Vacation winding down

Just getting used to life in the woods, and now it's about to end.

I am, however, looking FORWARD to having things start up again in church.

Hope to see some of you on Sunday!

jb+

The Bible, the poor, divorce, and homosexuality: a thought for the day?

Although there are more than 2000 verses in the Bible about the need for individuals…
and for nations…
to help the poor and the oppressed…
there is a powerful group of conservative…
"Bible-believing" Christians who do not believe the Bible on this issue.
They believe that individuals and curches are asked to help the poor if they so desire…
but not ntations.
They believe that charitable giving should only come from those who wish to give.
The "plain reading" of scripture…
suggested by those who view the Bible as inerrant…
infallible…
and inspired…
is professed less enthusiastically when it differs from their own interests and practices.
For example…
in the Bible…
Jesus has a great deal to say about divorce and nothing at all to say about homosexuality.
Most "Bible preachers" avoid any serious discussion of Jesus' views on divorce.
Meanwhile…
homosexuality has become the most divisive subject in the church.

Why would a 15-year-old in South Carolina want to be an Episcopalian?

I opened eMail this morning from a 15-year-old, writing from South Carolina.

He's interested in becoming an Episcopal priest.

But, he says, he's a "Marcus Borg, John Spong liberal."

(Marcus Borg is among the most widely known and influential voices in progressive Christianity.

He advocates that entering into relationship with God is more important than belief about God.

John Spong is a prolific author and retired Episcopal Bishop of Newark.

He calls for a fundamental rethinking of Christian belief.)

Today's question from this young man: "Why not an even more progressive denomination [than The Episcopal Church] (like the United Church of Christ) or Religon (Unitarian Universalism)?"

Here's my answer:

I was drawn to The Episcopal Church in my first year at college.

Had been raised in a Bible-thumping fundamentalist church that offered no lasting spirituality.

Thinking for myself, I left it by the time I was 12 or 13 years old.

It wasn't until friends my first year in college invited me to church with them.

That was when I discovered The Episcopal Church.

I discovered a breath-taking liturgy.

I found the Book of Common Prayer in the pew, a historic document containing beautifully written prayers. (None of those droning made-up-on-the-spot prayers from my youth.)

I quickly discovered a Christian faith that honors and engages the Bible, that values the historic traditions of the Church, and that recognizes the importance of God-given human reason.

And a denomination in which individuals could disagree theologically, yet share a common table.

That was the beginning.

Following my ordination, I chose to cease functioning as a priest.

"Exiled" my self. (Now there's a topic for a separate Blog posting.)

I joined a Unitarian Church for a time.

It was a place where I felt comfortable theologically, socially, and politically.

It was a church of sorts.

But I knew it wasn't "The Church."

Then I didn't attend any church at all.

Over several decades, I would experience disturbing dreams of being summoned back to The Episcopal Church.

Resisting, digging my heels in, I would awaken from the dreams with an odd mixture of awe and anxiety.

Now I'm back.

I'm home.

I've been welcomed in a progressive diocese of The Episcopal Church, a place that offers those same things that attracted me in the first place: an awe-inspiring traditional liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer, a faith that honors and engages the Bible but also values the historic traditions of the Church, and a tradition that recognizes the importance of God-given human reason.

Finding that place that you can call "home" is what's most important.

For me, The Episcopal Church offers the openness of the United Church of Christ, the theological integrity of Unitarianism, and more! 

On the back sheet of our Sunday service booklets, I always include the following statement.

• We believe that each of us reflects the image of God, that God loves every one of us unconditionally, and that God wants each of us to be all that it’s possible for us to be. 
  
• We are God’s home, God’s hands, and God’s heart in this world.
  
• We believe we have found an approach to God through the life and teachings of Jesus.
  
• We respect the faithfulness of other people who have other names for the way to God’s realm and acknowledge that their ways are true for them.
  
• We understand that the sharing of bread and wine in Jesus name is a meaningful way to experience the holy presence of God.
  
• We invite all people to participate in our community and worship life without insisting that they become like us.
  
• We know that the way we behave toward one another and toward other people is the fullest expression of what we believe.
  
• We find more grace in the search for understanding than we do in dogmatic certainty, more value in questioning than in absolutes.
  
• We strive for peace and justice among all people.
  
• We recognize that being followers of Jesus is costly and entails selfless love, conscientious resistance to evil, and renunciation of privilege. 

Works for me!