Fantastic news out of the UK today:
The Times says that the choice is “likely to transform the tone of the church ceremony.” The Guardian notes that “in his 2015 autobiography, Songs My Grandma Sang, Curry reveals that his family are descended from slaves and sharecroppers in North Carolina and Alabama.”
Bishop Curry (or “the PB”) is The Episcopal Church’s first African-American presiding bishop. He was born in Chicago, attended public schools in Buffalo, went to Hobart College, and earned a divinity degree from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. He served parishes in North Carolina, Ohio, and Baltimore. Then he became the Episcopal Bishop of North Carolina before being elected PB in 2015.
The Episcopal Church (“TEC”) began as the US branch of the Church of England. When the country declared its independence, Episcopalians declared independence too. The Episcopal Church was founded in Philadelphia in 1789. Today TEC is a member of the family of churches descended from the Church of England—the Anglican Communion—but within that fellowship, TEC remains independent, indeed prophetically so.
For example, The Episcopal Church ordains women and LGBTQ people as deacons, priests, and bishops; and it celebrates same-sex marriages. The Episcopal Church’s decisions to do these things have not always been met with wide approval in the Anglican Communion. In fact, the Secretary General of the Church of England just scolded The Episcopal Church for even considering revising TEC’s Book of Common Prayer to make the Celebration of a Marriage more same-sex friendly.
Days ago, Bishop Curry signed an ecumenical statement that denounces the President’s “America First” policy as “a theological heresy.” On May 24, Bishop Curry will join a march on the White House by Christian leaders who want to “reclaim Jesus.”
So the fact that TEC PB Michael Curry will preach on Saturday is notable for many reasons. It is amazing diplomacy and wonderful symbolism. And it may be good politics too.
First, it makes sense on the level of the wedding itself. Ms. Markle’s father is an Episcopalian. It is good that someone from his denomination will be playing a major role in the service. And the choice of an African-American preacher may be a salute to Ms. Markle’s heritage on her mother’s side.
Second, that Prince Harry and Ms. Markle have asked an Episcopalian, rather than any preacher from the Church of England, may possibly have implications for the Church of England and the Anglican Communion. It may be a subtle signal to the Church of England to “get on with it” in ordaining a more diverse group of bishops and in taking steps toward equal marriage. It certainly is at cross purposes with the Archbishop of Canterbury’s recent attempts to distance himself from The Episcopal Church.
Third, we can also wonder whether the choice of preacher might be a subtle dig at the current occupant of the White House. If political considerations prevented Prince Harry from inviting a friend who is an African-American President from Chicago, then Bishop Curry preaching might provoke a tweetstorm. But perhaps I shouldn’t think such things.