ramble: love God love Neighbor
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
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There's a popular blindness about our phrase "separation of church and state", popular in that we shout it with righteous indignation when our church leaders criticize government actions and policies that we like, or criticize government officials we love; whereas we have no objection when the church supports government action we approve of, praises a government figure we like:
It also says government cannot prohibit our exercise of religion - - which has been an issue lately as the court took the side of churches that gather in violation of official covid19 rules.
The First Amendment protects the church from government, it does not protect government from the church's criticism. I'm no constitutional expert, but I can read.
Half of Americans want government to forbid same sex marriage, forbid abortion, half of Americans want government to exercise tighter gun control, provide more generously financial support for the poor, provide medical care for abortion. All are sincere, convictions are deep, everyone on all sides has religious, moral and cultural reasons for their set-in-concrete positions, neither side sees how the other side could possibly feel as they do, everyone wants their church to support their side, everyone shouts "separation of church and state" if their church takes the opposite position.
All American churches are involved in political issues because politics is people, about people, how people are treated, how government treats people, rights, responsibilities, social issues with religious and moral implications, and so is religion. Religion is politics, politics is religion, for religious people, they are not separable. On every social and political issue, half of American churches take one side and support it as mandated by their faith and half of American churches take the opposite side and support it as mandated by their faith.
In my lifetime I've watched the Episcopal Church slowly migrate from one sociopolitical stance to the opposite. As a religious, social, political institution, the Episcopal Church has come to be, and defines itself politically, religiously and financially as, on the cutting edge of social change within the church and outside the church in society, to work for justice as the Episcopal Church understands justice.
In my lifetime the Episcopal Church has, as an official and major part of its mission, been active in many political areas. Racial segregation. Women's rights. Capital punishment. Prayer in public schools. LGBTQ rights. Abortion. Same sex marriage. Capital punishment. Government funding for support of the poor. Housing. Education. Medical coverage. Environmental issues. Public services.
Changed in my lifetime, we welcome divorced and remarried people to Communion. We have women deacons, priest, bishops. We have gay priests and bishops. We have divorced and remarried clergy. We have married gay clergy. We may officiate gay marriage. Political issues are moral, human and therefore religious issues on which people agree and disagree. I've not always agreed with the church's direction, but I'm in, and I'm glad I'm in a church where everyone isn't expected to think or believe the same, and where we can oppose the position of our leadership. The Episcopal Church seems about as varied as the American population.
Each church, denomination, defines itself by what it says and does. Each church is different, and everyone believes their church is the one that has it right, or most right. As the saying goes, you pays your money and you takes your choice. I've been an Episcopalian all my life and I buy into the view that we don't have a religion to die by, we have a religion to live by. "Are you saved?" is not our question - - for some churches that's the question but not the Episcopal Church. "Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and support the dignity of every human being?" is our question.
Christian faith includes concern about how government treats people, encouraging government to do the right thing, concern about honesty, integrity and truth in government, objecting vociferously when government goes awry. Do you know: some Anglican bishops in Africa strongly support their government policy of capital punishment for gay people, and they shun the Episcopal Church (USA) for being on the other side of that.
Episcopalians are not much on Bible thumping, but we do like to see Jesus' message as Love God Love Neighbor, where loving neighbor is how to love God, where one loves God by loving neighbor. Jesus doesn't say much about sin or salvation into eternal life, that's Paul's agenda, and John the Baptist. Not one for church rules and damning sinners, Jesus says A new commandment I give you: that you love one another.
This week our presiding bishop joined other religious leaders** in calling for the president to be removed from office for what we watched him do with a crowd he'd called that came stoked for violence. Several people have told me "this will split the Episcopal Church". And so it may: that wouldn't be new. In my time, the Episcopal Church has split over ordination of women. Split over revision of the prayerbook. Split over ordination of a gay and partnered bishop. Split over same-sex marriage. Every time it happens, those who stay and those who bolt earnestly believe they are the last surviving remnant of the one true church. Every one is certain they are right and the other side is wrong. We are diverse: God bless us, every one.
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Photo: evangelical church leaders with Donald J Trump, laying on hands with prayer.
** Here's the statement
January 8, 2021
Our faith instructs us to take seriously positions of leadership, not to lead others astray and to be careful about what we say and do. In Philippians 2:3-4 we are taught to, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.”
President Donald J. Trump’s actions and words have endangered the security of the country and its institutions of government by inciting a violent, deadly, seditious mob attack at the U.S. Capitol. His words and actions have placed the lives of the people he is supposed to serve in grave danger to advance his own interests. Further, he not only failed to stop or condemn the attack after the Capitol had been stormed but instead encouraged the mob by calling them patriots. This domestic terrorist attack resulted in at least five deaths, including a Capitol Police Officer, and more than a dozen police officers injured. The desecration of the Capitol building was also disgraceful and reprehensible.
For the good of the nation, so that we might end the current horror and prepare the way for binding up the nation’s wounds, we, as leaders of the member communions of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC), believe the time has come for the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, to resign his position immediately. If he is unwilling to resign, we urge you to exercise the options provided by our democratic system.
In addition, we recognize the need to hold responsible not only those who invaded the Capitol, but also those who supported and/or promoted the President’s false claims about the election, or made their own false accusations.
We grieve for our country at this difficult time and continue to pray for the safety and security, and ultimately the healing of our nation. Holding those who have abused their power and participated in these immoral and tragic actions, in particular the President of the United States, is one step toward healing.
Signed,
Jim Winkler, General Secretary and President
National Council of Churches
Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer
General Minister and President, United Church of Christ
Chair, National Council of Churches Governing Board
Bishop W. Darin Moore
Presiding Bishop, AME Zion Church
Immediate Past Chair, National Council of Churches
Bishop Teresa Jefferson-Snorton
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
Vice Chair, National Council of Churches
Rev. Teresa Hord Owens, General Minister and President
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Rev. Dr. Néstor Gómez,
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Rev. Paula Clayton Dempsey, Director of Partnership Relations
Alliance of Baptists
Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop
The Episcopal Church
Senior Bishop Lawrence Reddick
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
Bishop Sally Dyck, Ecumenical Officer of the Council of Bishops
The United Methodist Church
Rev. Dr. Jean Hawxhurst, Ecumenical Staff Officer
The United Methodist Church
Rev. Eddy Alemán, General Secretary
Reformed Church in America
Rev. Jane Siebert, President
Swedenborgian Church of North America
His Eminence Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Ecumenical Director and Diocesan Legate
The Armenian Church, Eastern Diocese of America
Dr. Kimberly Brook
African Methodist Episcopal Church
Rev. Richard Tafel
Swedenborgian Church
Carole Collins, Director of Operation
Alliance of Baptists
Reverend Brenda Girton-Mitchell
Progressive National Baptist Convention
Rev. Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson
Chair, Conference of National Black Churches
Stephen M. Veazey, President (Head of Communion)
Community of Christ
His Grace Mar Awa Royel, Bishop of California and Secretary of the Holy Synod
Assyrian Church of the East
Bishop Francis Krebs, Presiding Bishop
Ecumenical Catholic Communion
Rev. Dr. James Herbert Nelson II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
Presbyterian Church (USA)