Episcopal California

Salaam!

Well we made it out of the airport and I think that I finally got to my room at 6 a.m. At about 6:15, there was a really loud crash on the street 14 floors below. I looked out the window and a police car had hit a station wagon. Both were twisted and up on the sidewalk. I crashed too.

After a deep 3 1/2 hours sleep, I got up and went with a group of my fellow diplomats to meet Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian, Primate of the Armenian Prelacy of Tehran. What a warm and wonderful opportunity it was to meet with this spiritual leader of a Christian minority in Iran. He sees the purpose of the Armenian Orthodox Church as a container to maintain national identity and to teach young Armenians about their history "and all the things we have lost." He was a very honest speaker, telling us that the problems in this part of the world are not due to religious difference but political, and he told us about the work of inter-religious dialogue in Iran. For one thing, people involved in this dialogue don't discuss matters of belief or theology -- they find the things that they hold in common (like service to the poor, human rights, education and family life) and that is where they find valuable connections with one another. I recorded a lot of the meeting and have hopes to get some of it up on episcopod.com by tomorrow or Saturday.

First impressions: I'm really struck by how wonderfully we are being treated, and how obvious our similarities are. What they say about the age of Iranians is also true, there are young people every where. As we walked down the street to our meeting this morning, boys of about 9 or 10 were saying "hello" and waving to us. I guess we are pretty obvious Americans. But many Iranians look to be in their 20s.

Driving into Tehran at night was really amazing -- the mosques are all lit up with thousands of colorful lights. There are trees that are completely lit up with what look like neon Christmas tree lights -- it is hard to explain but I did shoot a lot of video. The bus driver who brought us from the airport really likes Celine Dion and was playing the stereo much too loud for my travel-weary head. But then again it was Celine Dion, just hearing it was painful. I'm still not sure how to cross the street because cars don't really stop at intersections and that makes me worry somewhat about all of the bus travel we will be doing. I tried dhoog (the traditional yoghurt drink) and I'm glad I did. I was the only one at the lunch table who liked it. There is a scroll at the bottom of IRANN (the Iranian CNN) in English and it says that the Pentagon denies that the situation in Iraq is deteriorating. I'm really excited to go to a bazaar this afternoon. The weather is actually quite delightful, it's in the 80s and there is a cool breeze blowing. Farsi is a beautiful language. And I really miss my family.

I plan to do more detail as we meet with different religious and political figures, and I will get up a podcast soon. Finding the time to do production will be difficult, but I will do my best. My travel photos will be posted at flickr.com/photos/diocal.

Wishing you all peace,

sean

Okay, this is a weird post, because we are all sitting in the airport in Tehran waiting to get our passports back. Everyone of us got finger printed and i will post a pic of my blue fingers later. No one else going through Iranian customs has been finger printed that I've seen. We all were and we're now waiting to see what happens next. The Iranians probably aren't sure about us because none of us have showered and we've been sleeping in our clothes for two days.

Esfahan_Masjed-e_Imam_Mosque

It's been a while. I guess I'm not much of a blogger. But I'm going to try to do better. Especially since I leave Tuesday, April 29, for Iran. I will be going with the Fellowship of Reconciliation and the group of citizen diplomats is a really amazing group of people. I don't really know what my internet access will be like, but I am hoping to be able to post here. If I'm not able to sign into Vox, then I will try to email postings to my colleague Monica for her to upload. In other words, the communications might not be instant or regular, but we will do our best to keep you informed. I also plan to post photos on DioCal's flickr photostream. 

This from meditatio:

We've recently begun a Taizé style worship service on Thursday evenings at my parish. The impetus came from our School for Deacons field education student, Judy Hedin, who has experienced this form of worship at her home parish and at the ecumenical monastery in Taizé, France. Judy has a passionate vision of how such worship can reach out to new people, especially young adults. That vision is being realized through Judy's leadership, the musical talent of Charles Rus, our parish musician and cantor, and the parishioners who are showing up to pray and assist with logistics.

