The Gospel of Nice?

EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF FLORIDA BISHOP SEARCH, MEET AND GREET QUESTIONS

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A Politically Correct Gospel?

PRIDE AND CONTRADICTION

I came across this post from several years ago and it seemed so appropriate for this time, given my recent experiences.  Please click on the link below to access the original post!

SERAPH SAYS: PRIDE AND CONTRADICTION:

After over a decade in the Episcopal Church as a priest in a diverse parish and one who is committed to the life and health of our chu...

Proclaiming the Gospel in a Divided Society

QUESTION FROM THE DIOCESE OF FLORIDA MEET AND GREET

The word gospel, Evangelio, itself means good telling, good news! 

This was said by the angels when they announced the birth of Christ to bewildered shepherds;" I bring you good news of great joy!" In Luke 4:18, the words of the prophet Isaiah that Jesus applied to himself at the synagogue in Nazareth…"The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim the good news, the description of his mission, and his charge to the disciples…" This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."

There is a very interesting IPSOS poll, "Jesus in America" which was commissioned by our very own Episcopal church which is informative! 

Ask a Christian to describe other Christians and the answers likely will be “giving,” “compassionate,” “loving” and “respectful.”Ask a non-Christian, on the other hand, and the more likely descriptors you’ll get for Christians are “hypocritical,” “judgmental” and “self-righteous.” Non-Christians are also far more likely to say Christians do not represent the teachings of Jesus.

The challenge for each of us is going to be whether our proclamation of the Good News goes beyond our lips to transform our lives, our families, parishes, and the church. Jesus did pray for his disciple’s proclamation to be more than just words, he prayed that they may be one…so that the world might believe.  

In the pages of the New Testament, we see a community worshipping God where, by the power of the Spirit,  languages are no barrier, where all, no matter the ethnicity social status, or condition, are baptized to be part of one body, where gender, nationality, tribal identity and other things that were sources of division in society are said not to matter because we are one in Christ. 

The question for me is; Can we model that? Can we be, to a divided world, an example of Beloved Community, where despite disagreements, and differences we are one family, the family of God?…Can we model that in this small part of the Church?  

These interesting words are attributed to St, Francis, preach always, and when necessary use words! Frankly, our divided society, needs less talk and more action, less preaching, and more praxis! 

The gospel will be seen as good news in our divided society,  to the extent that we Christians can be living examples of what it means to be transformed by the resurrection of Christ and how his sovereignty and kingship are lived among those who proclaim his message. 

Blessings

Seraph

A post Scripture Church?

 Now, it is no secret that Anglicanism has historically been a roomy place where multiple interpretations of Scripture, theology and churchmanship have coexisted! This, of course, amidst conflict, conversation, and debate!

It has been so in the Episcopal Church, long known for its progressive leanings, but which for much of its history, has been home to liberals, conservatives, Anglo-Catholics and a sprinkling of Charismatics. 

This week, it feels like it may be no more…

The presenting issue is that of  same sex marriage in the church! 

Do not get me wrong, an overwhelming majority of Episcopal clergy and lay people, myself included, have long been advocates for same sex marriage in civil society, and for gay couples in long term relationships, to be welcome into the Church. Even among conservative Episcopalians, the idea that blessings should be extended to same sex couples in civil marriage has not been unwelcome! 

That the prayer book might be altered or that the sacrament of marriage as has historically been held in this church should be changed, is another matter altogether!

After what has seemed like decades of conversation, controversy, trial liturgies and debate,  2018 General Convention passed Resolution B012 making same sex marriage available in all dioceses of the church!  In effect, no bishop of the church could prohibit same sex couples from being married in a parish of their diocese, if they so desired.

“As of Advent 1 of 2018, in all dioceses where the marriage of same-sex couples is legal under civil law, no bishop of the Episcopal Church may prohibit the use of the Trial Use marriage rites..”

The few bishops theologically opposed to same gender marriage, were to arrange for alternative episcopal oversight, for those parishes who desired to offer this service for same sex couples. All acquiesced, except Bishop Love of Albany who, using arguments from Scripture and the historic teaching of this church from the Book of Common Prayer,  forbid the marriage of same sex couples in his diocese.   

Then came the Disciplinary panel, which unanimously found Bishop Love guilty of violating the doctrine and discipline of the church, and a few days ago his resignation as Bishop of the Diocese of Albany! 

