101 Reasons to Be Episcopalian
- Description
- Product Details
- About the Author
- Read an Excerpt
"The Episcopal Church is a secret too well kept, " says compiler Louie Crew. "Many are starved for what we experience daily and too easily take for granted." With these words, Crew invited thousands of people online to participate in creating a list of reasons to be Episcopalian. Portions of that list, and many additional contributions, fill this charming, pocket-sized celebration of the Episcopal Church.
These 101 thoughtful, poignant, and sometimes humorous responses not only entertain but also teach about the Church's gifts. From the beauty of its prayer and liturgy, to its inclusiveness, and its reliance on Scripture, tradition, and reason in balance with one another, there is much to celebrate in the Anglican/Episcopal tradition.
101 Reasons to Be Episcopalianmakes the perfect gift for confirmands, newcomers, and anyone interested in dialogue about why we are Episcopalians.
ISBN-13: 9780819219251
Media Type: Paperback
Publisher: Church Publishing - Incorporated
Publication Date: 02-01-2003
Pages: 128
Product Dimensions: 4.00(w) x 6.00(h) x (d)
Louie Clay (né Louie Crew), PhD, founded Integrity, a group that has taken leadership in transforming The Episcopal Church’s stance towards LGBT people, and has remained an active campaigner. He was professor of English at Rutgers University. He was the author of four published volumes of poetry. He passed away in 2019. Phyllis Tickle (1934–2015) was an authority on religion in America and a much sought after lecturer on the subject. Founding editor of the Religion Department of Publishers Weekly, she has been frequently quoted by media sources including USA Today, Christian Science Monitor, the New York Times, PBS, NPR, the Hallmark Channel, plus innumerable blogs and websites. In addition to lectures and numerous essays, articles, and interviews, Tickle is the author of over two dozen books in religion and spirituality, including The Great Emergence, How Christianity is Changing and Why, and The Words of Jesus, A Gospel of the Sayings of Our Lord.
Urban T. Holmes, III 2 From Smells and bells to speaking in tongues—we have it all. Sheena A. Lawrence Diocese of Atlanta 3 I became an Episcopalian because of an invitation in a Sunday bulletin: "All baptized Christians are welcome at the Lord's Table." The state of my life, my marriage, my lostness didn't matter. I responded to a community's magnanimity of spirit. Through them I learned of God's abiding love affair with us through the Risen Christ in whom we live and move and have our being. The Rev. Jessica A. Hatch Diocese of Utah 4 "We have a faith not afraid to reason and reason not ashamed to adore." —The Late Rt. Rev. Daniel Sylvester Tuttle The Rev. W. Lee Shaw Diocese of Utah 5 The seasons are color coded. Bungee Bynum Diocese of Lexington 6 The Episcopal Church enables me to worship God with my mind. It doesn't install an idol like the Bible or the Pope as the source of ultimate authority. It has lived in the tension between ancient truth and living history and has evolved into something fragile but beautiful, something that is worthy of being defended as it becomes a sign of the inclusive Kingdom of God. The Rt. Rev. John S. Spong Diocese of Newark 7 Episcopalians see reality as existing in the tensions of paradox, ambiguity, and diversity. Richard C. Milhon Diocese of Kansas 8 I'm glad to be a member of the Episcopal Church because it's evangelical, catholic, pentecostal, and liberal. It is evangelical because it glories in the cross of Jesus Christ as salvation for all people. It's catholic in that it is a church that lives as resurrection people beyond the blight and bondage of death. We're pentecostal because we trust in the supernatural empowerment of the Holy Spirit. And we're liberal because we yearn for the Kingdom of God in the world as it is in heaven and labor in the hope that will make it so. Bishop Alden Hathaway Pittsburgh, retired Diocese of Florida 9 Anglicans do good deeds to increase under-standing of God, not out of fear or to earn admission to heaven. Robert L. Neal III Diocese of Chicago 10 Asking questions about our faith is expected. In the Episcopal Church, God doesn't get upset if I wonder why some things are as they are. And God doesn't get upset if I suggest that some things should not continue as they are. La Reverenda Martha Sylvia Ovalle Vasquez Diocese of Delaware 11 At our best, Episcopalians can respectfully disagree about a great many things—and still break bread together. Barbara Tensen Ross Diocese or Oregon 12 I'm an Episcopalian because of the incredibly profound understanding of authority in the Anglican Communion. The three-legged stool—with its stout legs of Scripture, tradition, and reason, supported by (but also firmly joined by) the seat of our experience and prayer—is perhaps Anglicanism's most glorious contribution to theology. Paul M. Johns Diocese of Olympia 13 We believe that love without justice is cheap sentimentality. Carter Heyward Diocese of Massachusetts 14 My four-year-old son has attended the Episcopal Church since birth. He sings the Alleluia from the fraction anthem as easily as the theme from "Blue's Clues." The Rev. Rachel Endicott Diocese of Olympia 15 When asked if he was saved, Archbishop of Canterbury William Temple replied, "I