What’s Up? 06/10/10

Tags

Anglican, Anglican Communion, Archaeology, environment, Humor, Jacques Cousteau, oceans, Sarah Palin, The Episcopal Church

Well, ya know my day has been a bit troubled from the last post, but frankly, I’m letting it go pretty easily. I’m praying for a woman to re-prioritise her life in a more meaningful way.

Other than that, the rolls are baking in the oven, making the house smell wonderful and the Contrarian has completed his gardening for the day and is busy re-reading a number of his short stories–reading me snippets here and there, much to my delight.

I am turning to see what the intertubes have collected for me to read, and if I find a thing or two that you might like, I’ll pass them along. Agreed?

Okay, my first stop was over at vodkaandgroundbeef. I find her writing simply hilarious. Okay, I won’t mention it every day, but really you can’t miss her.

Almost as delish is the post from Joe.My.God–did Sarah get a boob job? Oh dish that dirt! And we aren’t even linking to Perez Hilton. Miz Feminista coulda? Ranks up there with Carly’s gossipy girl snarl about Boxer’s hairdo. Oh ladies, remember, we are about POWER and TRUTH aren’t we?

Don’t know about you, but I watched a lot of Jacques Cousteau specials growing up. He more than anyone taught us the beauty and fragility of the oceans. Stephany Anne Golberg has a nice story about his life at The Smart Set.

Who killed Otzi is the oldest murder mystery going.  Seriously, like over 5,000 years old. That’s older than Columbo by at least 15 years I think, or Hawaii-50’s “Book em DanO.” Heck if that don’t titillate you, then they have a story on the oldest leather shoe ever found too. I mean you gotta know this stuff right?

The Archbishop of Canterbury has turned a cold shoulder to the Episcopal Church for failing to abide by his wishes. Tobias Haller strikes the perfect note in his poem at In a Godward Direction.

For all you anal types (I tend to be one) here’s a way to rethink and revise that constant urge to live by the to-do list. Brought to you by Balance in Me.

Questions, questions, always questions. Answers are optional. How is God the Creator is a thought provoking essay on what exactly do we mean when we say that God created everything? Brought to you by Closer to Truth, via Science and Religion Today.

Enough for today. Have a good one!

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Godly Humor: Part X

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Autobiography, Christ Episcopal Church, faith journey, Godly Humor, social issues, spirituality, The Episcopal Church

It is with no little irony, as I reviewed the last couple of posts in “Godly Humor,” that I realized how aptly named it was. Another joke by my Lord. For my spiritual journey most resembles a zig zag, which winds and bends, doubles back and races fitfully along, much no doubt, to the amusement of God. It all seems quite deliberate.

So to, the announcement at the end of Part IX, that the spiritual part of my autobiography was “concluded.” How could I have come to that idea?

In the last few weeks, it seemed that I was reflecting a good deal about the past year and my new journey of sorts in the Episcopal Church. And I thought it fair to set down my observations. Take serious note that I do not speak for my own parish, nor certainly for the Church at large.

It has been a bit more than a year since I first set foot in Christ Church, eager, tentative, hopeful, and not a little saddened by the events which led me to that juncture. Yet, not a few months later, I am joyously happy, relieved, dedicated, comfortable, and and endless list of other happy adjectives. It has been a good fit.

I recall telling the Contrarian that I intended to “attend church.” I “might” engage in some biblical studies if such were offered. I expected nothing further. As I learned of the breadth of ministries offered, my excitement grew, but I remained firm. No groups or committees that met in the evening hours, not much of anything that wasn’t scheduled for Sundays. No extra drives into town for me.

Yeah right. God it seemed had other plans. With, I imagine, great glee, I started in the Adult Forum group, wherein we first studied Hosea, and then on to Paul’s moral teachings. I met wonderful, bright, and by my estimation rather right thinking individuals. I soon felt right at home, and that was due in no small measure to the immense welcoming that is so much a tradition of the Episcopal church at large, but is central to my parish.

While I was “careful” with my liberal opinions, and “mindful” of my newness, I was constantly urged to speak my mind and join in the conversation whatever it might be. For Episcopalians by design are not a hierarchical group. Although we are led by fine, well educated, and spiritual leaders, they in deep humility encourage everyone to be an important part of the congregation.

There is an exuberance, an excitement there, no matter what day of the week you happen to stop by. People are busy. They are busy about being a Matthew 25 people.

“When was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?”

I can honestly say that in no church that I ever attended have I found so many ways of serving the community and thus God’s people. In no place did I feel God’s call so loudly and insistently.

And against all the pronouncements of “no night meetings, no weekday drives,” and all that, I find myself immersed more and more. Today, I serve as a chalice server, co-chair of the library committee, member of the Adult forum committee, Jubilee ministries committee, volunteer at Loaves and Fishes, new member of the Education for Ministry Program, and it appears a couple more that have not yet quite formalized.

I say this in no way to toot my horn, for goodness knows I can name several dozen at my church who do twice as much or more. They are my models and examples, for the face of Christ shines brightly in them. It is with their very lives that they draw me forth. I can say as much for the magnificent clergy that we have. Warm, engaging, spiritual, deeply immersed in the Gospel, they all, Rector, assistant Rector, and deacons reach forth to teach and preach and to guide and lead in the best tradition of Church.

I am reminded that I have not been transformed as much as I am being transformed, for like the journey, it is never ending.

