Orthodoxy for Liberal Christians

I've been reading a book by Alan Jones, dean of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. Common Prayer on Common Ground- A Vision of Anglican Orthodoxy, so far, has been pretty engaging and enlightening. I like that Fr. Jones has not fallen into the common trap of associating "orthodox" with "fundamentalist." In fact, he argues quite well in his book, especially in a chapter called "Fundamentalism and Scientism, a Plague on Both Their Houses," that overlying on rationality is just as "fundamentalist" as believing in biblical inerrancy. Both "houses," he contends, have an overeliance on a type of empiricism that destroys any need for mystery, contradiction and tension that is a natural part of this life.

I like this quote from Archbishop Peter Carnley that deals with the idea that Christianity is, at its heart, supposed to be a Theology of "transcendant mystery":

"Others of us, in contrast, appreciate the Word of God not so much as a body of information, but as a form of questioning of the inner motives of our hearts, or as an invitation to relate with God, who ultimately remains essentially an unfathomable mystery to us, and as a Word of promist to be with us always as we wrestle to discern his truth for the living of our lives."

I also like the idea he espouses that there are fundamentalists on the right and left and what marks one a fundamentalist is that they believe so fervently in their "fundamentals" that they do not listen to one another or even want to be at the same table.

I think what he is driving at is that Anglicanism, at its best, (especially through the liturgy of Eucharist) strives to create a "table" where people who disagree vehemently about practical issues (Gay priesthood, evolution, biblical inerrancy) can sit down together.

I like this image. Even if we are all sitting at opposite ends of the table, at least we are at the same table. We can't get "food" without asking someone to pass it to us (or at least salt or dessert??)

This is the first book about the whole divide in Anglicanism right now that makes any sense. If you are of the Anglican persuasion, you should read it.

Renewed Interest In Blogging

Hey- if you are from Atlanta, be the first person to email me and I will personally buy you the beverage of your choice at my favorite drinking establishment, The Euclid Avenue Yacht Club.
Or, if you don't like to drink, some coffee at Inman Perk.

I guess I decided to start publishing some stuff that I have written over the year during a discernment period I entered for the Priesthood through The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta.
I'm not going to publish stuff that I wrote for the group that I was in- a lot of that was not for anyone else's eyes. But, hey, I got a lot of other stuff.

Anyway, God Bless you for giving a minute to read this blog...

Diagnosing Huckleberry

Diagnosing Huck

We've been reading Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn over the past couple of months. We are nearing the end of our work with the book. The experience has been most gratifying because this novel remains my favorite book of all time. Every time I get to read it with a student I learn something new and find another level of understanding about the “moral” that is not supposed to be in the book.

Huckleberry Finn is a boy who is rough around the edges. He lives in a mud shack in the woods. He’s a child of an abusive, alcoholic parent. He smokes, curses and never wears shoes. Huck, in spite of all the romantic treatments he receives in Hollywood, is probably someone we would turn and walk away from if we bumped into him in downtown Atlanta. He’s barely literate and, for the most part, and lives by street smarts and innate wisdom.

We tried to figure out what the modern world would make of Huck. He certainly would have received some kind of diagnosis and had a hard time adjusting to the confines of polite society. Would we of the 21st century see beyond the dirty, pipe-smoking exterior enough to realize that inside this young boy beats the heart of a hero? Would anyone recognize his unbending faithfulness to his friends and his unerring kindness?

It occurred to me that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Community School have a lot in common. Jim and Huck find peace while floating on their raft and are at odds with the world around them whenever they have to go ashore. Whenever our students go “ashore” or spend time in conflict with one another or the world around them, we help them negotiate each problem they encounter. During the time they spend with us, we get glimpses of great wisdom that they have absorbed in spite of (or perhaps because of) their difficulties.

We seek to be a raft for our students. We try to create space and time for them to relax, put their toes into the mighty river of learning and float. Whenever their raft is intruded upon by the various neurological enemies that decide to travel along with them, tricking them into doing things that are not typical of who they really are, we are there to escort the Duke and Dauphin ashore or at least encourage conversation with the riders. Sometimes, of course, life- the river- gets filled with whitecaps from storms- family conflict, death, bullying,etc.- and they crash. No one here drowns, though, because if we are not on the raft with them, we are close behind watching them pilot through the rapids until they tire out.

Rival Siblings

I had to write this for a devotional for Lent. I'm also going to post some other stuff I have written during discernment for the Priesthood that is relevant and appropriate. Sorry i have not posted in a while, it's not like anyone actually reads this anyway.


“…Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!” Luke 15:29-30

After working himself to the bone saving the family farm, he sits in the shadows, hurling curses toward the party they are throwing for his ridiculous brother. At the fringes of the celebration, he silently wishes his younger, returned brother would go back to his place in the pig sties.
The Older Brother is our source of lamentation in the story after a pleasant reunion scene and party complete with fatted calf, gold rings and music. What has given rise to the anger and bitterness he feels for his lost brother and his welcoming Father? During this time of joy, reunion and resurrection, all he sees is how unappreciated and undervalued he is in the family. He feels ignored by his Father in spite of his choice to stay home and do the right thing. He believes his righteousness and hard work are trivialized and ignored as a result of the celebration his Father is giving for the returned brother.
How many times have we have separated ourselves from the Family of God as rival siblings? How do we keep ourselves apart from God, our loving Parent, who desperately wants us to join in the celebration of grace set before us? The Kingdom of God remains fractured many times because