America's Episcopal Church -- its bell weather

An opinion piece in the San Francisco Chronicle by the Episcopal Bishop of Northern California, Barry Beisner, might sound a bit arrogant at first, and yet it holds great merit. The Episcopal Church has historically been the religious choice of many of America's leaders, from George Washington to George H.W. Bush. Beisner suggests that the conflicts roiling the Episcopal Church has an effect on society at large and raises questions about the ability of our society to deal with serious and divisive issues.
Beisner speaks of values inherent within Anglicanism -- such as tolerance and compromise. The Church of England and it's American descendant has always struggled with maintaining itself within culture -- a culture it helps to form and that helps form it. Beisner speaks of a social agenda that has long been part of the Episcopal Church that reflects strong American values -- all of which is good.
He writes:

As Queen Elizabeth I said in establishing our Book of Common Prayer, Anglicans may believe what they wish, as long as they pray together. It is why Episcopalians and Anglicans have been drawn to the idea of the via media -- the middle way -- understanding itself to be a bridge between churches of widely divergent opinion.

Our commitment as Episcopalians is made at baptism when we vow to "seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself," and to "respect the dignity of every human being." And it is upon that vow that I believe our church will ultimately find reconciliation.

If you are a person of faith, please pray for us. And if you are a person of goodwill, seeking the good of this country, understand that diversity can only make us stronger. Don't give up on keeping conversation about controversial topics civil and lively. Invite us to join you in your work. And please ask us to do a better job of being Anglicans, and hold us accountable.

The key here is recognizing the importance of diversity. My own tradition, the Disciples of Christ, was born on the frontier with just these values -- recognizing the need to leave room for disagreement. America needs that and we need its churches to model a way of living together with our differences.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Aint it the truth! And hopefully we wonn't find the Disciples fighting with each other & leaving town over these problems? issues? concerns? It's a real heartbreaker, that's for sure. Jesus weeps.

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