have been saved, I am being saved, I hope to be saved." That understanding of faith, hope, and humility reinforces me as an Episcopalian/Anglican. Dean George L. W. Werner Diocese of Pittsburgh 16 We do not give simple answers to complex questions. Instead, we offer tools that help people develop a sustaining faith. B. Lance Moody Diocese of Oklahoma 17 My mind is Protestant and my spirit is liturgical. Where other than to the Book of Common Prayer can my worship go and still have both be happy? Phyllis Tickle Diocese of West Tennessee 18 Ours is not just a checkbook ministry. Episcopalians roll up their sleeves and help. Agnes L. Haviland-Moore Diocese of Connecticut 19 We have full-bodied worship: bow, kneel, sit, stand, kneel, hug, walk, and sometimes even raise your hands, cry, laugh, sing, shout, whisper, smell, taste, feel, touch, hold, see, and behold and on and on. The Very Rev. Marilyn J. Engstrom Diocese of Wyoming 20 Where the road to Easter is never a short cut, but you always get there. The Rev. Dr. Barbara T. Cheney Diocese of Connecticut 21 Pregnant priests! Celebrating! The Rev. Deborah Galante Seles Diocese of Chicago 22 I love Anglicanism for its basic humanity, its sense of decency and order, its freedom of thought and its insistence on the corpus of faith, "those things necessary unto salvation." I love it for its tradition and for the women and men of faith who have been lights of the generations in whose company we worship. I love it for its quirkiness, its untidiness, its comprehensiveness and for its ability to receive, accept, alter or jettison new things, while being always merely and astoundingly the Church. Father Tony Clavier Diocese of South Dakota 23 It's a church where you can come in without leaving your brain at the door and then have the opportunity to love all of those who man-aged to come in with their "wrong" ideas. The Rt. Rev. Leo Frade, D.D. Diocese of Southeast Florida 24 We Belong before we believe. Joanna Wragg Diocese of Southeast Florida 25 Where faith is God's gift to us, not our gift to God. Louie Crew Diocese of Newark 26 Like Catholic and Orthodox Christians, Episcopalians are in touch with the ancient voices and aesthetic and spiritual practices of the Christian tradition. We are united by a common liturgy and by the Book of Common Prayer. And so long as we do the liturgy right, we are orthodox, and thus permitted a broad range of theological opinions. With its riches of liturgy, prayer, and music, it is for me a sacrament of the sacred, and it feels like home. Marcus J. Borg Diocese of Oregon 27 No matter where in the world I attend an Episcopal/Anglican church, I am always home. Joan Carr Diocese of British Columbia 28 We have the liturgical beauty of the Catholics combined with the local authority of the Southern Baptists. Cynthia McLeod Diocese of East Tennessee 29 The signs that say, "The Episcopal Church Welcomes You" mean it. Nick Humez Diocese of Newark 30 The Episcopal Church is a place where bishops are people too, and some of them know it. Many even have spouses to remind them. Linda M. Maloney Diocese of Minnesota 31 The Book of Commom Prayer allows a degree of uniformity in prayer while leaving room for the diversity of cultures, languages and liturgical styles. The Very Rev. David G. Bollinger Diocese of Central New York 32 The Episcopal Church taught me that Jesus came to challenge, not just comfort; to over-turn, not maintain; to love, not judge; to include, not cast aside. The Rev. Canon Elizabeth R. Geitz Diocese of New Jersey 33 Episeopalians try to love with the heart of Christ, think with the mind of Christ, and act as if we were the body of Christ. Prof. Willis H. A. Moore Diocese of Hawaii 34 I spent Good Friday with the folks at St. Paul's Chapel. There I talked with a young firefighter who has been volunteering at Ground Zero for several months. In the midst of his sharing he said: "If it weren't for this place, I wouldn't be able to smile." Sharon Moon Diocese of Washington 35 Because it's one religion where laughing at our own absurdities is a basic spiritual discipline and we're invited to rejoice in how much we have still to learn of God instead of how much we know. L. William Countryman Diocese of California 36 I love Anglicanism because the most stable seat, on rough ground, is a three- legged stool. The Rev. Selwyn Swift St. Edmundsbury and Ipswich, Suffolk, England 37 Our eighth Sacrament: Fellowship and Good Food. Amada Demers Diocese of Texas 38 Our theology is an art form, not a law book. Paul Gibson Diocese of Toronto 39 From Miami to Manchester, from Lima to London, from Brisbane to Birmingham, Singapore to San Francisco, I can go to church and fit right in. John F. Schwaller Diocese of Minnesota 40 I am an Episcopalian because it is the one form of the tradition that enables me to still call myself a Christian. It allows me to think and to feel deeply in a life that is grounded in tradition and yet is always open to change. I sometimes think of Anglicanism as the Zen Buddhism of the West. I love it because schism is a greater sin than heresy. I would much rather be with someone who loved me than with someone who could define love. Alan Jones Diocese of California 41 Where else can you be considered a "young person" until you are 40 years old? Lesley M. Adams Diocese of Rochester 42 We honor tradition