Some have hailed it as a long awaited victory for full inclusion of gay and lesbians in the life of the  Episcopal Church! Others, as an ominous and  surprising moment when the church, formally made, the teaching of Scripture, of the Anglican Communion, its own historic understanding of marriage and the Book of Common Prayer, take second place to The General Convention’s current understanding of marriage.

This might be, in modern history the first time that, a Christian bishop is disciplined and effectively removed from office, for championing the teaching about  marriage long held in the Episcopal Church, taught in the Bible, and mentioned by Jesus Christ himself.

I must admit not having any idea of what will happen, but I hold no illusions! Our church has sailed into uncharted waters and though, diversity in thought is still found in our church, it does seem being too vocal about certain views could land you outside the doors, even if Jesus himself had uttered similar things!

At times like this, I am reminded of this seldom read tidbit from the 39 Articles:

“…Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith..”

It seems that when it comes to marriage, that is no longer the case in The Episcopal Church!

 

The Incredible Shrinking Church

I have now been an Episcopalian for over a decade. On June 2008 the CEC parish of El Mesías was received in the Episcopal diocese of Florida to much fanfare and a hearty welcome! I have no regrets at all, overall the diocese of Florida has been a good home to us, and our ministry in the heart of the Arlington Neighborhood has been fruitful.

Yet for all that, the Episcopal Church is full of surprises. There are many things admirable about the Episcopal Church which I and others in our parish love! Yet, every three years, the National Convention with its discussions and resolutions, seem to throw our parish into weeks of questions, uncertainty and distraction from our mission to worship God and spread the good news! Are they changing the prayer book? How is the canon on marriage different? Will we have to do that at our parish? Can we do it? Is our church now against Israel? We have to do whaaaaaat to our bathrooms? Estan locos?  

Episcopal clergy rightly are vocal about the things they believe in, and the internet keeps a record of that forever! That is not always a positive thing! Imagine explaining to people in a family oriented, largely conservative parish, stuff they happen to stumble on as they surf in the world wide web…How is it that “ Abortion is a Blessing” ? And how in the world can Episcopal priest and Seminary president  say that?  Or.. this recent beauty: How can a bishop be disciplined for following what the Bible says clearly about marriage?

It is another surprise, as we explore the status of our diocese and church over the years…when the Parochial Report and Statistics come out every September! It seems every year there are a lot less Episcopalians!  

Since we came into the Episcopal Church in June 2008, average Sunday attendance for TEC has dropped by 24.5 %. There is now 177,770 less Episcopalians.

As a parish working with mainly Latino members, many of whom move frequently looking for work or better opportunities, we are used to church attendance waxing and waning! There usually is a balance, you lose some, you gain some!  That is hard to see when we gaze at the latest statistics from TEC.

Anecdotally, I would think that the numbers may be a little different for Latino parishes and missions, most of my friends in Hispanic ministry seem to think that their churches are either stable or growing. But then, if we consider the Episcopal Church in Province 9, churches in Central and South America; their attendance has dropped by a whopping 40% in the last decade.    

I am sure we have lost members and prospects, over the years,  due to some of the things that land our church in the news. It is also true that, many of the young adults raised in our parish, who have moved away for college or have begun a life away from family, of those who remain committed Christians, most have chosen other communities of faith instead of the Episcopal Church.   

However, for many people at San Lucas, the warmth of the parish family, the celebration of the Eucharist and practical teaching of scripture along with years of relationships seems enough for them to stay and call our church a spiritual home!  

It has been a blessing that we pray lasts, even as we are part of a beautiful, historic, amazing and incredibly shrinking Church , not just in numbers but in theological perspectives.

This is all before COVID 19…! I must confess that judging by our parish numbers as we reopen from 6 months of a shut church, with services online, it seems to me that we and our beloved Episcopal Church have serious challenges ahead! 

I have no solutions to offer for this complex problem but, if it ever was proper to pray, this is a time when we should do so much more seriously!

Blessings

Seraph

 

Ordination of Monica Bosque.

So....You want a Spanish Ministry?

Pride and Contradiction

After nearly a decade in the Episcopal Church as a priest in a diverse parish and one who is committed to the life and health of our church, there are a few things I feel great liberty to comment on how I perceive our health to be! 

I speak about my faith and family! We are an interesting bunch, a lovely part of the body of Christ! Episcopalians have so much potential, so much energy; there is so much beauty and mystery in our church! Yet we live among…such contradictions, which more often than not, we refuse to acknowledge or very expertly explain away! 

We pride ourselves on being progressive and cutting edge, yet are probably the most aged of all denominations. 

