however, also requires that we remember that the least of these are not here to speak for themselves. But I am here. We are here. We must speak for them and move beyond ourselves.
Press from my testimony on Christian anti-Judaism
This was exciting to me: I found this news report while clicking around on the TEC Media Hub - which is the web portal to up-to-the-minute coverage on Convention. Very cool.
The link: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_112247_ENG_HTM.htm
Convention Notebook: Christian anti-Judaism, Anglican group leads prayers, slave trade film
By ENS staff, July 09, 2009
[Episcopal News Service -- Anaheim, California]
Much happens each day at General Convention. In addition to Episcopal Life Media's other coverage, here's some of what else happened on July 9.
Request to address Christian anti-Judaism
A young deputy from the Diocese of Lexington on July 8 passionately urged the joint Prayer Book, Liturgy and Music Committee to support funding for efforts to address Christian anti-Judaism.
Recalling how she eschewed introductory-level courses as a college freshman in favor of a class in Jewish-Christian relations, Allison Asay said she realized by mid-semester the class should have been subtitled A History of Christian Hatred of the Jews. "We read Carroll's Constantine's Sword, Flannery's The Anguish of the Jews, along with about 1,000 pages of other scholarly publications on the subject. By the end of freshman year, I knew too well the anti-Jewish vitriol of St. John Chrysostom and Martin Luther."
In 2006, she visited the Auschwitz, Treblinka and Majdanek concentration camps in Poland as part of a program called the March of Remembrance and Hope. On the last day, standing in a gas chamber in Majdanek, she said, "I broke into uncontrollable sobbing. I collapsed against the walls of the death chamber, where victims had scraped their fingers bloody trying to escape the lethal gases. I wish that my fellow Episcopalians had been there with me. It was a vital moment in my spiritual formation in which my church had no role."
"It is not possible to encounter the history of the Holocaust, of Christian Europe or of our faith without taking into account the trajectory of anti-Judaism – from its ancient origins to the Holocaust. We are called today to both extirpate anti-Judaism from our liturgies, and be forthright and honest in our discussion of the hateful language contained in our Scriptures."
"The budget allocation for the work of this resolution is appropriate and necessary," she concluded, adding, "I do pray for the consideration of a more generous amount."
Anglican group to lead prayer for convention using modern technology
The Anglican Ecumenical Society announced that from July 8 through July 10, it will be hosting joint prayer sessions in both web chat and Second Life for the General Convention of the Episcopal Church.
"The Anglican Communion needs healing and unity; we call all Anglicans in
the United States - Episcopalians, ACNA [Anglican Church in North America, a rival province], and other Anglican churches - and in all the rest of the Communion - to come together to pray for God's will to be done at General Convention, in the Episcopal Church, and in the Communion at large. We also invite other Christians to join us, as the future of the Communion will have a great effect on the body of Christ as a whole.
"We'll also be praying across another divide -- we will be connecting various technologies to make it possible for people within Second Life to pray with those who aren't. At the times that we are praying together, anyone will be able to come to our site, and click on a link to open a chat box which will allow them to pray together with those of us who are inside Second Life.
"Please consider praying with us. More information and flyers / bulletin
inserts for Sunday are available at http://AnglicanEcumenicalSociety.wordpress.com. Consider also joining us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/AnglicanEcumenicalSociety."
The Anglican Ecumenical Society is an organization engaged in collaborative ecumenical online ministry which promotes the ecumenical principles of the Anglican Communion.
Film screenings will explore church's role in slave trade
Attendees have two chances to consider the involvement of their parishes and dioceses in the slave trade.
"Repairing the Breach: The Episcopal Church and Slavery Atonement" will be shown July 11 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Grand Ballroom-Salon F of the Anaheim Marriott Hotel.
The film provides an overview of the Episcopal Church's complicity in slavery, and shows the church's process of seeking to come to terms with that history at 75th General Convention and its Day of Repentance activities held October 3-4, 2008. An accompanying discussion will be facilitated by the Rev. Canon Ed Rodman, the film's narrator, and documentary filmmaker Katrina Browne.
The event is sponsored by the Diocese of Louisiana and the Commission to End Racism of the Diocese of Ohio.
Browne's film, "Traces of the Trade," will be screened July 12 at 7:00 p.m. in Grand Ballroom-Salon F of the Anaheim Marriott.
The film documents her family's part in the slave trade as she and other family members retrace the trade's triangle from Africa to the Caribbean to Rhode Island. A conversation will be facilitated by Constance and Dain Perry, who were part of the film. The event is sponsored by the dioceses of Massachusetts and North Carolina
Another screening and conversation will take place July 14 at 7 p.m. in the same location, and is sponsored by the dioceses of Atlanta and Rhode Island.
More fashion notes
General Convention Executive Secretary Gregory Straub continued to display his collection of colorful sport coats, wearing a blue plaid jacket for the House of Deputies session on July 8 and a blue and green plaid on July 9. President Bonnie Anderson was attired more soberly July 8 in an academic gown from Episcopal Divinity School, reflecting the fact that she holds an honorary doctorate of canon law degree. It was black with dark red velvet collar and pink piping.
-- Sharon Sheridan, Mary Frances Schjonberg and Solange De Santis contributed to this report.
The link: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_112247_ENG_HTM.htm
Convention Notebook: Christian anti-Judaism, Anglican group leads prayers, slave trade film
By ENS staff, July 09, 2009
[Episcopal News Service -- Anaheim, California]
Much happens each day at General Convention. In addition to Episcopal Life Media's other coverage, here's some of what else happened on July 9.
Request to address Christian anti-Judaism
A young deputy from the Diocese of Lexington on July 8 passionately urged the joint Prayer Book, Liturgy and Music Committee to support funding for efforts to address Christian anti-Judaism.
Recalling how she eschewed introductory-level courses as a college freshman in favor of a class in Jewish-Christian relations, Allison Asay said she realized by mid-semester the class should have been subtitled A History of Christian Hatred of the Jews. "We read Carroll's Constantine's Sword, Flannery's The Anguish of the Jews, along with about 1,000 pages of other scholarly publications on the subject. By the end of freshman year, I knew too well the anti-Jewish vitriol of St. John Chrysostom and Martin Luther."
In 2006, she visited the Auschwitz, Treblinka and Majdanek concentration camps in Poland as part of a program called the March of Remembrance and Hope. On the last day, standing in a gas chamber in Majdanek, she said, "I broke into uncontrollable sobbing. I collapsed against the walls of the death chamber, where victims had scraped their fingers bloody trying to escape the lethal gases. I wish that my fellow Episcopalians had been there with me. It was a vital moment in my spiritual formation in which my church had no role."
"It is not possible to encounter the history of the Holocaust, of Christian Europe or of our faith without taking into account the trajectory of anti-Judaism – from its ancient origins to the Holocaust. We are called today to both extirpate anti-Judaism from our liturgies, and be forthright and honest in our discussion of the hateful language contained in our Scriptures."
