Daring to Dream (updated)

By now you are aware of several opinion pieces in the press and on blogs decrying the results of General Convention and the "secularization" of liberal Christianity. These have been well-covered by the Episcopal Cafe. (Aside: It's particularly rich to have Ross Douthat, the token Conservative Catholic apologist on the NY Times, scold Episcopalians. What arrogance.)

Numerous takedowns have been published ranging from George Conger to Diana Butler Bass (how's that for a spectrum), again, quoted extensively at the Cafe.

In addition to numerous factual errors (particularly in the WSJ piece; also see box below), the assumption is that "liberal" = "secular" . I find this particularly annoying, since I spend my Sunday mornings at a very liberal, progressive parish with a very high liturgy and very clear commitment to Scripture as well as faith and reason. Many of my Episcopal friends there would agree with Jay Emerson Johnson, who writes, "I am socially and politically liberal because I am theologically and religiously conservative."

But what's striking to me, as one who followed GC pretty closely (I was running our Diocesan blog, believe it or not), was how far these dark prognostications were from the energy and enthusiasm I saw on twitter, on the various blogs, and in the returning warriors….er, Deputies.    As a relative outsider, I found GC very hopeful.  Finally, moving beyond the sexuality issue as the only concern;  a meaningful and heartening desire to restructure the church in a positive way, a recognition that "all" really has to mean "all".

Are there challenges ahead? Sure, but the Episcopal Church is maneuvering to meet them better than most. It may even do so "nimbly" (SCORE!)

I've exhorted you before to stop hiding what you have to offer under a bushel. In fact I keep saying it, your own atheist evangelist. After all, you have community, liturgy, and mission to offer; you welcome intelligent people, you allow questions, you like science, you aren't hung up on sex….but you need to figure how to tell people this.

Still, there is regenerating hopefulness and not just in Episcopalians. As the Rev. Emily Heath writes, many mainline protestants are daring to dream.  Much of this is driven by twitter and other social media (e.g., #mainlinedreams; you can read her piece for other hashtags used by individual denominations).  Hearteningly, clearly many people are energized--not just the young.

 The Acts8 group I mentioned before is just one example of how people are stepping up. (That would be #Acts8 for the twitterati.) None of these will come up with a single way to adapt and grow, of course. But it makes me think of how new growth insistently pushes out of the soil after a fire (it's that season here in Southern California), how life insistently and hopefully reclaims and re-establishes itself. The landscape changes but life goes on.

You should feel pretty good about what you did at GC.  As Winnie Varghese writes in this fabulous article, 

What happened at General Convention? Besides beginning to think about restructuring the church and passing a whopping huge budget, we made many statements of belief in the resolutions we passed. Here are some: We believe that God cares more about the nature of your relationship than its biology, and we have a beautiful blessing to offer. We believe that God created you to express your gender the way you feel moved to express it. We believe that no one should be assumed to be breaking the law because of his or her appearance. But mostly, we believe that we are received into the household of God in baptism and partake of the body of Christ in the Eucharist, and through the sacrament are given a glimpse of God's vision for a just world, and the courage to make it real, and we want you to join us. 

Now go invite someone to church on Sunday.  ;-)

Just the facts: While the critics point (with an a-HA!) at reduced numbers, as though that's specific to Episcopalians, that's not true at all. It's not even liberal Christianity that is declining. It's organized religion overall, and particularly Christianity given that is the dominant faith expression in the US. Indeed, trends suggest that the conservatives have poisoned the well for everyone. Every mainline denomination is shrinking Even conservative evangelicals are concerned The Roman Catholic faith is hemorrhaging "cradle Catholics" and kept afloat by immigrants  The most rapidly growing religious group in the country is "none". and a lot of those are disaffected young Christians turned off by anti-science, anti-gay policies.

Time to go fishing?

Many of our regular Episco-blogosphere friends are returning from Indianapolis today, and on twitter and facebook they are sharing stories of meeting people who didn't know about the Episcopal church and are now impressed.

We've heard stories of a hotel staffer who said "you are the first group of Christians I haven't hated", a waitress who thanks conventioneers for making her friends welcome, someone who never heard the word "Episcopalian" but who wants to check 'em out on Sunday.

Couple this to the wonderful description of baptism in a fountain (WAY TO GO, Elizabeth Kaeton!), and I think you can be well pleased with the outcomes of General Convention.

While the conservatives rail and gasp and prognosticate further decline, the press reports of inclusion have done wonders for your profile particularly amongst the young.  And although 12 sniffy conservative bishops complain about passage of same sex blessings, it wasn't even a narrow vote.  What comes out of this in the press isn't stories of a denomination torn, but one committed to justice,  and now stepping into the future with confidence.

And now, as several have pointed out on FB, it's time to go fishing.  Throw open those red doors, and welcome everyone inside.    Show those conservative doom-sayers just how wrong they are.

This isn't just a job for the conventioneers.  Any of you pew-sitters can do it too.  TEC is in the news.  People have heard about it.  So strike up a conversation and invite someone to church on Sunday.    "Whoever you are, and wherever you are on the journey of faith, you are welcome here."