Thus far, we are averaging 24 people at this new service (only two weeks old). Last night, we had 10-12 visitors in the congregation, and they were indeed younger than our parish profile. We've flyered the neighborhood and advertised in the local papers, and that is having some effect. People seem drawn to the beauty, simplicity, and contemplative spirit of this form of worship. It is highly participatory, and folks are free to move around during the chanting to pray in the side chapels, light candles, or venerate the cross. People sit on chairs or cushions on the floor, bathed in candlelight.

read the rest...

Episcopal A-lister and über geek punk monk is one of the most connected info consumers i know, and he's about to get disconnected in a big way. his lenten reflection about what is about to happen to him is a great read for those of us who find that God challenges us by calling us to step out of our habits (so to speak).

[snip] No news; no gossip or scandal; no quick and easy way to look up a fact I do not know; or answer a question with the immediacy of the digital age. No way to write a quick article or reflection or hammer out a new poem on the keyboard. Heavens... I may have to actually use pen and paper! [/snip] punk monk's blog

In the years following Johannes Guttenberg's invention of movable type, a conservative backlash against press printed books spread across Europe. The mass production of books made them less expensive and more available, and wealthier collectors considered them to be common and less desirable than hand-wrought texts.

In the years following the introduction of the Mosaic Web Browser (1993), computer users started learning and teaching one another basic Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), and they began posting web pages about whatever interested them. Many types of web pages were created; common users began documenting their interests and sharing sources of information as web logs (weblogs :: blogs). Again, skeptical consumers of information sneered at this new form of communication as they struggled to discern truth in the growing number of postings.

In the year 2000, Rick Johnson, then Director of Grace Cathedral's GraceCom, asked me to join him at conferences around the Episcopal Church to present workshops on effective church websites. What I noticed as I started talking to people about the growth of blogs, was a growing distrust of blogs as sources of reliable information. "How do you know you can trust what you read in a blog?" These questions came just two years after Matt Drudge blogged that Newsweek had information about an affair between the President of the United States and a White House intern.

Seven years ago, blogs as news and sources of news created a firestorm among the mainstream media, and among consumers of information who were realizing that a trend toward speedier content delivery was developing in content distribution.

Now, seven short years later, all that is reported, related, shared, and cross-referenced in blogs has created a virtual galaxy of information some call "the blogosphere." Whatever your interest, or need, or area of research, you can find communities of people sharing and commenting on just about anything.

Trusting the information is still an issue. Dave Kim, blogger and Global Sales Intranet Manager of Symantec Corporation says that you trust blogs the way you would trust information in any community of discourse. "Blogs in and of themselves are rarely reliable. They must have other sources -- links to groups who are talking about the same issues," Kim told me in a recent IM chat. "Over time you grow to trust blogs for different reasons. Some group blogs you simply grow to rely on over time: i.e. reading Gizmodo for tech news."

Kim also told me "There is a community of what they call A-listers. They get the big hit counts. How they become A-listers is subjective, it's like celebrity."

Kim's blog is more about making connections with friends than breaking news. He blogs to share personal thoughts and photos with his community of friends. In eight years his blog has had two million hits. "I'm not an A-lister by any means," says Kim. "My friend Ernie gets five million hits a year. Do you know how many small companies would kill for that kind of traffic? :)"

According to Kim and others, you can grow to trust the credibility of a blogger by the number of other bloggers producing worthwhile information that link to them. If blogs or other websites that you trust frequently link to them, you are more likely to return to them for information. Blog trust is similar to brand loyalty.

Church in the Blogosphere

In the Episcopal Church, bloggers have become like the monk scribes of old, scribbling marginal notes on scripture, philosophy, prayer, meditation, church governance (polity), social justice, any thing of interest to them, and to the church.