"The budget allocation for the work of this resolution is appropriate and necessary," she concluded, adding, "I do pray for the consideration of a more generous amount."
Anglican group to lead prayer for convention using modern technology
The Anglican Ecumenical Society announced that from July 8 through July 10, it will be hosting joint prayer sessions in both web chat and Second Life for the General Convention of the Episcopal Church.
"The Anglican Communion needs healing and unity; we call all Anglicans in
the United States - Episcopalians, ACNA [Anglican Church in North America, a rival province], and other Anglican churches - and in all the rest of the Communion - to come together to pray for God's will to be done at General Convention, in the Episcopal Church, and in the Communion at large. We also invite other Christians to join us, as the future of the Communion will have a great effect on the body of Christ as a whole.
"We'll also be praying across another divide -- we will be connecting various technologies to make it possible for people within Second Life to pray with those who aren't. At the times that we are praying together, anyone will be able to come to our site, and click on a link to open a chat box which will allow them to pray together with those of us who are inside Second Life.
"Please consider praying with us. More information and flyers / bulletin
inserts for Sunday are available at http://AnglicanEcumenicalSociety.wordpress.com. Consider also joining us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/AnglicanEcumenicalSociety."
The Anglican Ecumenical Society is an organization engaged in collaborative ecumenical online ministry which promotes the ecumenical principles of the Anglican Communion.
Film screenings will explore church's role in slave trade
Attendees have two chances to consider the involvement of their parishes and dioceses in the slave trade.
"Repairing the Breach: The Episcopal Church and Slavery Atonement" will be shown July 11 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Grand Ballroom-Salon F of the Anaheim Marriott Hotel.
The film provides an overview of the Episcopal Church's complicity in slavery, and shows the church's process of seeking to come to terms with that history at 75th General Convention and its Day of Repentance activities held October 3-4, 2008. An accompanying discussion will be facilitated by the Rev. Canon Ed Rodman, the film's narrator, and documentary filmmaker Katrina Browne.
The event is sponsored by the Diocese of Louisiana and the Commission to End Racism of the Diocese of Ohio.
Browne's film, "Traces of the Trade," will be screened July 12 at 7:00 p.m. in Grand Ballroom-Salon F of the Anaheim Marriott.
The film documents her family's part in the slave trade as she and other family members retrace the trade's triangle from Africa to the Caribbean to Rhode Island. A conversation will be facilitated by Constance and Dain Perry, who were part of the film. The event is sponsored by the dioceses of Massachusetts and North Carolina
Another screening and conversation will take place July 14 at 7 p.m. in the same location, and is sponsored by the dioceses of Atlanta and Rhode Island.
More fashion notes
General Convention Executive Secretary Gregory Straub continued to display his collection of colorful sport coats, wearing a blue plaid jacket for the House of Deputies session on July 8 and a blue and green plaid on July 9. President Bonnie Anderson was attired more soberly July 8 in an academic gown from Episcopal Divinity School, reflecting the fact that she holds an honorary doctorate of canon law degree. It was black with dark red velvet collar and pink piping.
-- Sharon Sheridan, Mary Frances Schjonberg and Solange De Santis contributed to this report.
Thursday - Public Narrative, Discussion of B033
(Report from Thursday)
I must apologize for a lack of time (and open eyes) to commit to writing all the details of today's events. I took the day "easy," but I'm still exhausted!
This General Convention has healthily undertaken to use conversation and storytelling as a means by which to discuss both our individual/collective calls to mission and our feelings on certain controversial issues facing our church. This morning held the first of our three "Mission Conversations." I served as a coach for the conversation - which utilized a practice called "Public Narrative" - and worked with some members of the Diocese of Atlanta. I very much enjoyed getting to know them and hearing their stories, though I feel I failed them as a coach in a few ways. I really just love hearing people talk about their lives and experiences, so I forget that my role is really to help them focus their thoughts and uncover an impact-ful story. The stories are meant to be motivating and persuasive - calls to action. I don't think I helped them learn to develop their stories in that way - just yet. I tried my best. I need to work on coaching.
I received lots of positive feedback on my testimony to the Committee on Prayer Book and Liturgy. People said thank you many times over, and I am very glad I had the strength to speak to the matter. Jewish-Christian Relations (and interfaith relations in general) are one of my passions.
I co-signed on a new resolution that was just drafted yesterday; I will post more information on the resolution as soon as it is distributed in hard-copy. The resolution speaks to the gross expenditures of this Convention - what with deputies staying in luxury hotels and eating lavish meals, using the newest technology and amenities. (I don't know how many millions are being spent on this Convention). I will vote for the passage of the resolution, though I do not think it will be popular with the houses. For the largest bicameral legislature in the world, we really do need lots of technology to carry on our work. However, we don't need luxury hotels. Maybe this resolution will be more of a call to conscience. I hope so.
The most exciting part of the day was the beginning of the "Committee of the Whole" - a special order of business to discuss, without legislation, a matter before the house. We are discussing the resolutions that concern Resolution 2006 B033, which called for a moratorium on the election of bishops with suspect "manners of life." There has been a lot of pain for the past three years over that Resolution, from both conservatives and liberals. There are more than five resolutions before this Convention that call for the repeal of B033. It is going to be interesting to see what happens with respect to those resolutions. There are several paths we could take:
1. No action
2. Vote to uphold B033
3. Vote to repeal B033
4. Construct new resolutions (particularly ones that affirm that we have partnered gay and lesbian people serving in all offices of the church, already, and that we re-affirm our place and relationship in and with the rest of the Anglican Communion)
As part of the process we're engaging to discuss B033, members of the World Missions Legislative Committee addressed the house with the committee's report. They gave the history of B033, the actions that have taken place in TEC and the Anglican Communion since 2003, and gave their opinions of possible ways forward. The final part of the address was to ask each member of the House of Deputies to rise up out of their seats, and go sit next to someone they did not know. We were given 30 minutes for conversation with this person. Three questions were presented as a way to focus our conversation, but primarily, the 30 minutes were wide open.
I spoke to a priest from the Diocese of West Virginia named Kevin. When he entered seminary, he told me, he had been opposed even to the ordination of women. He had a change of heart and mind while at seminary, realizing that he had no good reason for believing the sacrament of ordination should be withheld from anyone - women, or a gay person, celibate or partnered. Jesus' commandments do not support that. We had a very fruitful and meaningful conversation. I shared my story of Poland with him, and he helped me parse through my feelings on B033 and other matters relating to LGBT Episcopalians and same-sex relationships.
Immediately after the House adjourn, the "lottery" opened for the chance to address the House during the entire Committee of the Whole discussion. I felt moved to go get a number to see if I might choose a low enough number to be able to address the House. I pulled 17. It looks as though I might have the chance to address the House of Deputies. (woah). I'm going to spend the morning sifting through my thoughts and try to construct something that needs to be said. There is so much that others say - much more eloquently, with personality, humor, and poignancy - what can I say?
