ISSUES
2009
TUESDAY
JULY 14
The Consultation Platform for Baptismal Ecclesiology
Getting it Right
Though much has been accomplished
at certain levels, for the most part, the designed effects of the Book of Common Prayer have been too little realized. At
the last General Convention (Columbus) Louis Weil, Leonel Mitchell, and John Westerhoff, three of the scholars who were directly
engaged in the writing of the BCP as passed in 1976 and 1979, appeared to testify that most of the Episcopal Church’s
parishes seemed to have missed the point. Parishes seem to have gotten the idea that the only significant change was in the
use of “modern” language. With few exceptions, nothing significant was changed from the way the liturgies had
been performed using the 1928 Prayer Book. The theological shifts in the present Prayer Book, as is evident in the dialogical
language of the Eucharistic Prayer between creation theology and eschatological theology, seems to have gone unnoticed or
been trivialized. Instead of relying on baptismal theology the church has returned to reliance on what may be termed “confirmation
theology”.
It is time to take another bite at the apple, time to offer an educational opportunity
to the church to put the Book of Common Prayer into actual practice in the life of our worshiping communities. The Baptismal
Consultation will produce educational opportunities beyond confirmation, minimal standards for membership, and new opportunities
for effective worship in the culture of twenty-first century North America.
Joe
Doss, APLM
Lunchtime Speakers
(1:00pm) in the Consultation Exhibit Area (next to the food service area) Each day deputies, bishops, exhibitors
and visitors are invited to hear riveting talks from cutting edge Episcopalians speaking Christ’ message of Justice
and Peace. We will also have some afternoon speakers at 2:00pm.
July
14th - The Rev. Dr. Katherine Ragsdale: Newly appointed President and Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School.
Ragsdale is a 1997 graduate of EDS (D. Min.) and 1987 graduate of VTS (M. Div.). She comes to EDS from Political Research
Associates, a progressive think tank. PRA’s projects include: monitoring U.S. anti-terrorist policies to guard against
infringement on immigrants' and citizens’ civil liberties, and investigating anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim activity
on college campuses. All the while she has served as vicar of St. David’s Church in Pepperell , Massachusetts
since 1996. Rev. Ragsdale’s lunchtime topic is: "Theological Education For Us All In a Rapidly Changing World".
2:00 pm The Rev. Juan
Oliver, Ph. D. Fr. Oliver is a native of Puerto Rico and has worked extensively in the development of Latino Ministry in
the dioceses of California, New Jersey and Long Island. He most recently directed the Latino Program in theology at General
Seminary. Fr. Oliver´s new book, Ripe Fields: The Promise and Challenge
of Latino Ministry has just been published by Church Publishing. Fr.
Oliver’s topic is the importance of Latino Ministry for the growth and development of the Episcopal Church and its witness
to social justice
July 15th – Rev. Wilma
Jacobsen: Born and educated in Cape Town, South Africa and currently Senior Associate at All Saints, Pasadena, CA.
The Consultation endorses
For
Executive Council
Bishop – Pierre Whalon
Lay person: Sarah Dylan Breuer, Katie Sherrod, Sandra D. Michael
Clergy: Silvestre Enrique Romero
For General Theological Seminary
Trustees
Bishop: Stacy F. Sauls
Priest: T. James Kodera
Lay person:
Marjorie Christie
Jesus Rocks—U2charist with Pavel Sfera, Thursday, July 16, 7:30 pm
Hilton Anaheim – Pacific Ballrooms C
& D
Offering to benefit Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation and ERD
A Model Resolution for Religious Institutions for Endorsing
U.S.-Sponsored Torture: A Call for
a Commission of Inquiry
WHEREAS one of our core principles as _________
[insert faith or “people of faith”] is our belief in the inherent worth and dignity of all persons; and
Whereas torture violates the basic dignity of the human person, degrades everyone
involved -- from policy-makers to perpetrators to victims -- and contradicts our nation’s most cherished values; and
Whereas torture is inherently wrong and immoral, because it is designed to break
the human soul and the human body; and
Whereas reliable evidence available
to the public has shown that the United States has engaged in torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in response
to the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001, including a report produced by the International Committee of the Red Cross and
made known to the public in February of 2009 that concluded: “[T]he ill-treatment to which [detainees] were subjected
while held in the CIA[Central Intelligence Agency of the United States] program, either singly or in combination, constituted
torture.”; and
Whereas the full story on the scope, breadth and
depth of U.S. sponsored torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment has yet to be fully revealed; and
Whereas public awareness, acknowledgment, and understanding of what the United States
has done with respect to the use of torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment are necessary in order to make sure
that our nation never again engages in this conduct;
Therefore,
be it resolved that the __________(name of institution) endorses the following statement “U.S.-sponsored Torture Now:
A Call for a Commission of Inquiry”: Ed Rodman
Tuesday Night at the movies
7:00 Traces
of the Trade in the Anaheim Marriott Grand Ballroom, Salon F.
8:00 Renewal, a look at environmental issues, Marriott Salons
G & H
Support Education in Haiti
On Wednesday July 8th I testified on the resolution A036 about Haiti/International relations.
From the second I read the resolution I felt it was important not only because I’m Haitian but I’m aware of the
education in Haiti, and one of the EPF YAP staff was telling me about the National Association of the Episcopal Schools in
the United States. How impressive is the work of this association.
Haiti
is a poor country where only 20% of the population is well educated, so education is considered a luxury for many families.
This is a sad situation because the only way we can hope for a better nation in the future is if we make sure that we create
a balanced environment now for future leaders. What I mean by balanced environment is good health, strong education and peace.
So that’s why I really think it is a laudable idea if the General Convention
urged the Association to partner with the Diocese of Haiti in supporting its 253 educational institutions serving over 80,000
Haitians students. And I also encourage the work of the EPF on non-violence training in Haiti, which will help the stability
of all the positive work that people are doing to give hope for a better Haiti.
Nedgie Vixamar ,EPF-YAP
and the Diocese of Haiti.
Daily reflections on the
EPF YAP blog - epfyoungadults.wordpress.com.
Economic Justice: A Way to Embrace
the God of Life
Central to Pauline theology are the categories of
the principalities and powers. In biblical terms principalities and powers are idols. These categories are very helpful
in understanding structural evil. Institutional racism in the United States is one such example of the principalities and
powers; economic systems constructed and controlled by fallen human beings who often succumb to greed, power and self-preservation
above all else are another example. We are presently living in a time in which the principalities and powers have failed
us. We had written “In God We Trust” on our coins, but we had created idols out of our coins, putting our ultimate
trust in our coins.
The present economic crisis is very real.
People in our churches have lost jobs and houses, and have seen their retirement savings cut almost in half. On the international
level the approximately one billion people living at the edge of survival, on less than U.S. $1 per day, can no longer pay
the steep prices for even rice and beans. The economic crisis means death for many of them.
At this General Convention, the Episcopal Network for Economic Justice is urging the passage of six resolutions
that address such issues as Economic Justice, Ministry with Lower Income and Working People, the Crisis of the International
Financial System, and Immigration. The ENEJ is also supporting, with various other local church and worker organizations,
a Prayer Vigil in solidarity with the Disney hotel workers on Tuesday, 14 July 2009 from 4:30 pm. to 6:00 pm. Your support
of these resolutions and the Prayer Vigil is a concrete way to embrace the God of life.
Henry Atkins, Jr., for ENEJ
adapted from a longer article
by Dianne Aid