One such virtual scribbler who has risen to the ranks of Episcopal A-lister is an East Coast priest who calls himself Fr. Jake (not his real name).  In his profile Jake says that he chose the name because, "since I first read the story as a child, I have identified with Jacob. He's a bit of a rascal, wrestles with the angels, yet still blessed in spite of himself." Fr. Jake's blog, "Father Jake Stops the World," has a large community of readers on all sides of issues who post comments on his blog. Fr. Jake tends to come down on the more progressive side of church politics, while his spirituality has depth and maturity. A number of comments argue with his positions, no one questions his faith.

Another A-list blog on the national level is "Titus 1:9." Managed by the Rev. Dr. Kendall Harmon, Canon Theologian for the Diocese of South Carolina, "Titus 1:9" is a news aggregation site. In other words, Harmon posts links to news stories from sources all over the internet. He is a champion of those who identify more closely with the Primates of the Global South than as members in TEC, and he has coined two labels that have made it into broader debate in the Church: "reappraisers" and "reasserters." "I have sought again and again to describe this debate," writes Harmon, "as one between reappraisers, those who believe the biblical and traditional witness in sexual ethics needs to reappraised [sic] in the light of new knowledge, and reasserters, those who are more than willing to dig again into the foundation sources and thereby to reassert the standard which is still ironically officially unchanged in the Episcopal Church today."

The sheer volume of content posted daily on "Titus 1:9" is a testimony to the vitality of the blogosphere. Many have questioned how he does it. Answer: "Web elves," or trusted helpers. The reference for Titus 1:9? "He must have a firm grasp of the word that is trustworthy in accordance with the teaching, so that he may be able both to preach with sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it." I would be remiss not to point out the satirical site "Titus 1:10" [titusoneten.blogspot.com], which cites the King James Version: "For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers..."

Another blog on the Episcopal A-list is "daily episcopalian." Jim Naughton, author and journalist (New York Times, Washington Post, Slate, ESPN) turned Communications Director of the Diocese of Washington, must start each day by reading a stack of blogs. Naughton regularly tells you what's going on at a whole host of different Episcopalian and Anglican bloggers' websites. "daily episcopalian" (an official blog of the Diocese of Washington) actually started as "The Blog of Daniel," a blog that tracked the short-lived NBC comedy/drama called "The Book of Daniel," about a pill-popping Episcopal priest. The show built a strong audience of Episcopalian fans and critics early on, many of whom were looking for a place to talk with others about "Book of Daniel" episodes. When the show was cancelled, readers and Naughton did not want to give up on this new community, so he kept blogging and changed the name to "daily episcopalian." Rumor has it that Naughton is working on a group blog (a blog with more than one contributor) with colleagues from throughout the Episcopal Church and that it will be live before Easter. Stay tuned to "daily episcopalian" for more news about that.

There is a brand new blog that deserves mention because it is a semi-official blog of the Episcopal Church (TEC). The brain-child of the Rev. Jan Nunley, Deputy for Communication at TEC, and designer Wade Hampton, "EpiScope" is primarily a news aggregation site, with some original content as well. One of "EpiScope's" greatest assets to date is its blog-roll (links to blogs covering similar topics) of Episcopal/Anglican bloggers from left, right and center, and broken down in that way. "EpiScope" provides a great list of Episcopal A-listers. The content is A-list as well.

Episcopal California's A-list

In the Diocese of California, there are many priests, deacons, and lay people who blog, and they blog about all sorts of things. The Rev. Stacey Grossman is Rector of Church of the Nativity, San Rafael, and a competitive rower in the Marin Rowing Association. Her blog, "RevRows!," is mostly about her competitive rowing life. Most of her entries are brief, and -- like most churchy blogs -- use inside language. (Grossman mentions that she "erged," and a few other words I've never heard of.) Watch for the occasional theological reflection in Grossman's blog. One entry provides interesting reading about how as a rower she identifies with Jesus' disciples in the act of rowing.