I must apologize for a lack of time (and open eyes) to commit to writing all the details of today's events. I took the day "easy," but I'm still exhausted!
This General Convention has healthily undertaken to use conversation and storytelling as a means by which to discuss both our individual/collective calls to mission and our feelings on certain controversial issues facing our church. This morning held the first of our three "Mission Conversations." I served as a coach for the conversation - which utilized a practice called "Public Narrative" - and worked with some members of the Diocese of Atlanta. I very much enjoyed getting to know them and hearing their stories, though I feel I failed them as a coach in a few ways. I really just love hearing people talk about their lives and experiences, so I forget that my role is really to help them focus their thoughts and uncover an impact-ful story. The stories are meant to be motivating and persuasive - calls to action. I don't think I helped them learn to develop their stories in that way - just yet. I tried my best. I need to work on coaching.
I received lots of positive feedback on my testimony to the Committee on Prayer Book and Liturgy. People said thank you many times over, and I am very glad I had the strength to speak to the matter. Jewish-Christian Relations (and interfaith relations in general) are one of my passions.
I co-signed on a new resolution that was just drafted yesterday; I will post more information on the resolution as soon as it is distributed in hard-copy. The resolution speaks to the gross expenditures of this Convention - what with deputies staying in luxury hotels and eating lavish meals, using the newest technology and amenities. (I don't know how many millions are being spent on this Convention). I will vote for the passage of the resolution, though I do not think it will be popular with the houses. For the largest bicameral legislature in the world, we really do need lots of technology to carry on our work. However, we don't need luxury hotels. Maybe this resolution will be more of a call to conscience. I hope so.
The most exciting part of the day was the beginning of the "Committee of the Whole" - a special order of business to discuss, without legislation, a matter before the house. We are discussing the resolutions that concern Resolution 2006 B033, which called for a moratorium on the election of bishops with suspect "manners of life." There has been a lot of pain for the past three years over that Resolution, from both conservatives and liberals. There are more than five resolutions before this Convention that call for the repeal of B033. It is going to be interesting to see what happens with respect to those resolutions. There are several paths we could take:
1. No action
2. Vote to uphold B033
3. Vote to repeal B033
4. Construct new resolutions (particularly ones that affirm that we have partnered gay and lesbian people serving in all offices of the church, already, and that we re-affirm our place and relationship in and with the rest of the Anglican Communion)
As part of the process we're engaging to discuss B033, members of the World Missions Legislative Committee addressed the house with the committee's report. They gave the history of B033, the actions that have taken place in TEC and the Anglican Communion since 2003, and gave their opinions of possible ways forward. The final part of the address was to ask each member of the House of Deputies to rise up out of their seats, and go sit next to someone they did not know. We were given 30 minutes for conversation with this person. Three questions were presented as a way to focus our conversation, but primarily, the 30 minutes were wide open.
I spoke to a priest from the Diocese of West Virginia named Kevin. When he entered seminary, he told me, he had been opposed even to the ordination of women. He had a change of heart and mind while at seminary, realizing that he had no good reason for believing the sacrament of ordination should be withheld from anyone - women, or a gay person, celibate or partnered. Jesus' commandments do not support that. We had a very fruitful and meaningful conversation. I shared my story of Poland with him, and he helped me parse through my feelings on B033 and other matters relating to LGBT Episcopalians and same-sex relationships.
Immediately after the House adjourn, the "lottery" opened for the chance to address the House during the entire Committee of the Whole discussion. I felt moved to go get a number to see if I might choose a low enough number to be able to address the House. I pulled 17. It looks as though I might have the chance to address the House of Deputies. (woah). I'm going to spend the morning sifting through my thoughts and try to construct something that needs to be said. There is so much that others say - much more eloquently, with personality, humor, and poignancy - what can I say?
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Hearing on A091: Dismantling Christian Anti-Judaism
I testified today at the Committee on Prayer Book and Liturgy. Here is the text of my witness:
I want to address Resolution A091 – Dismantling Christian Anti-Judaism - as it speaks to a large part of my spiritual formation – a part in which the church had no role.
My college registrar discovered early on that I was stubborn. When I entered his office to register for my first semester, he encouraged me to take intro-level classes. I refused to take Intro to Poetry; instead, I was unbending in my desire to enroll in "Jewish-Christian Relations." I trotted to the professor's office for a course pass. "I don't know if you're ready for a class like this," he said, hesitating while handing over a course pass. I didn't realize what he meant until mid-semester.
I soon learned that the class should have a subtitle: A History of Christian Hatred of the Jews. We read Carroll's Constantine's Sword, Flannery's The Anguish of the Jews, along with about 1000 pages of other scholarly publications on the subject. By the end of freshman year, I knew too well the anti-Jewish vitriole of St. John Chrysostom and Martin Luther. I continue to have trouble with St. Augustine, whose theologized justification for the Jews' status as a pariah people excused centuries of hatred, culminating in crusades and pogroms.
In May 2006, I traveled to Poland on a program called "The March of Remembrance and Hope," and visited Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Madajnek, traveling with other students and faculty and two survivors. On the last day of the week-long journey, I stood in a gas chamber in Madajnek. I hadn't cried once on the trip, but here I broke into uncontrollable sobbing. I collapsed against the walls of the death chamber, where victims had scraped their fingers bloody trying to escape the lethal gases. I wish that fellow Episcopalians had been there with me. It was a vital moment in my faith journey, and the church was markedly absent.
It is not possible to encounter the history of the Holocaust, of Christian Europe, or of our Faith without taking into account the trajectory of anti-Judaism – from its ancient origins to the Holocaust. We are called today to both extirpate anti-Judaism from our liturgies, and be forthright and honest in our discussion of the hateful language contained in our scriptures. The budget allocation for the work of this resolution is appropriate and necessary, though I pray for the consideration of a more generous amount.
I will conclude with a quote from Jules Isaac, author of Jesus and Israel:
“The glow of the Auschwitz crematorium is the beacon that lights, that guides all my thoughts. Oh, my Jewish brothers, and you as well, my Christian brothers, do you not think that it mingles with another glow, that of the cross?”
I want to address Resolution A091 – Dismantling Christian Anti-Judaism - as it speaks to a large part of my spiritual formation – a part in which the church had no role.
My college registrar discovered early on that I was stubborn. When I entered his office to register for my first semester, he encouraged me to take intro-level classes. I refused to take Intro to Poetry; instead, I was unbending in my desire to enroll in "Jewish-Christian Relations." I trotted to the professor's office for a course pass. "I don't know if you're ready for a class like this," he said, hesitating while handing over a course pass. I didn't realize what he meant until mid-semester.