Go, do it!

(Yes, the irony of your friendly Christian atheist or gratheist exhorting you to evangelize is not lost on me.  On the other hand, I evangelize for you regularly!   So much so, I  think I've earned a toaster.   :-) 

Ashes on the streets

Last year at this time, we had a passionate discussion around the blogs about the practice of taking ashes to the streets. Elizabeth Kaeton today has a meditation on Ash Wednesday and mentions that the Diocese of Chicago is "taking it to the streets." As the Episcopal News Service describes it,

The diocesan-wide initiative, known as Ashes to Go, was conceived by the Rev. Emily Mellot, rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in Lombard in response to church members regrets about not being able to attend Ash Wednesday services at the church. Few had shown up at her daybreak Ash Wednesday service or the others at noon and early evening, citing work or other commitments. It struck her that the church ought to be taking the Ash Wednesday rite to where the people were at 7 a.m., the commuter rail stations. So last year she floated the idea before her parish's vestry, thinking it would be a project for another year. But the vestry was so taken with the notion "that we were at the Metra station with ashes, poster, handouts and volunteers nine days later."

Over on Episcopal Cafe, Sara Miles has an essay about the same effort in San Francisco.

So, is this contributing to "ashes as fashion accessory", or creative evangelical outreach?

I still think that on the whole, this is not a bad thing to do, as long as it's not an "or" but an "and". For practicing churchgoers, it's a no-brainer -- the discipline of practice means that you should go to church goday, so ashes-on-the-corner isn't really directed at you. (As Margaret says, "g'wan. Go to Church.") So my wife tonight will serve at the deeply reflective Ash Wednesday service (a necessary counter to the hilarity of last night's Zydeco Mass), and the only reason I'm not going is that I have to teach late and won't be home in time. (And since I only go for the music and to support BP, and don't get smudged, it's no big deal for me. If I were a practitioner, there would be options on campus or nearby for the thumbprint.)

The question then is, who is the Ashes-Al-Fresco really for? And I see two things accomplished by it.

First, it's a powerful outreach. To those fallen away, it is a call back to the signs and rhythms of the liturgy. To those who may be questioning, it is a step towards belonging. Basically, for people who are not going to church, and who aren't going to go in "cold", it's an invitation and a welcome. Maybe it will call them to want to learn more.

Second, it's a statement of faith in the public square. While I have a passionate sense that the state should not sanction religion (which is why that Easter Cross on Mt Soledad still bugs me), I have no problem with the free expression of religion. You Episcopalians are the nicest group of Christians that no one knows about, and too often hide yourselves in the walls of your churches. Why not make a statement of who you are where people can hear it?

Now, will there be people who accept ashes for the novelty or without the proper reverence? Will there be people who SHOULD be in church and use it as a shortcut? Yes, of course there will. That's unavoidable. But that's also the price you pay for reaching those who are ready to hear you-- and who wouldn't otherwise know who you are.

It comes down to gatekeeping. Do you throw the gates wide open, accepting the collateral of those who "don't get it" for the sake of those who do? Or, conversely, do you monitor the gates, keeping out the less serious but also losing some of the quiet ones who shy away? This is all tangled up with the same kinds of arguments that are made about open Communion, or the inclusion of LGBT people, or whether you can go to heaven if you don't do Jesus.

As you can tell, my choice is radical inclusiveness on all fronts. But it's your church.

Discuss.

JUST LOVE: exposing and opposing the ex-gay industry

I recently talked about being "born gay". It is therefore perhaps not surprising that the "ex-gay" movement, which is founded on the idea that it's "just a choice" is at the lead in opposing GLBT rights in this country. The so-called "ex-gay" organizations are criticized by mainstream medical professionals for the harm they do GLBT people. The supporters of this discredited movement are linked to the Uganda bill that would criminalize homosexuality up-to-and-including the death penalty. They claim to be driven by religion, but are viewed with dismay by many religious people.

The "ex-gay" movement is flexing its political muscle. It's not limited to religion any more. Its involvement in Uganda, the calls to criminalize homosexuality in this country , are all linked. Therefore anyone interested in GLBT rights in the secular sphere has to be aware of and fight back against these groups, not dismiss them as fringe religion.

On Saturday March 6, there is a conference opposing the so-called "Ex-gay" movement. The JUST LOVE conference, will be held at St Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, San Diego (which is a leader in local advocacy for GLBT rights). The conference will bring together leaders in medicine, law, faith groups, and advocacy to expose the ex-gay movement and raise awareness of its activities in the USA, as well as its role in the Uganda "kill the gays" bill. Speakers include Michael Bussee (survivor, writes at Beyond Ex-gay); Wayne Besen (Founder of Truth Wins Out, a non-profit that defends the GLBT community against anti-gay misinformation and the “ex-gay” industry) ,and Jim Burroway (from the Box Turtle Bulletin who exposed the link between ex-gay movement and Uganda).

There will be afternoon workshops for legal professionals, media coverage, allies in the faith community, and support/recovery issues for victims of the ex-gay movement.

This conference is FREE. More information here.

Draft program here.

Facebook pagehere.