but do not fossilize it. Lee Canipe Diocese of Virginia 43 We welcome the faithful, the seeker, and the doubter. Diana Smith Diocese of Washington 44 We promise to welcome you in Christ's name. We will honor the gifts you bring. We will invite you into our community, or wish you well if you choose another path. Dorothy Isabel Crocker Huron, Canada 45 We celebrate a Christmas Season and not just a Christmas Day. The Rt. Rev. Jack M. McKelvey Diocese of Rochester 46 Where God's unconditional love for all of us is celebrated every day. Sen. Marge Kilkelly Diocese of Maine 47 In the Episcopal Church doubt is so okay that we name some parishes "St. Thomas." Louie Crew Diocese of Newark 48 Being an Intelligent, strong woman is not a drawback in the Episcopal Church. Cynthia Jo Mahaffey Diocese of Ohio 49 Episcopalians may spend a lot of time arguing with each other about important matters inside and outside the church. And often the arguments are very public. Sometimes they go on for years and seem to reach no definite resolution. But Episcopalians are confident that in and through this kind of engagement with each other, they will come closer to understanding what God is up to and who God wants them, as a church, to be. Ellen K. Wondra Diocese of Rochester 50 As an Anglican I can be myself. I can be authentic and feel accepted and respected. Glauco Soares de Lima Bishop Primate of Brazil 51 Where the priesthood of all believers has a goodly chance of including everyone, including people of all shapes, sizes, ages, colors, and abilities. The Rev. Dr. Barbara T. Cheney Diocese of Connecticut 52 This the only church that is as lovingly loony as your family. Mary L. Lyons Diocese of Olympia 53 Prayer that is time tested. Cynthia McLeod Diocese of East Tennessee 54 Tired of hell fire and brimstone? Try incense. Louie Crew Diocese of Newark 55 Another reason to be Episcopalian is that the altar is not fenced. In my days as a Presbyterian "seeker" I frequently attended both Roman Catholic and Episcopal liturgies: at the former I was explicitly refused communion; at the latter I was welcome to receive. As Woody Allen didn't quite say, I wouldn't want to belong to a club that wouldn't take me as a non-member. Deborah Smith Douglas Diocese of The Rio Grande 56 I like being an Episcopalian because I can be a mystic without anybody noticing. Suzanne Guthrie Diocese of New York 57 Anglicans can imagine the past and remember the future. The Rev. Nayan McNeill, Ph.D. Diocese of El Camino Real 58 We proudly wear ribbons of so many different colors. Mary Jane Herron Diocese of Newark 59 Two millennia of faith; four centuries of liturgy; comrades worldwide traveling in love the journey to God we each tread alone. Peter Berry Diocese of Bristol, England 60 The hymn; "One was a doctor and one was a queen and one was a shepherdess on the green and one was a soldier and one was a priest and one was slain by a fierce wild beast." The Very Rev. Marilyn J. Engstrom Diocese of Wyoming 61 Mystery arid clarity co-exist here. Alex H. MacDonell Diocese of New Jersey 62 Despite or perhaps even precisely because of our present disagreements in the Episcopal Church I am reminded that God calls us all together because we aren't whole without each other. Nancy A. G. Vogele Diocese of Vermont 63 My favorite reason for being an Episcopalian is the coherence of scripture, tradition and reason/experience as basic tenets of our belief. I appreciate our melding of church and world, sacred and secular, soul and body, sophistication and simplicity, literary and non-verbal, seriousness and nonchalance, holiness and ordinariness, indeed, our being deeply rooted in the Incarnation. The Rev. Malcolm Boyd Diocese of Los Angeles 64 God loves yon, and there's not a thing you can do to change that. The Rev. Tom Van Culin Diocese of Hawaii 65 We find our unity in shared worship, not in enforced agreement. Lou Poulain Diocese of El Camino Real 66 We leave neither our minds, nor our hearts, nor our bodies at the church door. Larry Graham Diocese of Atlanta 67 Episcopalians believe in moderation in all things, including moderation. Sheena A. Lawrence Diocese of Atlanta 68 I love our church because we don't think unity means uniformity. Barbara Cawthorne Crafton Diocese of New York 69 Hooker's Eucharistic theology in 30 seconds: It's about us becoming the Body of Christ, the presence of Christ in the assembled community. For real. The Rev. Deborah Galante Seles Diocese of Chicago 70 In the Episcopal Church you will be treated as an adult, and the child in you will be welcomed. Alex H. MacDonell Diocese of New Jersey 71 Our roots in the past bear fruit in the present. Alice Haugen Diocese of Iowa 72 Christ has no hands on earth but ours. We need you to help us bless the world. Meg Carter Diocese of California (Continues...) Read an Excerpt
101 REASONS to be EPISCOPALIAN
By Louie Crew
Morehouse Publishing
Copyright © 2003 Louie Crew
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-8192-1925-1
Chapter One
1 "[W]hen Anglicanism is at its best, its liturgy, its poetry, its music and its life can create a world of wonder in which it is very easy to fall in love with God."
Excerpted from 101 REASONS to be EPISCOPALIAN by Louie Crew Copyright © 2003 by Louie Crew. Excerpted by permission of Morehouse Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
<