I soon learned that the class should have a subtitle: A History of Christian Hatred of the Jews. We read Carroll's Constantine's Sword, Flannery's The Anguish of the Jews, along with about 1000 pages of other scholarly publications on the subject. By the end of freshman year, I knew too well the anti-Jewish vitriole of St. John Chrysostom and Martin Luther. I continue to have trouble with St. Augustine, whose theologized justification for the Jews' status as a pariah people excused centuries of hatred, culminating in crusades and pogroms.
In May 2006, I traveled to Poland on a program called "The March of Remembrance and Hope," and visited Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Madajnek, traveling with other students and faculty and two survivors. On the last day of the week-long journey, I stood in a gas chamber in Madajnek. I hadn't cried once on the trip, but here I broke into uncontrollable sobbing. I collapsed against the walls of the death chamber, where victims had scraped their fingers bloody trying to escape the lethal gases. I wish that fellow Episcopalians had been there with me. It was a vital moment in my faith journey, and the church was markedly absent.
It is not possible to encounter the history of the Holocaust, of Christian Europe, or of our Faith without taking into account the trajectory of anti-Judaism – from its ancient origins to the Holocaust. We are called today to both extirpate anti-Judaism from our liturgies, and be forthright and honest in our discussion of the hateful language contained in our scriptures. The budget allocation for the work of this resolution is appropriate and necessary, though I pray for the consideration of a more generous amount.
I will conclude with a quote from Jules Isaac, author of Jesus and Israel:
“The glow of the Auschwitz crematorium is the beacon that lights, that guides all my thoughts. Oh, my Jewish brothers, and you as well, my Christian brothers, do you not think that it mingles with another glow, that of the cross?”
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Committee on World Mission
I am sitting now in the conference room where the Legislative Committee on World Mission is meeting. The public hearing of Resolutions A039, A133, A189, C053, D026 and D027 just finished. I spoke to Resolution A039 in very poor fashion (I have learned now not to enjoy libations prior to attending evening committee hearings), primarily TRYING to state that I would hope that A039 would remain within the World Missions Committee, as it indirectly concerns the work of interfaith initiatives of the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem. It is now being recommended for discharge and re-referral to National/International Concerns Committee. (I should not have said anything, or rather, should have spoken to my experience of Palestine and Morocco. I lost that opportunity).
Back to listening to the business of the committee.
Back to listening to the business of the committee.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Arrival in Anaheim
I arrived in Anaheim yesterday evening around 6:00pm, and spent a relaxing evening with my friend Carly (with whom I lived in Morocco) and her family. My night was filled with lively conversation and fresh tomatoes, basil, and buffalo mozzarella, amazing olive oil and balsamic vinegar, sparkling wine, red wine, chicken and pea risotto and goat cheese, and finished with homemade peach pie and ice cream. WHAT an evening. (For me - a major vacation; for Carly's family - totally normal. Did I mention they grow their own tomatoes - tons of varieties - lemons, tangerines, and figs? And herbs?!?!?!?! Absolute heaven).
Today Carly and I visited Galco's - a shop dedicated wholly to sodas. I bought blueberry soda, cucumber soda, "Rat Bastard Root Beer" (really- that's the name), and Leninade - the drink of the Proletariat. Ha! Fantastic experience. We ate lunch at Lemongrass Vietnamese Restaurant, which was delicious.
Carly dropped me off at the Hilton around 4:15pm, and I quickly checked into my room and walked with Bungee over to the Convention Center to register. We peeked inside the House of Deputies - a cavernous expanse of a room. I should have brought binoculars. This will be QUITE an experience.
The Lexington deputation held a caucus at 6:00pm (where we divvied up money and made a shopping list for the liquor store), and I ate dinner with Kay, Ann Davis, and Bungee. All in all, a fantastic and fun day.
Early to rise tomorrow morning so I can exercise before attending a 4 hour (4 hours?!?!?!?!) New Deputy Orientation.
Good night.
Today Carly and I visited Galco's - a shop dedicated wholly to sodas. I bought blueberry soda, cucumber soda, "Rat Bastard Root Beer" (really- that's the name), and Leninade - the drink of the Proletariat. Ha! Fantastic experience. We ate lunch at Lemongrass Vietnamese Restaurant, which was delicious.
Carly dropped me off at the Hilton around 4:15pm, and I quickly checked into my room and walked with Bungee over to the Convention Center to register. We peeked inside the House of Deputies - a cavernous expanse of a room. I should have brought binoculars. This will be QUITE an experience.
The Lexington deputation held a caucus at 6:00pm (where we divvied up money and made a shopping list for the liquor store), and I ate dinner with Kay, Ann Davis, and Bungee. All in all, a fantastic and fun day.
Early to rise tomorrow morning so I can exercise before attending a 4 hour (4 hours?!?!?!?!) New Deputy Orientation.
Good night.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
The problem with anthropology
"Carry my bags, Sacagawea."
I'm spending time with my friend Carly's family, drinking wine and talking social injustice.
"So now you know the story of why anthropology no longer exists."
It's now critical theory.
I'm spending time with my friend Carly's family, drinking wine and talking social injustice.
"So now you know the story of why anthropology no longer exists."
It's now critical theory.
Dismantling Christian Anti-Judaism
I'm a very stubborn person, and when I discover an opportunity that I deem necessary for my personal development at a certain point in time, I am relentless in my quest to benefit from said opportunity. This was how I began my college experience: I didn't want to listen to the wise suggestions of my faculty advisor; instead, I wanted to take Jewish-Christian Relations, an upper-level course that, while having no stated prerequisites, would be difficult, time-consuming, and presumably far outside the skill set of an eighteen-year-old first-year student. Oh well, I told my advisor and the registrar. I'm taking it anyway. "Fine," the registrar replied, "but you need to go talk to the professor."
The professor was one Dr. Paul Jones, whose wife had been a friend of my mother's for years. I figured that the family connection would help me in getting a spot in the class. We had a short chat in which he told me that he didn't know if I was ready for such a class as this. This made me all the more eager to take the class; I like meeting challenges and coming up against obstacles others don't think I can tackle. I told him how hard I would work, how interested I was in the subject. He finally assented, and I trotted back to the Registrar's Office with a beloved purple course pass in hand (the first of many I would attain throughout my college career).
I went into Jewish-Christian Relations thinking I would learn something about Judaism, which had fascinated me since I was very young. However, I soon learned that the class should have a subtitle: Jewish-Christian Relations: A History of Christian Hatred of the Jews. We read Carroll's Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews, Flannery's The Anguish of the Jews: Twenty-Three Centuries of Antisemitism, along with about 1000 pages of miscellaneous articles and scholarly publications on the subject. We read the anti-Jewish vitriole of St. John Chrysostom (this is the same man whose prayer is recorded in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer - The Prayer of St. Chrysostom; he wrote specific adversus judaeos- against the Jews- literature), Martin Luther (read Luther's "The Jews and Their Lies"), and the writings of men such as St. Augustine, who theologized the justification for the continued status of the Jews as a pariah people - despised, hated, discriminated, and the future subjects of numerous crusades and pogroms.
