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.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
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.
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