Reprinted from Last Tuesday's Email + by Mo. Storm
The text threads that keep me connected to my closest clergy colleagues are pinging like crazy this week. Even as I typed that last sentence--3 more messages (time to silence notifications!). We're all attempting to guide our respective congregations through a tense election season, and are seeking each other's advice on how best to do that.
This will be my seventh U.S. presidential election since being ordained in October 2000. It'll be my third here at St. James. The other four have been at other churches (in Ohio and New York) with different types of congregations and in different times. My own views have changed in various ways across 24 years, as one would hope.
In particular, over my years of ministry I've learned to appreciate and have tried better to cultivate diverse congregations. I'm proud to be the rector of what I think may be one of the most diverse parishes in our diocese. That includes our backgrounds, our socio-economic status, the communities we come from, our skin color--and also our politics.
I was reminded in a piece I read last week of the "law of group polarization," which posits that groups of like-minded people tend to grow more extreme. Every time someone comes into my office to say "I don't agree with you on this," whether it be an interpretation of a Scripture text, a political view, a decision made with the vestry, and such, I take a deep breath and remind myself that it's good we don't all agree. Disagreement, when handled wisely, helps keep us curious, humble, and gracious. It makes better people, and better communities. My admiration is extended not only (or especially) to people who agree with me, but to those who don't, and yet still choose to remain in relationship with their clergy and church family.
There are, of course, things we must agree don't belong in a Christian community and our wider society: racism, discrimination, acts of hostility and aggression towards others, hateful rhetoric, and the like.
But overall, I pray that we leave as much room as possible--almost to the point of discomfort--for differences of opinion. In his chapter on some of the disagreements roiling the Anglican Communion (that's the larger worldwide body of Christians we belong to as Episcopalians) some years ago, our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry wrote "Love makes it possible to disagree on bedrock convictions and yet stay in relationship. There is a valid concern that doing so forces you to compromise on principles. But sometimes you have to run the risk because of a greater danger: chaos and social self-destruction. I think we have to run that risk, especially in the church. We have to know that love can survive meaningful disagreements. The union can endure, and must endure." Then slightly later he says, "To love, my brothers and sisters, does not mean we have to agree. But maybe agreeing to love is the greatest agreement. And the only one that ultimately matters, because it makes a future possible."
I'm grateful to be the rector of this parish, and pray this community is both comforting and challenging in the ways that will make us better people and better Christians--and me, a better priest.