My early college experience was a full year of nothing but the study of Christian anti-Judaism - of this dark underside of the history of my faith, this horrendous skeleton in the closet. At the end of freshman year, I traveled to Poland on a program called "The March of Remembrance and Hope," and visited Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Madajnek, traveling with other college students and faculty on a bus with two Holocaust survivors. At age nineteen, I stood in a gas chamber in Madajnek and felt the weight of history upon my shoulders, as I looked at the blood-stained walls, where victims had scraped their fingers bloody trying to escape the caustic lethal gases. I learned and know that it is not possible to encounter the history of the Holocaust, the history of Christian Europe (the small Polish town of Lublin sits right outside the Madajnek death camp; there are reports of the ashes of those murdered blowing through the windows and into the homes of Polish families as they sat down to supper; Lubliners could smell the burning flesh), or the history of Christianity without taking into account the long trajectory of theologized hatred, discrimination, violence, and killing of the Jews from its beginnings - the early Church Fathers - through to the Holocaust. Even if it were possible to remove Luther's anti-Jewish diatribes from the history (it is not; Hitler used Luther's words in his anti-semitic rhetoric), Christians in 2009 still must answer to the inaction and "bystander behavior" of millions of Christians in Nazi Europe. Further, we must contend with the fact that millions of our brothers and sisters in Christ were members of the Nazi party, and a number of those Christian Nazis worked in the death camps. Remove the historical trajectory that led up to the Holocaust, and Christians still must deal with the evil - the blackest sins - that their brothers and sisters in Christ committed during the reign of the Nazi party.
I am pleased that the Episcopal Church is contending with this history and with remnants of anti-Jewish language that remain in our liturgies. I pray that deputies and bishops will vote to pass resolution A091, "Dismantle Christian Anti-Judaism."
For further reading on this subject, please see:
From Intra-Jewish Polemics to Persecution: The Christian Formation of the Jew as Religious Other
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4044/is_200604/ai_n16452274/
This article is by professor Dr. Paul Jones, and was published in Encounter, Spring 2006. Refer to his extensive bibliography for even more reading.
The text of the Resolution:
Resolution: A091
Title: Dismantle Christian Anti-Judaism
Topic: Discrimination
Committee: 13 - Prayer Book, Liturgy and Church Music
House of Initial Action: Bishops
Proposer: Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music
Resolved, the House of _______ concurring, That the 76th General Convention direct the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music to continue to collect, develop and disseminate materials that assist members of the Church to address Christian anti-Judaism expressed in and stirred by portions of Christian scriptures and liturgical texts, including the preparation of a pamphlet explaining Christian anti-Judaism and ways to address it in teaching, evangelism, and congregational life; the development of age-appropriate educational materials for children; the identification and evaluation of available resources pertaining to liturgy and music, giving special attention to Holy Week and Easter liturgies and to the diverse traditions of song in The Episcopal Church; and to report the results of its efforts to the 77th General Convention; and be it further
Resolved, That the 76th General Convention request that the Theology Committee of the House of Bishops develop, in consultation with the Standing Commissions on Liturgy and Music and on Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations, a statement defining Christian anti-Judaism and why it demands our attention, and to report to the 77th General Convention; and be it further
Resolved, That the 76th General Convention direct the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance to consider a budget allocation of $10,000.00 for implementation of this Resolution.
The professor was one Dr. Paul Jones, whose wife had been a friend of my mother's for years. I figured that the family connection would help me in getting a spot in the class. We had a short chat in which he told me that he didn't know if I was ready for such a class as this. This made me all the more eager to take the class; I like meeting challenges and coming up against obstacles others don't think I can tackle. I told him how hard I would work, how interested I was in the subject. He finally assented, and I trotted back to the Registrar's Office with a beloved purple course pass in hand (the first of many I would attain throughout my college career).
I went into Jewish-Christian Relations thinking I would learn something about Judaism, which had fascinated me since I was very young. However, I soon learned that the class should have a subtitle: Jewish-Christian Relations: A History of Christian Hatred of the Jews. We read Carroll's Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews, Flannery's The Anguish of the Jews: Twenty-Three Centuries of Antisemitism, along with about 1000 pages of miscellaneous articles and scholarly publications on the subject. We read the anti-Jewish vitriole of St. John Chrysostom (this is the same man whose prayer is recorded in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer - The Prayer of St. Chrysostom; he wrote specific adversus judaeos- against the Jews- literature), Martin Luther (read Luther's "The Jews and Their Lies"), and the writings of men such as St. Augustine, who theologized the justification for the continued status of the Jews as a pariah people - despised, hated, discriminated, and the future subjects of numerous crusades and pogroms.
My early college experience was a full year of nothing but the study of Christian anti-Judaism - of this dark underside of the history of my faith, this horrendous skeleton in the closet. At the end of freshman year, I traveled to Poland on a program called "The March of Remembrance and Hope," and visited Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Madajnek, traveling with other college students and faculty on a bus with two Holocaust survivors. At age nineteen, I stood in a gas chamber in Madajnek and felt the weight of history upon my shoulders, as I looked at the blood-stained walls, where victims had scraped their fingers bloody trying to escape the caustic lethal gases. I learned and know that it is not possible to encounter the history of the Holocaust, the history of Christian Europe (the small Polish town of Lublin sits right outside the Madajnek death camp; there are reports of the ashes of those murdered blowing through the windows and into the homes of Polish families as they sat down to supper; Lubliners could smell the burning flesh), or the history of Christianity without taking into account the long trajectory of theologized hatred, discrimination, violence, and killing of the Jews from its beginnings - the early Church Fathers - through to the Holocaust. Even if it were possible to remove Luther's anti-Jewish diatribes from the history (it is not; Hitler used Luther's words in his anti-semitic rhetoric), Christians in 2009 still must answer to the inaction and "bystander behavior" of millions of Christians in Nazi Europe. Further, we must contend with the fact that millions of our brothers and sisters in Christ were members of the Nazi party, and a number of those Christian Nazis worked in the death camps. Remove the historical trajectory that led up to the Holocaust, and Christians still must deal with the evil - the blackest sins - that their brothers and sisters in Christ committed during the reign of the Nazi party.
I am pleased that the Episcopal Church is contending with this history and with remnants of anti-Jewish language that remain in our liturgies. I pray that deputies and bishops will vote to pass resolution A091, "Dismantle Christian Anti-Judaism."
For further reading on this subject, please see:
From Intra-Jewish Polemics to Persecution: The Christian Formation of the Jew as Religious Other
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4044/is_200604/ai_n16452274/
This article is by professor Dr. Paul Jones, and was published in Encounter, Spring 2006. Refer to his extensive bibliography for even more reading.