A complement to Grossman is Tracy Longacre, a deacon from Menlo Park whose blog "RevRuns!" is about -- you guessed it -- running. Longacre is actually one of the most wired clergy in our diocese. Currently serving at the Presbyterian Rural Training Centre (PRTC), Fonta in the North West Province, Cameroon, Longacre blogs about her experience in Cameroon. She posts photos from her daily life on Flickr, more of her best photos on her photo site, and she also maintains a more personal blog. (She is even experimenting with a lot of Web 2.0 applications, but that's a whole other article.) Longacre is definitely a member of our diocesan A-list.

Brkarekin

But perhaps the geekiest of all our A-listers is the "Punk Monk." Br. Karekin Yarian is a member of the Brotherhood of St. Gregory and is the Minister Provincial in Province 8. You might be most familiar with his work if you use any of the Rite Series® software. Yarian is a chief developer for The Rite Stuff, and the other software in the series.

I first became aware of him in 2002 when I was at a party hosted by Harper San Francisco. I was introduced to Jay Bakker, and we were talking, and he kept saying, "I have to meet the Punk Monk. Is he here? Have you seen him?" And pretty soon, there was this monk who looked... well... like a punk. Bakker was a fan of Yarian's blog back then (and if you've been blogging since '02, you've been around for a long time). Currently Yarian is working as the church administrator at Trinity, SF, and will probably dial-Trinity-in as one of the most wired churches in the Diocese. You'll find lot's of great Web 2.0 tinkering in his "punkmonk sf menu."

Another of our A-listers is the Rev. John Kirkley, Rector of St. John the Evangelist, San Francisco, and President of Oasis California. Kirkley blogs about everything from family life to Anglican/Episcopal politics on his blog "Meditatio." "Meditatio" frequently gets linked to by TEC A-listers, and Kirkley is a respected voice for the full inclusion of all baptized persons in the church throughout the world. He also is a regular contributor -- with a little help from CDSP student Tom Jackson -- to the Oasis news blog.

Another superb clergy blog is "Caught By the Light," maintained by the Rev. Richard Helmer, Rector of Church of Our Saviour, Mill Valley. Helmer is a prolific writer who pours a lot of heart and soul into each post. He is also a frequent commenter on a large number of other blogs. And, what I really love about Helmer is that he's a great preacher; I know this because I've listened to his sermon podcasts. They are linked to from his blog, and you can also find them on the website of Church of Our Saviour, which is a model for church websites everywhere.

Both the Rev. Gail Greenwell, Rector, and the Rev. Amber Evans, Associate for Youth and Children's Ministry, at Church of the Epiphany, San Carlos, keep a blog at "Irreverent Epiphanies." If you were ever looking for one place to find all of the NPR stories of interest to passionate people of faith, Evans posts many of them -- and other great stuff -- on "Irreverent Epiphanies."

And for fear that he might blog about me if I don't mention him, the Rev. Robert Warren Cromey, retired Rector of Trinity, San Francisco, and diocesan gadfly, writes about justice, preaching, and church growth at "Cromey Online." Cromey has a discipline of writing 500 words every morning whether he feels like it or not -- a habit that all preachers and church communicators should emulate.

Finally, our diocesan A-list has a new player. This new blogger jumps into the A-list after a short time blogging because as soon as he started blogging, a large number of TEC's A-listers started paying attention to him. Bishop Marc's blog is BishopMarc.com, and features new posts weekly from the bishop and invited contributors. When asked why a blog, Bishop Marc responds simply, "So that we might become the beloved community." While Bishop Marc blogs primarily about Wisdom Christianity, what he has called "the marriage of contemplation and a commitment to social justice," he also posts observations about news in the Episcopal Church, the Anglican Communion, and the world. You can find audio of his sermons in his blog, and links to interviews with Bishop Marc in the mainstream media.

This list is by no means exhaustive, and I would love to find out more about who is blogging in the Diocese, so please send links to PCN@diocal.org, and we might just add your favorite blog to our A-list.