We take the Bible "too seriously to take it literally" yet ignorance of the Bible is rampant among Episcopalians...and sadly for many clergy, functionally irrelevant in modern life. 

We pride ourselves on diversity, yet are among the least racially and ethnically diverse of all Christian groups. 

We are a branch of “the Jesus” movement yet have a cafeteria approach to his actual words. 

We speak incessantly of inclusion yet are a bastion for a very narrow set of political and theological views of a progressive nature. 

We have signs that boldly proclain, The Episcopal Church Welcomes You! Yes, surely but on whose terms? I have found as a Latino, that often that welcome is on someone else's terms,  as if simply translating a document into Spanish, somehow made what was offered culturally appropriate or desirable.

We have plenty to say about fundamentalism, and how that puts people off to the church yet, some of the churches we critique, continue to grow as ours wither. 

We are all about Evangelism…this year, which of course has to be the Episcopalian version, yet a storefront church in my city, with no branding or refined techniques, has reached more unchurched people, in a decade than we have in a century! Currently there are churches all through the US and Latin America that have more people regularly in attendance on Sunday than entire dioceses of our church!   

We are ardent advocates for refugees and undocumented people, yet have scant diocesan resources to help these same people adjust to life in a new country, to help with financial burdens, to do paperwork for legalization or pay for legal fees. 

We speak of tolerance, have all sorts of patience and even admiration for people who, within our church, deny the major tenets of the Christian faith, as well as for those follow other religious traditions. Yet have an undeniable disdain for other Christians whose faith we deem too primitive, fundamentalist…and now, heaven help us, evangelical. 

We defend the rights and dignity of every human being, even the right to life for convicted criminals yet are silent on the killing of unborn humans. Even worse many clergy vocally defend the right to abort a child at any stage of development.

We balk at any change in the liturgy and the form of the sacraments, have a high regards for a host of Anglican customs yet, without blinking have, by vote, without regards to most in the Anglican Communion, re-imagined sacramental acts in the church.

I think we have an overdose of education, more skepticism than is healthy for people of faith and definitely an overarching pride in who we are, who we feel we are meant to be! This undermines any real attempt at change! 

Perhaps we need a dose of humility! Maybe we need to teach less, preach less, have less echo chamber seminars and listen more to others who have succeeded where we are failing! 

Maybe what God told Solomon after the dedication of the temple, when fire and glory filled the place of worship could also apply to us! There was in that grand occasion, no note of congratulations, no mention of the beauty of the music or the adornment of the temple…but rather a reminder to be humble! 

 2 Chronicles 7:14 "...If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, then I will hear from heaven..."

Whether the present heirs of the “church of beauty” can do that, and change the course our church has been on for decades, remains to be seen.  I sure hope the new generation of Episcopalians pause, notice and remember …If my people humble themselves and pray...!

Blessings

Seraph

RECLAIMING JESUS???

First let me say that I respect many of the clergy who signed the document “Reclaiming Jesus”!  

The Rev. Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the  Episcopal church,  my spiritual home, is an example of a person committed to the love of God, the advancement of Christ's kingdom, and justice, a man I truly admire.

Yet, no person is infallible and we do not all have to agree! As the child of immigrants, an Episcopalian and a concerned citizen of the United States, I have reservations to aspects of this document that purports to invite Christians to “confess our faith in a time of crisis”.

Granted, I share all the concerns, which bring this declaration about!  Firsthand, I witness prejudice, racial injustice, and the separation of families due to our immigration policies,  I am concerned about the language and some of the policies in our present administration! These are things we pray about, oppose, strive to solve and work to change! 

Yet, some of the premises and emphases of said document in my view, overlook concerns of many Christians in our society!  There are statements that seem to simply parrot progressive political views of the day, and have, in themselves, little to do with the gospel.

Here are a few concerns:

I. WE BELIEVE each human being is made in God’s image and likeness (Genesis 1:26).

Wholeheartedly agree, yet how ironic that this declaration of the worth of humanity makes no mention of the unborn, the most vulnerable and at risk members of the human family in our nation! 

Abortion has claimed the lives of over 4,000,000 unborn children so far in 2018 and it does not merit being part of a discussion about human dignity for these religious leaders? Really? Incredible!!!!

Secondly, I find it a bit narrow to speak of racism and bigotry solely targeting people of one race, whites! 

There is enough prejudice, racial bigotry and injustice to go around in our society. To make only one racial group the exclusive culprit, seems to give the rest of us a pass! We experience it, and it is there for all to see in Latino communities, among immigrants and communities of color! Do we not see it or  is it politically incorrect to mention in our society?