The text of the Resolution:
Resolution: A091
Title: Dismantle Christian Anti-Judaism
Topic: Discrimination
Committee: 13 - Prayer Book, Liturgy and Church Music
House of Initial Action: Bishops
Proposer: Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music
Resolved, the House of _______ concurring, That the 76th General Convention direct the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music to continue to collect, develop and disseminate materials that assist members of the Church to address Christian anti-Judaism expressed in and stirred by portions of Christian scriptures and liturgical texts, including the preparation of a pamphlet explaining Christian anti-Judaism and ways to address it in teaching, evangelism, and congregational life; the development of age-appropriate educational materials for children; the identification and evaluation of available resources pertaining to liturgy and music, giving special attention to Holy Week and Easter liturgies and to the diverse traditions of song in The Episcopal Church; and to report the results of its efforts to the 77th General Convention; and be it further
Resolved, That the 76th General Convention request that the Theology Committee of the House of Bishops develop, in consultation with the Standing Commissions on Liturgy and Music and on Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations, a statement defining Christian anti-Judaism and why it demands our attention, and to report to the 77th General Convention; and be it further
Resolved, That the 76th General Convention direct the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance to consider a budget allocation of $10,000.00 for implementation of this Resolution.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
God of diversity and difference
When I was at Province IV Synod at Kanuga a few weeks ago, I scribbled - middle school note-passing style - the following comment to a slightly older and much wiser member of Lexington's deputation:
"I think that members of other, more charismatic Christian churches are far more accustomed to speaking openly about their faith and a transformational experience of the divine than Episcopalians are."
She agreed. We had just begun training for our Province's Public Narrative discussions, and the process was being met with some resistance. In the end, my Public Narrative experience at Kanuga (I was a coach for the Diocese of East Carolina - a wonderful group with lively and passionate stories and discussion) was uplifting and encouraging - a great way to get to know people and find commonality through our different experiences of call to mission.
I offer this memory by way of addressing the events of my day, which were highly emotional, intense, and new. I didn't observe the personal "testimony" (public narrative) of a member of a charismatic congregation, but I feel as though I witnessed the unspoken "Public Narratives" of a whole family. Today I attended the funeral of a dear friend's aunt, and I am now sitting in my darkened living room processing the experience and my thoughts.
The church was a small, bare-walled and sparsely decorated building - a simple meeting house. The congregation was large - large family and an incredible number of friends and community members. I sat amidst the family, who, to set the stage a little more, had experienced another loss just a few year's prior. They have experienced a great deal of grief, an unfair and unnecessary amount. It was moving to be with them, knowing a little of the great sadness they have lived in the last decade.
To turn to self-analyzation, however, the most moving and extraordinary part of the day was the realization of the love and warm welcome the family has given me over the last few years, despite our differences. The religious heritage of my friend's family is Bible-based, charismatic, and highly emotional. This spiritual tradition is visceral, impassioned, overwhelming and powerful -- wholly different from the liturgical, structured rubric of Episcopal worship. The language of today's eulogies, sermons and prayers could not be more different from that of the Episcopal church's scripted homilies and cool and calculated Book of Common Prayer. I was a fish out of water, keenly aware that I may not have bowed my head deeply enough or displayed enough faithful fervor. Thank God no one seemed to notice and while I felt that at any moment someone might ask if I had been "saved," I continued to feel welcome nonetheless.
In my Episcopal upbringing, never was I introduced to the concept of being "saved." I heard about "saved-ness" on Adventures in Odyssey audio tapes, which my mother bought for me at the local Christian bookstore, but I think I separated that experience of Christianity from my Episcopal experience, even as a young child. Episcopalians just don't talk that way; we are grafted onto the body of Christ at baptism and reaffirm our membership in Christ's body at confirmation, not to mention at regular eucharists. We don't have a "saved" experience; I guess we just realize that we are.
So today, while realized that I was very different because I wasn't necessarily "saved" per the understood definition of the members there present, I also recalled my formerly acute awareness that for members of churches where being "saved" is paramount, the Episcopal Church, with its very calm and collected manner of prayer and worship, is suspect and even downright un-faithful. As foreign as today's unscripted sermons and prayers were to me, I was struck during the funeral service how alien my "brand" of Christianity might be to these worshipers. I have existed for several years in an almost entirely demythologized world, having removed all the fantastical faith stories from the core of my spirituality and concentrating solely on here-and-now based calls to live out by Baptismal Covenant. (I think this might be common for many Episcopalians and other "progressive" Christians). Today, however, I was reminded of the New Jerusalem, of the very deep and wide river of stories and experiences that have grounded me within the Christian tradition, and have allowed me to understand - in a small way - the religious experiences of those who span the whole Christian spectrum. I understand my role in the ancient-to-modern flow of Christianity in a unique way, but I quietly and privately reaffirmed the importance of Biblical stories to my faith life. I feel invigorated by this renewed commitment to living within the religious heritage of the Bible - of the ancient Israelites, early Jews, early Jewish-Christians, and Pauline Christians.
This family's hope in the saving power of God in Christ is staggering, their ability to live through sorrow and overcome it with an increasing love of God, an ever-growing belief in His goodness, and a heightened sense of compassion is positively astounding. I am humbled by their faith, dumbfounded by their resilience.
Moreover, I am unbelievably thankful for the work of God's hand in my life - for the people He has put in my path to form me, shape me, and change me. I am undeserving, and overwhelmed by grace. These are things I might need to get more used to saying - for years I have avoided the term "grace."
I pray for the Episcopal Church and the deputations at Convention - that we may find cause to welcome each other (including all the baptized to all the sacraments of the Church) in Christian love. If I learned anything from today's events - from the funeral service, from the preacher, from the family - it is that our differences are NO excuse for a lack of compassion, understanding, love, or welcome.
Heavenly Father,
May the Episcopal Church learn to welcome and respect the dignity of all people. May we learn to love and serve those whom we perceive as different from us. May we discern the will of the Holy Spirit as it moves at Convention and in our lives.
May all that we do be to pursue Your will and Your love.
Amen.
"I think that members of other, more charismatic Christian churches are far more accustomed to speaking openly about their faith and a transformational experience of the divine than Episcopalians are."
She agreed. We had just begun training for our Province's Public Narrative discussions, and the process was being met with some resistance. In the end, my Public Narrative experience at Kanuga (I was a coach for the Diocese of East Carolina - a wonderful group with lively and passionate stories and discussion) was uplifting and encouraging - a great way to get to know people and find commonality through our different experiences of call to mission.
I offer this memory by way of addressing the events of my day, which were highly emotional, intense, and new. I didn't observe the personal "testimony" (public narrative) of a member of a charismatic congregation, but I feel as though I witnessed the unspoken "Public Narratives" of a whole family. Today I attended the funeral of a dear friend's aunt, and I am now sitting in my darkened living room processing the experience and my thoughts.
