Sermons Volume 01

Excerpt: The institution of slavery was defended by almost all of the Founding Fathers and by prominent Episcopalian clergymen as in keeping with biblical faith. And it has been a lot less long ago that many in the Episcopal Church defended segregation: my parish priest and my parents and their friends were among them. Not many years ago, fundamentalism was the norm in mainline Protestant denominations, including the Episcopal Church. There are still Episcopal dioceses that will not accept women priests. There are parishes which continue using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Now there is threatened schism over how much acceptance can be given and how much leadership granted to those whose sexual orientation differs from the heterosexual majority. My own faith is always in tension with doubt. I do not understand the Christian Faith now in the same way I did when I was first ordained. I have to doubt now so that my faith and my expression of it can be stronger in the years ahead. I once led an adult class called, “What you always wanted to know about the Christian Faith but were afraid to ask.” I was gratified by the response from people who wanted to express their doubts and I saw that as a sign of a healthy congregation. Never take what you hear or what you read at face value, even if you find it in a Christian bookstore or hear it from a pulpit. Don’t be afraid to raise questions. Question what you hear from this pulpit.