I recognize that in the greater Episcopal Church there are serious problems. Some of our brethren have seen fit to turn their back on a fine tradition of the church, namely that we disagree and argue during the week about doctrine, and come together on Sunday to worship our God. Some have determined that they cannot abide by the decisions made by the majority on some issues and have gone their own way. I view this with sadness, but note that there is a movement throughout Christendom of realignment generally.

Not all think the same within my own parish. One would never expect that. Yet, I like to think that while we may disagree, we respect each other. We care for the well being of all our congregants no matter our different theological beliefs. We search, in the words of our rector, to find God working in our lives in agreement and disagreement. We seek the lessons that are always there to be learned.

I can say that all that I desired in “church” were met here, and more, that I did not contemplate. I rejoice in liturgy and am uplifted in the great traditions of the service. I feel God’s hand upon my shoulder each Sunday as I enter the pew. I feel a hushed reverence at Eucharist unlike any I have ever known.

Is my parish singularly special? I cannot speak to that, for I know no other. I suspect it is and it isn’t. It is unique and yet reflects all that I have come to understand of the Episcopal tradition. God may be quite the comic when it comes to upsetting my notions about the journey, but he was quite serious when he chose Christ Church and the Episcopal faith for me.

May all your faith choices be as wondrous.

Life in the Big Tent

Tags

bible, conservatives, ECLA, exegesis, gay rights, progressives, scripture, The Episcopal Church, The Lutheran Church, theology

As some of you no doubt know, the ECLA has just voted to allow committed practicing homosexuals into ministry. They join a growing list of mainline Protestant churches who have done the same, including my own, the Episcopal Church. I believe the Quakers beat us all by decades, much to their credit.

The ECLA is now, or will soon begin to learn of the cost it incurs by this move. An interesting article in the Chicago Tribune acknowledges that the decision is being met with quite different responses, church by church within the Lutheran community.

We in TEC have been through this recently ourselves, as I alluded to. In reality, we didn’t craft a new provision, but simply returned to the original rule that places no impediment on anyone seeking ministry discernment. Each parish and diocese has handled the “discussion” as it sees fit.

One of the points made in the Tribune piece, is that perhaps God will more judge us not on the correctness of our decisions in this matter, but rather how we deal with the opposition without our congregations. And I think that may be key here. Church, representing Christian principles and what we hope are moral precepts, can and should stand as a banner as to how to remain in unity even when we are theologically divided.

So far we haven’t done a particularly good job of that. Many people within TEC have left, forming splinter churches who then try to align with Anglican churches in  Africa, which have been missionaried in a more conservative mode from the beginning.

We, at my church, have been discussing the issue through a forum on the convention over several weeks. Same-sex issues were reviewed along with the church’s legislative work on health care, war, evangelizing, women’s issues, and a  whole host of concerns. We too expressed our desire to approach those who think differently with care and gentleness.

We like to think of ourselves as a big tent, and indeed so do most mainline Protestant groups. We like to think we can accommodate different voices within our congregations while still adhering to the basic principles of Christian teaching. So far, we don’t seem to be doing so well.

Some see this as a general realignment of “progressive” forces and “conservative” forces, and that perhaps the future holds in store a loose agreement across denominational lines. I think that a distinct possibility.

 We, in talking, referred to some of the things that we have heard about our church since the Convention. I of course could go on at length at all the really nasty remarks sent my way by ultra conservative Catholics who are ex-Episcopalians. I’ve been called evil, and blasphemous, a heretic, and well, you get the picture. One person said our church was referred to as the “gay church.” She shot back, “And you think yours is straight?”

The level of rancor is admittedly high, and that is most sad. What is more sad, to me at least, is that all is said in the name of “Jesus.” The conservatives argue that we, by our stance, prove we have no love or allegiance to Jesus or the Gospel. We of course believe with all our hearts that we do.

This points up an equally sad thing. While reading and studying the bible is a fine thing, and to be encouraged, it is sufficiently broad and obtuse overall, that virtually any position can be vindicated by some verse or another. Worse, it of course has been. The bible has been used to justify slavery, polygamy, suffering at the hands of oppressive regimes, subjugation of women, war, the death penalty,and the list goes on and on.

All this and more can be justified or not in the hands of skillful manipulators or just by the innocent but untrained reader. There was and is something to be said for the reluctance, historically, of the Roman Catholic Church in giving the average person access to so powerful and dangerous a book.

But, as I said, I’m not here to claim that the bible shouldn’t be read. But I am here to proclaim that serious attention must be paid to experts in the field, those who are linguistic experts, who have studied the anthropological, archaeological, and historical records in defining and determining what the texts actually mean, who did or didn’t write them, and so forth.

The ECLA claims they spent eight years of study in making the recommendation that same-sex restrictions be lifted. No doubt a good part of that was a thorough study of scripture. There are dozens of excellently done books on the subject, done by scholars who spend a lifetime acquiring the skills to do proper, unbiased exegetical work.

 Those of us who have read this material, in quantity, find that the majority are in agreement that there is no barrier biblically to same-sex inclusion in our various religious practices, any more than there is a biblical barrier to womens’ inclusion.

Our recognition that those who continue to tout the “literalist” interpretation of  “it says what it means and it means what it says,” do so for reasons other than strict reason and rationality, will enable us to reach out to such people with loving gentleness and wisdom. We must help them to dismantle the emotional wall they have erected to protect themselves against a Gospel that is more inclusive and loving than they are prepared for. We must seek to uncover the needs and satisfy them in ways that no longer do violence to the teaching of Christ. Barring that, we must honor their right to think differently, bless them, and continue on our way, hopefully in unity.

If we cannot, then indeed, I would argue no one else can.