The church was a small, bare-walled and sparsely decorated building - a simple meeting house. The congregation was large - large family and an incredible number of friends and community members. I sat amidst the family, who, to set the stage a little more, had experienced another loss just a few year's prior. They have experienced a great deal of grief, an unfair and unnecessary amount. It was moving to be with them, knowing a little of the great sadness they have lived in the last decade.
To turn to self-analyzation, however, the most moving and extraordinary part of the day was the realization of the love and warm welcome the family has given me over the last few years, despite our differences. The religious heritage of my friend's family is Bible-based, charismatic, and highly emotional. This spiritual tradition is visceral, impassioned, overwhelming and powerful -- wholly different from the liturgical, structured rubric of Episcopal worship. The language of today's eulogies, sermons and prayers could not be more different from that of the Episcopal church's scripted homilies and cool and calculated Book of Common Prayer. I was a fish out of water, keenly aware that I may not have bowed my head deeply enough or displayed enough faithful fervor. Thank God no one seemed to notice and while I felt that at any moment someone might ask if I had been "saved," I continued to feel welcome nonetheless.
In my Episcopal upbringing, never was I introduced to the concept of being "saved." I heard about "saved-ness" on Adventures in Odyssey audio tapes, which my mother bought for me at the local Christian bookstore, but I think I separated that experience of Christianity from my Episcopal experience, even as a young child. Episcopalians just don't talk that way; we are grafted onto the body of Christ at baptism and reaffirm our membership in Christ's body at confirmation, not to mention at regular eucharists. We don't have a "saved" experience; I guess we just realize that we are.
So today, while realized that I was very different because I wasn't necessarily "saved" per the understood definition of the members there present, I also recalled my formerly acute awareness that for members of churches where being "saved" is paramount, the Episcopal Church, with its very calm and collected manner of prayer and worship, is suspect and even downright un-faithful. As foreign as today's unscripted sermons and prayers were to me, I was struck during the funeral service how alien my "brand" of Christianity might be to these worshipers. I have existed for several years in an almost entirely demythologized world, having removed all the fantastical faith stories from the core of my spirituality and concentrating solely on here-and-now based calls to live out by Baptismal Covenant. (I think this might be common for many Episcopalians and other "progressive" Christians). Today, however, I was reminded of the New Jerusalem, of the very deep and wide river of stories and experiences that have grounded me within the Christian tradition, and have allowed me to understand - in a small way - the religious experiences of those who span the whole Christian spectrum. I understand my role in the ancient-to-modern flow of Christianity in a unique way, but I quietly and privately reaffirmed the importance of Biblical stories to my faith life. I feel invigorated by this renewed commitment to living within the religious heritage of the Bible - of the ancient Israelites, early Jews, early Jewish-Christians, and Pauline Christians.
This family's hope in the saving power of God in Christ is staggering, their ability to live through sorrow and overcome it with an increasing love of God, an ever-growing belief in His goodness, and a heightened sense of compassion is positively astounding. I am humbled by their faith, dumbfounded by their resilience.
Moreover, I am unbelievably thankful for the work of God's hand in my life - for the people He has put in my path to form me, shape me, and change me. I am undeserving, and overwhelmed by grace. These are things I might need to get more used to saying - for years I have avoided the term "grace."
I pray for the Episcopal Church and the deputations at Convention - that we may find cause to welcome each other (including all the baptized to all the sacraments of the Church) in Christian love. If I learned anything from today's events - from the funeral service, from the preacher, from the family - it is that our differences are NO excuse for a lack of compassion, understanding, love, or welcome.
Heavenly Father,
May the Episcopal Church learn to welcome and respect the dignity of all people. May we learn to love and serve those whom we perceive as different from us. May we discern the will of the Holy Spirit as it moves at Convention and in our lives.
May all that we do be to pursue Your will and Your love.
Amen.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Legislation for discussion within the World Missions Committee
At General Convention I will be following the business of the World Missions Legislative Committee. Below is a list of the resolutions that will be discussed by World Missions Committee; the House of Initial Action for each resolution is the House of Deputies.
A039 International Relations: Wall Around Palestine
A124 Structure Foreign Lands Task Force
A125 Bishops Anglican Communion Task Force
A128 Missionaries Funding Missionaries
A129 Bishops Mission Orientation in the New Bishop's Conference
A130 Covenant with Brazil
A131 Covenant Committee Gathering
A132 Covenant Committee Reporting
A133 Canons Amend Canon I.1.2(n)(11)
A134 Missionaries Mission Partners
A136 World Mission EPGM Funding
A189 Anglican Communion Mission Cooperation in the Americas
A190 Covenant Commendation of The Episcopal Church in the Philippines
C001 Canons Adding Gender Identity to Canons
C007 Ordination Process Consent to Episcopal Elections
C010 Consecration of Bishops Repeal of GC2006 B033
C015 Consecration of Bishops Consent to Episcopal Elections
C024 Ordination Process Consent to Episcopal Elections
C033 Ordination Process Affirming the Canonical Process
C036 Consecration of Bishops Repeal of GC2006 B033
C039 Consecration of Bishops Reaffirmation of Conformity to Canon III.1.2
C045 Liturgy Inclusion of All Persons in Life of Church
C046 Canons Amend Canon III.1.3
C053 Mission Strategy Continuing Support for MDG's
C054 Consecration of Bishops Regarding GC 2006 B033
C061 Canons Amend Title III.1.2
D007 Peace Sudan Peace and TEC Partnership
D013 Anglican Communion Ministry and Witness
D020 Covenant Provincial Acceptance of Anglican Covenant
D021 Equality Baptized Entitled to All Sacraments
D022 Equality Consecration of Qualified Candidates
D025 Anglican Communion Commitment and Witness to Anglican Communion
I will post more information on each of these resolutions shortly. At this time, however, notice that two of the resolutions deal explicitly with the repeal of Resolution B033 from the 2006 General Convention. Resolution B033 reads:
Title: On Election of BishopsTopic: Bishops
Committee: Special Legislative Committee
House of Initial Action: Bishops
Proposer: The Rt. Rev. Dorsey F. Henderson Jr. (Upper South Carolina)
Resolved, That the 75th General Convention receive and embrace The Windsor Report’s invitation to engage in a process of healing and reconciliation; and be it further
Resolved, That this Convention therefore call upon Standing Committees and bishops with jurisdiction to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion.
Resolved, That this Convention therefore call upon Standing Committees and bishops with jurisdiction to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion.
I will be prayerfully considering how to vote on the resolutions that concern the repeal of B033. While the consensus of Lexington's deputation, and that of many respondents to online Deputy Forums (official and unofficial), and the language of the organization Integrity has been to "move past B033," I have yet to discern what that means for me, and how I will vote.
