Na ke aloha o ke Akua ma loko o Iesu Kristo, e aloha iā ʻoukou ā pau!
Two very recent rulings from the Supreme Court are in sharp conflict with the official teachings and positions of The Episcopal Church.
From the Episcopal News Service see:
The Episcopal Church has been very clear on these two issues for decades:
I share this with you to urge you to read and ponder the teaching of The Episcopal Church. The positions are nuanced and grounded in our theological perspective shaped by the promises of the
Baptismal Covenant. We are further rooted in a rejection of a literal understanding of Scripture, but open to the movement of God in Scripture, Tradition and Reason (that includes lived experience). Please consider carefully the teaching of your Episcopal Church.
As Episcopalians, we are also committed to civic engagement. Our Church has rejected sectarianism and withdrawal from the public. Through the years, we have honored the separation of Church and State while increasingly striving for a just and equitable nation for all people.
As citizens of a democratic republic, we are called to be engaged in the political processes; respect civil authorities while challenging injustices (even to the point of non-violent civil disobedience); and to reject all forms of violence in thought, word, and action from others and, especially, in ourselves. As Christians, we do this with the example and teaching of Jesus Christ (I think this especially grounded in the Sermon on the Mount [Matthew 5-7]), and the continued grace of the Holy Spirit. As Episcopalians, our faith is formed through our liturgy (the practices and prayers of communal worship), engaging Scripture (as individuals and in community), and applying reason with honest dialogue (even in respectful disagreement) to both our faith and the realities of the world around us.
We are in a time of radical change as settled understandings of over a half a century are overturned. Violence (including political violence) is on the rise and yet access to guns is increasing. It is times like these that I turn to the simple teaching of the Letter of James (3:17-18 [Common English Bible translation]): “What of the wisdom from above? First, it is pure, and then peaceful, gentle, obedient, filled with mercy and good actions, fair, and genuine. Those who make peace sow the seeds of justice by their peaceful acts.”
Please join me in a prayer from page 824 of the Book of Common Prayer (28. In Times of Conflict):
O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us, in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work together with mutual forbearance and respect; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
