Random Thoughts

February 13, 2007

As we continue to watch the saga unfold in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia it will be very interesting to see how the courts rule on property issues. I think it was the majority of 18 congregations that left the diocese to affiliate with and African diocese. Eleven of those congregations are continuing to use the property for worship. It is the position of the Episcopal Church that individuals, including clergy can leave the church but congregations cannot. That is to say, the property belongs to the diocese. So the issue in those 11 parishes in Virginia is that individuals who have left the church are still occupying the premises. The diocese has gone to court to remove the people from its property. As I say, it will be very interesting to see how this plays out. People throughout the country are watching closely.

I am approaching my first convention in the diocese of Arkansas. I have been told that the conventions are fun and that people show concern and love for one another and that there is an absence of animosity. If that is the case that will be a new experience for me. The conventions in the diocese of West Tennessee were full of animosity, with little or no love, or even respect for one another. Every year, for years, the issue of human sexuality dominated the proceedings, although the issue was almost always couched in other terms. For example, how much should we financially support the national church, and that sort of thing. I look forward to a much different and better experience.

On February 10 we had an afternoon with Dietrich Bonhoeffer. We had with us in our parish hall Dr. Steve Haynes, professor of religion at Rhodes College and The Rev Al Staggs, now a performing artist. Steve gave a one hour presentation on the life and theology of Bonhoeffer which was followed by Al’s one person play on the last hours of Bonhoeffer in his prison cell. It was all wonderfully done and something like 130 came to experience it. We will do more things like that in the future.

David Broder, a columnist for the Washington Post, recently predicted that by 2009 the time would be right for the development of universal healthcare for the US. I hope he is right. Something must be done for the approximately 40 million Americans who have no health insurance. I expect we will be hearing a lot about that as the 2008 presidential campaign soon begins in earnest.

As I look at the two front-running candidates for the Democrat party, knowing that it is a lifetime before the election and anything can happen, I believe that either Obama or Clinton are electable. I think our country is ready for either a woman or an African American to hold the office of president. This should not be taken as an endorsement of the Democrat party, only that these two candidates offer something quite different from the norm in national politics.

This whole debate between congress and the executive branch, and among the people as well, about who has the authority to be “the decider” when it comes to war is fascinating. On the one hand we have the commander in chief, and on the other we have the vast majority of the people and the congress (at least a majority of them). Whose role is it to see that we get out of Iraq and how it’s done? Do the people have a voice? Does congress have a voice beyond the financial cost of the war? The administration, mainly speaking through the vice president, says that no matter what anybody says the decision to send more troops has been made and that is what is going to happen. It is in fact already happening. What we have is a real constitutional debate going on here. Unfortunately, while this debate continues real human beings are being killed by the thousands in Iraq. May God forgive us, all of us.

Nearly everybody I know is sick either with the flu or a cold. I have not felt right of almost 6 weeks now, much unlike me. I am rooting for spring to come very soon. And guess what, it is coming and in fact is already here in the form of baseball spring training. My team, the Cardinals (did I ever mention that they are the world champs?) begin training on February 14. Warm weather cannot be too far behind. YES!