Thus writes my friend, the Rev. Anne Howard, recently blogged at the Beatitudes Society about her concerns that her church, the Episcopal communions both in the US and worldwide, has started to value staying together as a church as an end in itself – regardless of what that means about how well they carry out the gospel message. She would rather see her church making headlines for speaking out about ending the war on Iraq, or passing a health care program to cover all children, or really helping heal the Gulf Coast. The Rev. Howard asks what her church values: “Unity trumps integrity?”
I wonder if our Church of the Brethren might sometimes suffer that same idolatry of unity instead of taking the tougher stand for justice. Of course, church unity is important. But it is important mostly for how it helps us live out what we’re call to DO as a church, which is to continue the work of Jesus. Being united in oppression is not achieving that Kin-dom we are called to help make come. Being united in our multiplicity of paths toward justice might be a bit closer to that Kin-dom – even if the church bodies we have created can no longer be placed intact on our altars.
But that might first take admitting that we humans, and not God, have created those churches. Hmm.
Church of the Brethren representatives were among other faith leaders from historic peace churches and other Christian denominations that met with Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the Church Centre for the United Nations during his recent visit to New York. Read about the summit at the Church of the Brethren Newsline or at Ekklesia.
Ahmadinejad has a lot to answer for, particularly his violent rhetoric, but thanks be to God that he is answering in words and not war. What might our world look like if more national leaders faced academics, faith representatives, and other normal citizens who are affected by their policies – faced them and had to hear the questions we have for them – faced them and didn’t rely on their authority and influence to shield them from the many people who oppose their choices? Thank God, too, that the historic peace churches are joining their voices in the international calls for peace, democracy, and justice.
The Not for Sale Campaign is calling attention to the social sin of slavery that continues to plague our world. Check out the Spectrum blog’s coverage of their work by clicking here. And watch this local news coverage of one church’s struggle against the slavery in their neighborhood:
If your church or another church in your community is a stop on the modern-day Underground Railroad of the Not for Sale campaign, post your stories and reflections here.
It’s not just in the US that the Christian religion has been used to support prejudiced civil structures, and new UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown is standing up for the breadth of religious interpretation. Read the full article by clicking here.
British Christian news service Ekklesia reports that Brown has broken with his predecessor Blair’s approach to addressing parliament, by boldly quoting the Bible in support of his progressive views on children and family.
Some religious groups have argued against Labour’s abolition of the Married Couples Allowance saying that married couples should receive special treatment through the tax and benefit system, on the grounds that marriage is the best place to bring up children.
Conservative leader David Cameron has agreed with them and insisted the Conservatives must be ‘the party of the family’ and support marriage.
Brown however, is known to support an approach which focuses on children before specific family structures.
In his speech today, he said: “And I say to the children of two parent families, one parent families, foster parent families; to the widow bringing up children: I stand for a Britain that supports as first class citizens not just some children and some families but supports all children and all families”.
“We all remember that biblical saying: ’suffer the little children to come unto me.’ No Bible I have ever read says: ‘bring just some of the children.’”
His argument – that all children, not just the children of heterosexually-married couples, deserve equal respect under the law – seems pretty obvious. But apparently the religious right is willing to sacrifice the well-being of some children in its attack on their parents.
Thankfully, Brown is willing to expose how un-Biblical this tactic is.
Jonathan Bartley, co-director of the religious thinktank Ekklesia who met Wallis during his visit said: “Brown seems to be following the advice of his friend Jim Wallis, and seeking to out-Bible the religious groups. He is showing both that, unlike Tony Blair, he will do God.”
I hope progressives in the US are watching our brethren across the ocean and gaining strength from Brown’s example.
By clicking here, you can download the online pdf of the 1990s Presbyterian report on sexuality, which includes the Majority and Minority reports, and which was suppressed before reaching the floor for national discussion. This is a report you can only get by knowing the url (i.e. it’s not linked from any official pages), so peruse it and enjoy!
...is a network of feminist women and men who identify with the Church of the Brethren. Emboldened by our awareness of the violence and pain related to the denial of gender inequality, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we engage in the prophetic task of creating church which is free from attitudes and practices of injustice.