Sidebar:

Of course some of you are probably wondering why I've failed to mention video blogs (or v-logs). Well the reason is that I haven't seen anything that qualifies as a v-log produced within our diocese … yet. Of course, the Very Rev. Alan Jones, Dean of Grace Cathedral has been posting video messages at www.GraceCathedral.org for years, but I'm not sure I'm ready to call those posts v-logs. So, here's a challenge: Who among you will be the first to post a regular v-log? The finest example of an Episcopal v-log is "Father Matthew Presents," he sets the bar high.

Well, there you go, cruising along, minding your own business, when ***SLAM***, your life gets changed.

For me it happened on Halloween. BOO! Actually, it wasn't a trick, it was a treat.

My baby daughter was born at 2:11 p.m., included is a picture of her big brother holding her for the first time. So, I took some time away from all things Episcopal and webby (except for my personal email account of course), and played new dad one more time. Actually, now that we have one of each I think we'll stop.

So, hang in there ... more IN-spiriation to come.

Birthday

So what do Episcopalians believe anyway? Well, that's kind of like asking what do American Christians believe? We are a broad church, with many variants in approach. We all approach scripture in different ways, a few have fundamentalist approaches, and others see scripture as symbolic meta narrative, and most of us fall in the middle somewhere. Sounds kind of like American politics -- and it is. Of course there are a small number of Episcopalians who are making the media happy lately because they keep shouting words like "schism" and "conflict." Nothing makes the media happier than when there is a controversy -- and this small number of Episcopalians love to be in the media. But the reality, again, is very much like America itself: Most Episcopalians are good people, trying to live their faith at work and at school and at home. My personal favorite statement about what it means to be Episcopalian is by Bishop Steven Charleston. It was published in The Witness in May 2006, and I can really relate best to it. The text follows.

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What Witness Will We Make?
Steven Charleston
May 17, 2006

Charleston6

As the Episcopal Church, the most important question before us is not about schism or sexuality. It is about witness. What witness will we make?

Christian witness is the public affirmation of faith. It is how we let the world see that we practice what we preach. Today those of us in the Episcopal Church are being called on to make our witness. We have the opportunity to be what we say we are. The world is watching. What will we do?

The answer is a matter of faith. We witness to what we believe.

In the Episcopal Church, we believe in Jesus Christ. We believe in the Bible. We believe in the Good News. In fact, we believe so strongly in all of these essential parts of our shared faith that we are not afraid to disagree with one another about what they mean to us.

We welcome difference as the active presence of God's Holy Spirit moving amongst us. Our witness is not to conformity but to community. As the Episcopal Church we are not concerned that everyone in the pews believes exactly the same thing, in the same way, at the same time. Instead, we are concerned that no one is left out of those pews because of what they believe, who they are, or where they come from.

Our witness is to the unconditional love of God through the grace of Christ Jesus. Therefore, we accept the risk of grace by not setting limits to love with our own judgment of others. There are no border guards at the doors of the Episcopal Church. We respect the dignity of every human being and are never ashamed of who sits next to us in worship. We are all the children of God just as we are all sinners in need of mercy.

There are no walls around the Episcopal Church. We believe that God is at work in the world. We are not concerned that this world sees us as perfect, pure, or powerful. Instead, we are concerned that people see us practicing justice, doing mercy, and walking humbly with the God we believe loves us all equally.

Our witness is to hope, not fear. We believe that men and women, no matter how separated they may think they are by religious conviction, cultural value, or social location are never truly apart unless they choose to be. We have nothing to fear from one another unless we allow fear to be our witness. While the distance between us may seem great and the path to reconciliation impossibly long, we have the guidance and comfort of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we never despair of one another or deny one another for to do so would be to despair and deny the power of that Spirit.

