There was a gang related shooting at a middle school in my community last week, and this week the annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama will ask delegates to participate in an open discussion on the question "What does the Episcopal Church have to offer the world?" One of the delegates from my church caught me last Sunday and put these two event together in great question. Below is my response.
Hi Bob,
After some though, I have a better answer than “*shrug*” to your question “what does the Episcopal Church have to say in light of the shooting at Discovery Middle School?”
Because the Episcopal Church stands firmly in the ancient tradition of the Church, and because of it’s unique rich historical heritage it has many things to say about this tragedy and many resources to offer those affected by it.
What we can say and offer from our stance within the ancient Church?
At St. Thomas Episcopal Church we stand every week and join our voices with all the saints by proclaiming that we believe in God: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. We believe that God is three different Persons co-existing in perfect love, peace, and mutuality with other. There is only one God, but the Godhead is a community. This central and foundational dogma of the Church tells us much about why gang related school shootings are not part of God’s good future.
God’s good future is the location where “thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” God’s work through Jesus Christ is to remake and remould the world into His image: a community of different persons living in perfect love with each other. Gangs, tribes, armies, sexes, races, social-stratifications, and even nations have no place in God’s good future.
As Christians within the wider house of the ancient Church we Episcopalians therefore believe what we see displayed in this most recent school shooting is NOT God’s will, but rather another vivid example that God’s good future is yet still far off. Additionally, as the Church we count ourselves among those being transformed into God’s image of loving community and therefore we can not only identify, name, and speak about the shooting at Discovery, but we can offer the world an alternative to the violent world — a community where “there is no more Jew or Greek” (Gal 3:28).
What we can say and offer from our unique and rich Anglican heritage?
In addition to our rootage to the ancient dogmas of the Church, we Episcopalians have gifts and resources to offer this tragic situation from our unique and rich heritage as Anglicans. Being a church which overcomes division every week, the Episcopalian church knows more than a little about bridging violent differences. In the Episcopalian church there is a lot of elbow room for opinions among non-essential doctrines, and this climate of uncertainty causes quite a bit of tension, hurt feelings, and boisterous discussions; however when we are at our best we can still come together every week in worship and say to each other “the peace of Christ be with you.” When teens get sucked into gangs and decide to kill outsiders, the Episcopal church is location of a community that speaks a counter-narrative: “the peace of the Lord be with you.”
Hope that was helpful. Sorry for the long answer.
Best,
Steve
Ps- oh yea, and then there was that Bishop Tutu guy who dismantled a very powerful gang in South Africa!
No comments:
Post a Comment