True Conservatives and how they believe

I haven't posted to my Blog for some time because I was completely upset by the out come of the Lambeth Conference.

I do Spiritual Direction and met with one of my directies last Wednesday. We talked about his experience this summer with one of Arizona's premier Anglo Catholic parishes. Chuck attends on a regular basis a more middle of the road Parrish. I'm big on Justice and being inclusive so the discussion got around to that subject before our time was up. I was quite surprised when he related the following post form the Saint Mary's Parrish newsletter.

I hastened to look it up on the web and was impressed with Fr. Bill's take on Conservatism. I sent out an e asking for permission to post it here and he said yes ... so here it is.

The Angelus September 2008 Volume 52 No.11

The Angelus is the News Letter published monthly by the Episcopal Parish of Saint Mary’s Phoenix, Arizona.

Following all the posturing of the prelates throughout the world before, during and after the Lambeth Conference this summer, it seemed timely and wise to declare again, and perhaps even more directly, the vision of this beloved parish for the People of God, all the People of God. Without exception or exclusion.

We are thought of, and rightly, as a conservative parish. This is due to the fact that we hold the faith entire and full without dissembling our presentation or diluting our catholic and apostolic witness. But a reputation for conservative values in faith and worship is increasingly assumed to mean a narrow and mean-spirited attitude. This travesty is due to the shenanigans (personally I would say “sins”—but I aim for a semblance of charity) of cold hearted, judgmental, and yes, Pharisaical Episcopalians, largely in Africa and Asia, with a smattering of snide Americans. This unhappy, and possibly unholy, group has hijacked the excellent name and glorious reputation of true conservatism, which seeks only to conserve the best and finest of the ages past, that faith “once delivered to the saints.” And to do this in stumbling but dogged fidelity to the words of Christ and the example he set before us.

“Come unto me, all ye that travail and are heavy laden.” All ye, we, the true conservatives, recall that he said. “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” Judge not, period, we, the true conservatives recall that he said. “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone” is an admonition only real, genuine, actual conservatives try to live by.

True conservatives, like so many of us here, champion without compromise the full inclusion and equal incorporation of all people in Episcopal parish life and worship—all people. We do this as best we can, because we, so conservative in our catholic, apostolic and Biblical faith, discern this to be the will and requirement of Jesus—to accept, to serve, to love, to include, to respect, to embrace all people, and rejoice with them and because of them. And to do this without regard to color or ethnic richness, or varied national origin, or marvelously differing sex, gender, and sexual orientations.

We do this without drawing distinctions between that person who maintains a careful, caring commitment to another person, and that other person who may not, or no longer, have such a bond. We always refuse to marginalize people who have issues of physical challenge, or mental or emotional or developmental characteristics that differ. We will never patronize anyone because of far different intellectual achievements or abilities, or varying language abilities or personal histories. All of this because we know it is what Jesus would do, so clearly did do, as those of us who actually read the Bible, rather than wave it, know full well.

Toleration, inclusion, acceptance of all, without distinction, is far too important a Christian virtue to allow anyone to confuse it with indifference or to allow any to dismiss it as moral relativity or laxity. Indeed, it is more than a crucial Christian virtue, it is a commandment of Christ himself: “Love one another as I have loved you. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” All are redeemed by Christ and so all, all, all are welcome at his Table. Some, as Christ noted, who regard themselves as first will be last, and some who assume they will be the most welcome at his table, will discover in sorrow and shame that they are not seated at all, but thrust out, as they tried to do to others, while those deemed unacceptable by the self-righteous, will come streaming in from “north and south and east and west” the least of his children crowding around the happy banquet Table in his perfect Kingdom in Heaven and his imperfect kingdom in every parish church.

By our Lord’s will and command all sorts and conditions of men and women, the full entire, whole, and grand beloved community, treasured by God and saved by his Son will gather in love, without exception. This is the true faith, this is real religion, this is literal fidelity to Scripture, this is uncompromising witness to traditional catholic moral order. This approach, which is the unshakable commitment of this dear parish, this, and this alone is conservative.

Thanks be to God!
Fr. Bill