Many of the other resolutions that I will follow in the World Missions Committee concern human rights issues, Millennium Development Goals, Canon III.1.2, addition of gender identity to the canons, and the inclusion of all of the baptized in all the sacraments of the church (which I wholly support - so what to do with B033?).
To read the full text of these resolutions, visit http://gc2009.org/ViewLegislation/view_Legislation.aspx.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Post-Evangelical Christianity
The following is an article that was discovered by a lay deputy to this Convention and is circulating through the online forums and discussions of deputies and bishops.
Leave comments if you feel so moved - I'd love to read reactions.
Link: http://www.alternet.org/story/140321?page=entire
Leave comments if you feel so moved - I'd love to read reactions.
Link: http://www.alternet.org/story/140321?page=entire
America's 'Emerging Church:' Will a New Post-Evangelical Christianity Reflect More Tolerant Views?
Christian publications are abuzz with talk about the "emerging church," which seems to be more science and gay friendly.In the last half of the 20th century, Evangelicalism swept the American religious scene.
This period of American religious history will go down as the age of Billy Graham. He may have been light on theological prowess, but he was a spell-binding preacher and an organizational genius.
His call to Christ was supported by the establishment of new colleges, new seminaries, parochial schools, home schooling, new publishing companies, new magazines, radio and television networks, and new ministries such as Campus Crusade, World Vision, Youth for Christ, and Pioneer Boys and Girls.
Evangelicalism changed the face of America. Predictably the change is not permanent and the next phase is setting in.
Church historians and sociologists are now talking about post-Evangelicalism. The most popular buzz term is the emerging church. Change is constant and the American religious scene is not static.
Talk about the emerging church is appearing in significant journals and periodicals. To keep up with what is happening, I spend a lot of time reading. I have my favorite publications. I read Christian Century, Context, and Christianity Today to name three.
I also read an array of other periodicals that represent a broad diversity of perspectives. The emerging church is becoming a common topic.
Scot McKnight, Professor of Religious Studies at North Park University, has been studying the phenomenon that is pervasive, but as yet little noticed by the general public. He calls the change ironic.
This new breed of Christian is a product of Evangelicalism and appears to be carrying on the Evangelical tradition; but serious scholars are asking "Is this a subsection of Evangelicalism or is it something quite different?"
The developing ironic faith takes the believer to a fork in the road. Will the believer abandon the Christian faith altogether or will the believer redefine the meaning of being a Christian?
Dr. McKnight identifies eight characteristics of the emerging church. In condensed form I am sharing his observations:
First, emergents cannot accept the idea of Bible inerrancy. Verbal inerrancy will not stand modern critical examination in the study of languages. To assign fixed inerrancy to ancient documents written in the Hebrew and Greek used thousands of years ago stretches credibility.
Second, emergents have come to believe that the gospel that they have been taught is a caricature of the message of Jesus, rather than the real thing. Increasingly they are putting other Biblical writings in the background and have shown increasing interest in what Jesus said and did.
They ask "If we are followers of Jesus, why do we not live and preach his message?" In short, they are looking for a much more radical Christianity than they have found in the Evangelical (and mainline) churches.
Third, exposure to science in public education, universities and personal studies has led emergents to disown the conclusion that when the Bible and science appear to collide, science must take a back seat to the Bible.
In this conflict, emergents are not abandoning the Bible, but are raising critical questions about the Bible's nature and content. This new bread of Christian remains quite committed to the Bible but they are very open to new ideas and understandings.
Fourth, emergents have become disillusioned by the clay feet of church leadership. It is not just the Jim Bakkers and the Jimmy Swaggarts, but the rank and file of church leadership.
Emergents compare what Jesus had in mind and what is going on in churches, and they see a need to start over. They want a fresh start with serious intent to follow Jesus.
Fifth, our public schools and our nation in general are insisting that we be truly multicultural. The churches' teaching, that people not like us, are doomed, is not acceptable to emergents. They want a much broader definition of what it means to be accepted in the family of God.
Sixth, emergents are insisting that God be understood as totally gracious and loving. The angry, vengeful God that is sometime presented in both Old and New Testaments is not acceptable.
Seventh, acceptance of homosexuals in the family of God is common. Being pro-gay or anti-gay is not the issue. Emergents recognize that sexuality is far more complex than is generally recognized. To live in harmony with gay and lesbian friends and family members is a part of the emergent's perspective.
Eighth, echoing the first named characteristic, emergents recognize the role that language plays in their understanding and practice of the Christian Faith. Theology is language bound. Language is a limited tool of communication.
If theology is language bound, it is also culturally shaped. To be rigidly exclusive does not make sense to emergent Christians.
In writing about the people who are leading the emerging church, I have served as a reporter. I want my readers to be aware of what is happening.
See more stories tagged with: religion, science, evangelical, christianity, emerging church, post-evangelical
Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer, Alaska. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Websites to follow
General Convention 2009
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/gc2009.htm
The Unofficial Anglican Pages of Louie Crew (Louie is a legend - if you have time, please peruse his website.)
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~lcrew/rel.html
Pay special attention to his blog. Wonderful stuff: http://queereye4lectionary.blogspot.com/
An explanation of the GC theme, "Ubuntu":
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/gc2009_96805_ENG_HTM.htm
More to come.
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/gc2009.htm
The Unofficial Anglican Pages of Louie Crew (Louie is a legend - if you have time, please peruse his website.)
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~lcrew/rel.html
Pay special attention to his blog. Wonderful stuff: http://queereye4lectionary.blogspot.com/
An explanation of the GC theme, "Ubuntu":
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/gc2009_96805_ENG_HTM.htm
More to come.
Preparing for General Convention
As I prepare for my role as a lay deputy at General Convention in Anaheim this summer, I hope to post information and thoughts pertaining to the foci of the Convention and the resolutions that will go before the legislative body.
I am blessed by the opportunity to serve my church, diocese, and Church as a young lay deputy. I learned at the Province IV Synod meeting at Kanuga in early June that I am part of the the smallest minority at Convention: not only are under-35's in the minority, but of the 800 or so deputies (clergy and lay) attending the Convention, only 2% are under age 25. Wow! I pray that my youth will not be a hindrance; I have hope that my youth will be beneficial.
I ask that you keep me and the other deputies in your thoughts and prayers as we prepare for Convention. Over 1000 pages of reading---------------- and counting!
I am blessed by the opportunity to serve my church, diocese, and Church as a young lay deputy. I learned at the Province IV Synod meeting at Kanuga in early June that I am part of the the smallest minority at Convention: not only are under-35's in the minority, but of the 800 or so deputies (clergy and lay) attending the Convention, only 2% are under age 25. Wow! I pray that my youth will not be a hindrance; I have hope that my youth will be beneficial.
I ask that you keep me and the other deputies in your thoughts and prayers as we prepare for Convention. Over 1000 pages of reading---------------- and counting!
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