Our witness is to mission. While the Spirit leads us to truth, we carry on with the task God has given us. We do not place pride before discipleship. While we may have many disagreements between us, we have only one mission before us. We never question the faith of the person who seeks to do the work of God. We believe that it is not important to know if that person is "right" or politically correct. It is only important to know if she or he feels welcomed into the servant ministry of Christ. There are no loyalty oaths in the Episcopal Church, but there are many jobs for those who want to help heal a broken world.

Our witness is to the reconciliation of God in a time of fear. In the Episcopal Church, we stand together not even if we disagree, but precisely because we disagree. We practice the radical hope of God. We embody a faith that says there are many rooms in the house of God, but one home for us all if we choose to live together.

It is time to make our witness. In a century already marked by the terror of war, with zealots of all traditions inciting us into the patriotism of fear, what witness will we make? What alternative will we offer? What fresh vision will we share? Will we retreat into yet smaller factions of "true believers," whether from the Right or the Left, smug in our self righteous assurance that we have the truth? Will we struggle over property and power as though these things had lasting importance for us? Will we vilify one another and become agents of suspicion among the very people we love? Will we worry more about what people think of us than what God expects of us?

It is time to make our witness. It is time to take off our halos, our mitres, and our martyr's crown to stand up and be counted. What witness will each of us choose to make?

I can not answer for anyone in this Church but myself. I do not ask that you agree with my theology. I do not demand that you read your Bible exactly as I read mine. I know that you and I may disagree on many subjects and find it hard to live together. But I also know that you are as much in need of God's forgiveness as I am.

You and I need one another now more than ever because there are so many others who need us both in this hurting world. That world, the poor and the hungry, the captives and the prisoners, are depending on us to do more than argue with one another. For them, our witness is not a matter of church politics. It is a matter of life and death. I am counting on the fact that you know that.

Now is the time for us to extend our hands to one another. We will not walk away from the Body of Christ.

Now is the time for us to use our hands. We will not place pride over mission.

Now is the time for us to raise our hands. We will not forget that to God alone goes the glory.

Are you a witness? Will you join me in this affirmation of faith?

In my life I have known many seasons in the Episcopal Church. This is the season for our witness. This is the time for us to do something totally unexpected and wonderful, to confound those who say we have lost our vision. This is our moment to show the world that we can practice what we preach and be who we say we are. Our finest hour will not be when we think we have won something from one another, but when we know we have nothing to lose by loving one another.

I am a witness. I believe in Jesus Christ. I believe in God's gospel of justice, compassion, and reconciliation. I believe in the community of God and I will work faithfully with every person to bring peace and healing to the world. I open my hands. I open my heart. I want the world to see that I am not afraid. I step gratefully into the unconditional love of God. I stand up to be counted not for what I think is right, but for what I believe to be possible. How about you? Will you stand with me?

Are you a witness?

[© Episcopal Divinity School, May 2006]

The Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston is president and dean of Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Bishop Charleston is a member of the Choctaw Nation, has served as the Episcopal Bishop of Alaska, and as the executive director of the National Committee on Indian Work at the Episcopal Church Center. Over his career, Bishop Charleston has been deeply involved in exploring different models of theological training to meet the needs of a changing church. He is an advocate for theological education that is culturally sensitive and meets the needs and concerns of local faith communities. His office may be reached by email at ndavidge@episdivschool.edu.

So, what if your spiritual health really is like your mental health, or your physical health? What if you need spiritual exercise and nourishment, just like you need good food or a good hike every once in a while? What if you found a community of people who were critical of the religious status quo, and deeply spiritual? And what if that community was deeply committed to social justice; the environment; seeking an end to the war in Iraq; and welcomed all who were seeking a relationship with the divine, regardless of ethnicity, gender, or sexual identity.

Well, in the Episcopal Church in the San Francisco Bay Area, we do love Jesus, and we do believe that no matter where you are in your spiritual journey, you are welcome to walk with us -- and we will walk with you. Don't check your brain at the door, ours is a wisdom Chrstianity. Come be challenged, and challenge us.