Is our rapidly disintegrating consensus really such a bad thing? It all depends on the meaning we assign to uniformity. If we view agreement on things as an indicator of health, and disagreement as a sign of pathology, then the loss of consensus we are facing is very frightening indeed.
The chains that bind us from claiming the abundant life that God has made known in Jesus are inside our souls and are self-imposed. Because we will not accept who we are, will not serve and enjoy our Maker as the person he has created us to be, we choose captivity over freedom.
Back in the day Episcopal Church congregations used to organize themselves into Foyers groups (small dinner groups) to find ways to get to know each
Alternative liturgies are featured in this week’s Saturday Collection, with one congregation doing a modern adaption of Evensong for Superbowl weekend, a PA parish doing a U2’charist to raise funds for the Sudan, and an Interfaith worship service in Rochester NY. There’s an account of a particularly industrious way to raise money for a parish Food Bank and of a different twist to Youth ministry.
There’s a moving story of an Episcopal priest’s crisis of faith that started when a medical crisis nearly destroyed his family. The Orange County Register tells the story of The Rev. Brad Karelius, rector of Church of the Messiah.
The Super Bowl is the great liturgy of the United States of America and for many around the world. It binds us together across the usual divides of class and race, even if you are among those who never watch football. Like our liturgies of the church it has its own rhythms and order. Good and evil contend for our allegiances.
When the Puritans had lived in England, it was clear who they were: they were not the established Church of England. They held up the Bible as the pure word of God and preached faith as the central requirement in the human relationship with God. They saw no need for bishops and Prayer Books.
There can be no question of Anskar’s saintliness, according to the standard of any age of Christendom. His missionary zeal and courage, his uncomplaining patience, his generosity, his spirit of foundation, whether at home or abroad, his austere self-discipline and his diligence in the work of his calling were all striking features of his character. He struggled hard and successfully against two faults,
Churches and cathedrals in this country and abroad offer visitors restaurants and shops full of ecclesiastical and religious items within their walls. Those who run these institutions will argue that bookshops and cafes inside the west doors of Cathedrals don’t undermine its religious identity because the products are religious. But isn’t it a question of degree?