The conference corresponds with an opposing conference promoting the "Ex-gay" abuse, also in San Diego. There will be protests against the emotional spiritual and physical violence done in the name of the "Ex-gay" movement. Check out this post from blogger MIke Tidmus for more background!

Education is the key to defend our community against the haters.

Brian McLaren on the Importance of Being Episcopalian

We've heard a lot about Brian McLaren around the blog crowd. He's an author, a pastor, and a leader in the idea of the "Emergent Church" which Fr Jake and others have talked about quite a lot.

BP wanted to go hear him talk this weekend, where his topic was "The importance of being Episcopalian". He had been in San Diego talking at the Diocesan convention, and gave an additional talk at the St Paul's Cathedral Forum which is held at 9am each Sunday before Mass. So that's where we went.

Although not an Episcopalian himself, McLaren has a lot of respect for and interest in the Episcopal church, and noted that for a variety of reasons, TEC is at an important moment. His broad message was carpe diem: seize the day and merge past and present with the future. As he put it, everyone has been so good at maintaining the church of their grandparents, that they have created a church that is unwelcoming to their children. So, this was his prescription for the future.

You can see his whole talk at this website (it's about an hour long, look for the entry for Feb 14), but here are some interesting notes some of you may like to discuss in the comments. So have at it!

McLaren noted 4 significant advantages of the Episcopal church, which he described as the "birthright" of Episcopalians.

1. Via Media mindset: the middle way between Protestant and Catholic. Accommodating to old traditions and new ideas; unlike many protestants during the reformation era, did not throw out the baby with the bathwater, but managed to keep some of the old ways intact.


2. Celtic mindset: With a history of Christianity that was built on the fringes of empire, faith became integrated into the Celtic society, rather than replaced by Roman culture. Being on the edge, many aspects of the Anglican tradition escaped the Roman Empire and its authoritarian politics and power. For example, he noted that Celtic spirituality is more comfortable with the body and sexuality, rather than fearing the physical in the way that the more structured Roman tradition. (I have only recently been introduced to the idea of a distinctly Celtic component in Anglican Christianity; I needs to read me some J. Phillip Newell).


3. Diverse mindset: big tent, in a land torn by religious wars. The genius of the Anglican tradition is that unity is based on practice rather than opinion. (Or was....!)


4. A liturgical mindset, in which he described liturgy as organized mysticism and defined its purpose to create space for soul to experience contact with living God. Slow down, and experience honesty.

Of course, there are a matching set of Disadvantages:

1. Upper Class mindset: association with top of social ladder and class, and a need to work hard for diversity.


2. Institutional mindset. Institutions carry values across generations and preserve the gains of past social movements, and resist new movements that proposes change to current institutions. Paradoxically, movements do not succeed unless they are integrated with an institution. It's should be a dynamic tension, but lack of receptivity to new ideas leads to a certain stasis that is not healthy.


3. Christendom mindset: by which he describes what happens when Christianity is combined with a kingdom or political system. Faith is lazy, and allied with power. He defines this as when people assume that everyone is Christian, and goes to church, a dominant paradigm that does not describe the realtity of most places in the US.


4. Bipolar mindset: the liberal/conservative divide, which "polarizes and paralyzes."

In his prescription for the future, he had three broad suggestions.

1. Bring them in spirit: natural evangelizing by everyone. NOT preachy, or "traditional" evangelizing, but involving people where they are, in long conversations, and don't hide your faith. The Institution can be in the way. He said, others will try to recruit people into a brittle, angry, judgmental, violent form of the faith. Time to speak up lest you and all Christians get labelled with the brand of hate and intolerance. (I would argue that this has to some extent already happened).


2. Welcome an entrepreneurial spirit adding new services, modes, and ideas. Don't let yourselves just consume religious goods and services: set your mission as a welcome. Living liturgy has to have room to grow, not be a frozen remnant.


3. Begin again spirit. Again, he invoked the Via media above the line between liberal, conservative or moderate. He sees this as resolved not by moving both sides to the middle, but by trying to transcend the linear vector and move beyond it or above it. (He was distinctly uninformative on how this ideal is to be accomplished.)

It was an interesting talk, and some parts of it are clearly things that can be accomplished and integrated into existing structures, especially where there is leadership that embraces the future, rather than turns its back to it.

But in a broader sense, it remains unclear to me how the polarization problem can be accommodated further. I've been following the Episcopal follies for some years now (rooting around Fr Jake's archives, I can see I posted there at least as far back as 2005, and I know I was on the defunct Every Voice Network and The Right Christians well before that). I used to read some of the sites on the Other Side but they were full of such bile that I gave it up. What I've seen happen in my time amongst you is no change in the conservatives and their line in the sand. The liberals worked very hard in those days to try to find space for everyone. But the conservatives escalated, and to me, when they refused to share Communion with those with whom they disagreed, they left that via media, that diverse mindset. And the liberals, worn out, finally said "just go then!"

How are you supposed to live together when one side insists that a gay bishop a thousand miles away is communion-shattering? I'd really love to hear one of these commentators explain how a "both/and" would work on a problem that seems intractably binary "either/or".