Diocesan
Life Columns
Bishop Paul V. Marshall
Bishop Paul's writes a monthly column for the Diocesan Newspaper, Diocesan
Life, edited by Communication
Minister, Bill Lewellis.
For more features from the life of our diocese, check Diocesanlife....ONLINE; and Bethlehem
News.
Nothing, Except Perhaps the Gospel, Compels
us to Make our Churches Safe Spaces.
Bishop Paul V. Marshall
Diocesan Life, June 2001
St. Paul, who is self-contradictory on the relationship between
the sexes, uttered the famous words that in Christ the differences
between people disappear. To the Galatians (3:28) he wrote that
there is "no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female;
for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." To the Colossians he wrote
that there is "no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised,
barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!"
In today's context, I have no doubt that Paul's list would have
included at least the following: male or female, black or white,
gay or straight, old or young, traditionalist or liberal, powerful
or powerless, rich or poor.
I want to share two initiatives I have taken in this regard during
the past month - and I welcome your input on either or both by
telephone, letter, email or in person.
Accokeek You may know that Christ Church in Accokeek, Maryland
(Diocese of Washington) has been at the center of a dispute over
ecclesiastical authority. In March, Bishop pro tempore Jane Holmes
Dixon told the vestry she could not approve its calling of the
Rev. Samuel Edwards as rector. Still, he moved his family into
the rectory.
Former executive director of Forward in Faith/North America (FIF/NA),
the rector-elect opposes the ordination of women to the priesthood
and episcopate.
Several, perhaps all, bishops received letters from the parish
on this impasse.
Having more reluctance than you may believe about getting ink,
I did reply - and sent copies to the usual mitred suspects: Archbishop
of Canterbury George Carey, Presiding Bishop Griswold and Bishop
Dixon.
My advice was that the parish leaders and their bishop talk to
the Diocese of Rhode Island where traditionalist parishes and a
woman bishop get along very well, and the visiting male bishop
works in a pastoral way with all concerned.
I also expressed my hope that this controversy could be dropped
for the sake of the unity of the Church.
I am telling you this because the parish leaders have apparently
released my letter. Canon Bill Lewellis tells me that some journalists "have
read it as a weigh in against Bishop Dixon."
I want to assure you that I am not interested in who appears to
win a particular issue. My interest has to do with an ecclesiology
of charity. As always, I am prepared to take my lumps.
In that regard, Bishop Dixon has also borne more than her share
of obloquy in her time in Washington. I do not wish to be understood
as publicly criticizing her, but as having suggested a way to look
at the problem that could preserve charity and unity while denying
nobody's conscience. I have communicated privately with her and
with Bishop Griswold in considerably more depth on where I think
emphasis must lie.
I believe the test of our morality is how we treat those who are,
in a secular sense, "undeserving" of special consideration.
Parishes as safe spaces Because Executive Council has a great
deal to do and is not proceeding with the General Convention resolution
directing it to provide guidelines for parishes who wish to identify
themselves as "safe spaces," I feel a need to be proactive. Souls
are involved here in this matter just as much as they are in the
parish in Accokeek.
I have begun to work independently on a process for parishes among
us who recognize a call to examine their life and functioning in
the light of that resolution. Initial conversations with clergy
last fall had some very conservative and very liberal priests asserting
that they wanted nobody uncomfortable about dealing with life issues
(you will recall that this resolution addresses sexual issues)
or unable to tell their life's story to caring listeners in their
parishes.
I gathered suggestions at May's Integrity meeting about what a "safe
space" would feel and look like, and will continue to do so at
May clergy Bible studies and at the next Diocesan Council meeting.
I spoke about this recently at the annual ECW meeting and made
myself available there for conversation about this.
I want the input of anyone who has some to give. If your parish
is interested in joining this conversation or if any of you as
an individual has an interest, you may get in touch with me directly,
and I will make sure you are included.
Father Scott Allen and Dixie White have agreed to assist me in
sorting through suggestions. You may want to communicate with them
as well. It is my hope to have something in the hands of interested
parishes in time for the beginning of the "other" church year,
the one that starts in September.
Compelled by the gospel It remains my mission to ensure that all
those trying to live out their relationship with Christ are respected
and nurtured as we deal with issues that concern and challenge
us. That will continue to require us to think outside the box in
terms of what we provide for each other - it will continue to require
us to figure out when we are in or out of the box in our thinking!
None of that can happen unless we remain connected to each other,
unafraid of each other, listening as carefully as we give our witness.
From day one, the religion of Jesus has been about breaking down
the walls humans create to keep people in their places, to keep
people away from the money and the power, to keep people away because
they are different and frighten us.
The Risen Christ put Saul of Tarsus in charge of a worldwide push
to bring all kinds of people into relationship with God. The commitment
to inviting everyone to the kingdom of heaven, however, has often
been accepted with the proviso that they should always stay in
their places on earth.
In the last 115 years people with power have cut themselves enormous
slack in terms of sex, birth control and remarriage in ways that
would have astounded all of our forebears. The irony is that they
have done themselves this favor while still managing to marginalize
and disable sexual minorities with the familiar tool of demonizing
what frightens us.
Despite occasional rebuffs from both right and left, I intend
to continue to work to create an environment in the Diocese of
Bethlehem where ordained women and traditionalist lay and ordained
Episcopalians as well as gay and lesbian Episcopalians all know
they can live and minister in a safe space. This, too, comes not
from any desire to advocate issues but in the hope of creating
an ecclesiology of charity.
I have said frequently and I hope you will consider this prayerfully:
nothing, except perhaps the gospel, compels us to make our churches
safe spaces.
Christ is still risen!
[The following is the text of Bishop Paul's letter to the senior
warden of Christ Church, Accokeek]
Thank you for your letter of April 27th. Because you have asked,
I will say that I believe that Bishop Dixon and Bishop Griswold
have made an unwise decision. I have written to the Presiding Bishop
as strongly as I dare, urging him to put an end to this matter,
for your parish's sake and for the sake of our Church. Inclusivity
is meant to work both ways, and I hope that you and your rector-elect
can soon be allowed to go about your business. In your discussions
with the Diocese, you might want to point out that the Bishop of
Rhode Island has a very good working relationship with parishes
and clergy who do not support the ordination of women, and that
she might be a bishop for them to consult about alternatives to
their present course of action. It would be a tragedy if this situation
were to result in further injuries to the unity of Christians.
(return to Bishop Paul's Columns
Index)
Please direct any
questions or comments to the webmaster@diobeth.org