The attitudes and behaviors, rightly called out in this document, are entrenched in the hearts of people , it is sin, and should be called out as such! We all need to repent of something, change our words, our ways , our actions...not just white folks!

III. WE BELIEVE how we treat the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the stranger, the sick, and the prisoner is how we treat Christ himself. (Matthew 25: 31-46)

Complete agree with this premise! Yet let us not confuse the Biblical mandate of helping the poor, with government programs that may not have proven benefits in helping people out of poverty 

There is no command in Scripture that we should support any effort that has the potential of keeping families in a cycle of dependency! 

The Apostles of the same Jesus, who tasked us with helping the poor, even as they collected money and goods to feed poor widows, also gave strict guidelines as to who should be helped!

It was the Apostle to the gentiles who said the now infamous words 
  

2 Thessalonians 3:10 “If any will not work, let them also not eat..” 

Certainly the poor should be given every possible aid, all that is needed, with the goal to get them out of need! But, to have people always expecting and dependent on help,  may not be what Christ had in mind!  

Of course, health care should be provided for the sick but the details about how that is accomplished is a matter for societies to decide! Where things can be improved, they should be! 

It is my experience that the health mandates that help one family can cause financial hardship to another. We need a better health system in our country, but to think that our attempts at one provided a solution for all, is to ignore facts!

Programs are tried; they can succeed or fail, come and go, but our responsibility as Christians remain. 

V. WE BELIEVE that Christ’s way of leadership is servanthood, not domination.THEREFORE, WE REJECT any moves toward autocratic political leadership and authoritarian rule. 

Amazing statement from people many of whom have been silent about authoritarian rule in Cuba, many nations in the Middle East or some of the countries where people flee to the United States to escape oppression! 

These words are also ironic after the silence of these same leaders during the last administration’s exercise of autocracy! 

At that time, the executive branch ruled this country by executive order, bypassing Congress and the normal channels for the passing and implementing of policy. Some of the problems we face today, especially among immigrant communities, are due to the shortcuts taken to bypass debate over our nation’s immigration laws! 

The president, due to the adverse political situation of his party, decided to govern by fiat, by the power of his pen and signature; that is autocracy, and here we are enduring the consequences!  I pose that we would all be more credible if there was some consistency to our principles! We object now...seemed to not care much then!

VI. WE BELIEVE Jesus when he tells us to go into all nations making disciples (Matthew 28:18) THEREFORE, WE REJECT “America first” as a theological heresy for followers of Christ.  

Huh? Who made that hermeneutical leap? What in the world does making disciples have to do with a nation’s obligations to its citizens first?  

Even in Scripture such an idea is not reconcilable with reality  Here is St. Paul’s take on priorities when it comes to help;  

Galatians 6:1o “ whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone--especially to those in the family of faith …” .

 Jesus conversation with Peter about the Temple taxes comes to mind.

Matthew 17:24-26 “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?” From others,” Peter answered. Then the children are exempt,” Jesus, said to him.   

 Notice no clarification from Jesus about how this was unfair! Nothing about how citizens and strangers should be equally treated with respect to taxes.

The second and much more disturbing concept is the idea that a political philosophy can be a “theological heresy for followers of Christ”! Heresy, as Mark Tooley aptly reminds us is, “…an attack from within the church on the church’s understanding of God’s core identity. Arius was heretical for claiming Christ was created rather than eternal…”. 

There are no explicit nor implied claims about God, Christ, or any elements of the Creeds, in whatever policy priorities have been pursued under the name America First so far ! I am certainly disturbed by some of them, think that there is room for debate and disagreement but to call it heresy is out of touch and out of place.  

 Progressive Christians whose communities of faith have been busy dismantling some longstanding belief and traditions among Christians, should be a little more careful throwing the  H word around, especially in the context of politics!

And I must ask;  Is this select group of pastors some sort of “magisterium” or a council of the church empowered to make such an outrageous statement? Is this declaration of heresy some type of progressive “fatwah” now? 

These and other thinly disguised politics as spirituality in the body of this statement they can keep! I find that neither compelling nor useful! 

The conclusion I applaud, with these words I can wholeheartedly agree! 

“…If Jesus is Lord, there is always  space for grace. We believe it is time to speak and to act in faith and conscience, not because of politics, but because we are disciples of Jesus Christ—to whom be all authority, honor, and glory. It is time for a fresh confession of faith. Jesus is Lord. He is the light in our darkness. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12)…”

Blessings

 Seraph