Before we get into it, a short word from our group sponsor:
A group for Anglican/Episcopalian Kossacks to discuss developments in the worldwide Anglican Communion, the Church of England and the Anglican Church of Canada, and other churches in full communion with us such as the ELCA, as well as issues related to social justice and church polity. Open to all, regardless of religious affiliation.
Now that we have gotten that out of the way, let's #OccupyAnglicanism.
Follow me over the waft of incense that is the divider-doodle.....[Warning: Some Christo-Centric content below.]
A Collect for Social Justice:
Almighty God, who created us in your own image: Grant us grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom, help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our communities and among the nations, to the glory of your Name, etc.
I read a diary today which suggested that being religious--of any stripe--is a disease. I'm used to hearing that. I haven't met Bill Maher, but I feel like I have. I have a lot in common with guys like Bill Maher but for one thing: my anger is built on possibilities, not absolutes. Maher has an absolute: there is no god. I have possibilities: there may or may not be one, but I have some good ideas on which to base my philosophy of life.
Let's take a look at that collect. We won't "deconstruct" it, because if I saw Derrida at Sherry Hour I'd clock him. But let's look:
Almighty God, who created us in your own image...
What do we think that means? A Guy in the Sky when you Die, to paraphrase an old Wobbly ditty? Gotta be kidding. Now, of course this is a reference to the Creation stories in Genesis. What does this mean, "who created us in your own image"? Lots of people have lots of ideas about that, many of which are, in my opinion, frankly deviant. I'm a gay guy. I am the image of God. You might be a woman, and no matter what you might find in the Pentateuch or in St. Paul, you are in the image of God, too. You might be transgendered. Well, take heart: we don't know if God the Father has a gender, Jesus took on a male one in the Incarnation, and the jury is still out on the gender of the Holy Spirit--you'll have to ask her. Good luck. Why ask? If we're all in the image of God, well, so be it or in other words, Amen.
As far as "created" goes, I have never heard a good argument from someone created in God's image which suggests that God's days are our days, nor have I ever heard a convincing argument that it happened all of a sudden. Created is up to your understanding, as far as I, and many others, are concerned.
Grant us grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace with oppression
Now here things might get dicey: "grace". And against what evil and what oppression? This is very churchy "god-talk" indeed--lots of room for weaseling. In my Anglican circles, we would suggest that this means evil oppression of the kinds of people that Jesus hung around with--certainly not the "One Percent", to be sure, no matter how hard they try to co-opt Him. Let us not forget, nor let demagogues belittle that business with the money-changers in the Temple. Nor, let us not forget the woman at the well, or any other of the counter-cultural ideas the the Jesus of the Gospel brings to mind. Not the Justice of the Old Testament laws, but rather the Justice of the New: LOVE.
[T]hat we may reverently use our freedom, help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our communities and among the nations, to the glory of your Name
Also difficult. Everyone wants to do things in the Name of Jesus, from social justice to turning gay people straight. Lordy! Let's start with the reverent use of freedom. Is the attempt by some to limit who has access to the franchise in this country a "reverent use of freedom"? I think hardly not. To suggest so is a total perversion, in my opinion, of the message of the Gospels, but it is touted far and wide in political circles. Heck, I've even seen it at work in Vestry meetings. I think maybe that the "maintenance of justice in our communities" might be easier, but for some, that's taking care of and enriching one's community and for some others, it's locking them up, or even worse, indifference to one's community. Indifference is far worse, really than either of those two.
This Collect from the Book of Common Prayer can be seen many ways. It could be used to oppress, and it could also be used to liberate. To me, the key word here is "freedom". It is, indeed, up to us, to define what that means, and as Anglicans and others who define--in part or in whole--ourselves as relying on REASON--to not only make these decisions, but to ACT upon those definitions and decisions.
Let's occupy Anglicanism. Let's put that third leg, REASON, to work, and let's do it in the spirit of the freedom which is humanity.
Thoughts?
Brother Commonmass