Marching for Peace

Members of the Episcopal Diocese of California are gathering this morning at Grace Cathedral with Bishop Marc Andrus to process down to Civic Center where we will join hundreds of thousands in calling for an end to the war in Iraq. Thursday night Grace hosted 300 people of faith for an Inter-Religious Prayer Service for Peace in Iraq, organized by the Inter-Religious Working Group of the October 27 Coalition. Displayed on the labyrinth of Grace Cathedral were boots representing the thousands of U.S. troops killed in Iraq, the names and faces of Iraqis killed were also part of the exhibit. Let's bring an end to this war and work hard for nonviolent solutions to global challenges. Frankly, I'm tired of attending marches against this war. Before the invasion began, I attended huge marches in Washington, DC, and New York as a seminarian with numerous classmates and professors. I'm frustrated that the media and government for the most part ignore us and the growing majority of Americans who want this war brought to an end. But it is my community of faith that inspires me to be persistent.



Over at God's Politics, influential evangelical pastor Brian McLaren has written a strong piece encouraging Christians to challenge those who are beating the drums of war against Iran. Check it out and share widely.

preserving the sanctity of what???

Turns out that one of the bank rollers of an ultra-right-wing group seeking to break-up mainline Christian denominations (because of our progressive stances on same-sex unions and the ordination of women) is having some problems preserving the sanctity of his own marriage. This is sad, very sad.

Various Scaife affiliated foundations have given hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years to schismatic groups like the Institute for Religion and Democracy. Perhaps the money could have been better spent on say health care for the poor or HIV/AIDS drugs and education?


Good Lord deliver us!

Good News

There are two great news videos on the broadening of the evangelical agenda in the United States over on God's Politics. Another interesting online resource is Speaking of Faith, their program on the fascinating 20th century Pentecostal evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, is worth checking out. My grandfather was fed by her ministry both physically and spiritually as a young man in Los Angeles during the Depression.

Last week, author Garry Wills visited Grace Cathedral for a special forum on American Christianities, you can read more about that here.

inspiring guest

This morning the clergy of Grace Cathedral were joined at our regular weekly meeting by Archbishop of Cape town The Most Rev. Njongonkulu Ndungane. The Archbishop is visiting the Diocese of California this week and will be present for our annual convention. Archbishop Ndungane is a passionate leader for global justice and reconciliation, learn more about his inspiring biography and work here.

Here's a recent news story about the Archbishop of Cape town's visit.

Episcopal bishops who have sidestepped a divisive debate over women and gays should now focus on the developing world's needs, says a South African archbishop who is visiting the Bay Area.

"For most of Africa what matters is whether there is a plate of food in front of them," said Njongkonkulu Ndugane, archbishop of Cape Town and Primate of Southern Africa.

"There is abuse of children, abuse of women. They don't even know where New Hampshire is, let alone America," he said as he relaxed Tuesday in a wood-paneled chamber at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.

Ndugane, 66, challenged the Episcopal Church in 2003 to accept the consecration of openly gay New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson, and has been a champion of the rights of gays and women within the faith.

Check out the full story here.

Click here for more on the Episcopal Diocese of California's convention.