For Nativity's "News in the Pews" September 1, 2013.

“Are not freedom, justice, respect for others essential parts of the Christian faith? . . . One can conceive of a high-demand religious movement devoted to justice, freedom, beauty, respect for others, and so on, which could effectively explain life to men without fanaticism, absolutism, intolerance, or judgmental moralism. That is what – ideally – Christianity ought to be. Yet, where is such a phenomenon to be found? This is a quote from a book written in 1972, during a time of rapid growth in conservative, fundamentalist churches. These churches, by the nature of their belief system, provide their followers a strong Christian identity – as in, “we are saved”. This provides certainty and security for the followers. But, along with that identity, comes hostility toward those of other faiths and those who had a different understanding of the Christian faith. In this view, the world becomes divided between the “saved” (us) and the “unsaved” (them). For many people, it seems that the Christian faith has become merely assent to a particular doctrine of salvation. Hence the lament - where are the Christian churches who are devoted to justice, freedom, beauty, respect for others? My thesis starts from point of view that The Episcopal Church is where “such a phenomenon can be found”. Around the same time as this lament was being voiced, The Episcopal Church was hard at work studying, praying, and soul searching about these very issues. From this work came a renewed Baptismal theology and culminated in the Baptismal Covenant which is found in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer (pp. 304-305). Our Baptismal Covenant is unique in that it is not just a statement of belief. The first part is an interrogatory form of the Apostles’ Creed – our statement of faith. The five questions following relate to our commitment as followers of Christ in the world. “Will you continue in the Apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers? Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ? Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?” The answer to each is, “I will with God’s help”. This covenant is renewed by all the people every time there is a baptism, and on all baptismal days. (Easter Vigil, Pentecost, All Saints’ Day, and the Baptism of our Lord). I believe that the vows of the Baptismal Covenant should guide formation in the Episcopal Church. The Covenant should be woven into our education, service, worship, and our lives outside the doors of the church. An example: you can hear echoes of the Baptismal Covenant in our Dismissal every Sunday. Are there other ways you see Nativity living out the covenant? Let me know. God’s peace, Rita Kelley, Dean M. “Why Conservative Churches are Growing”. (Harper & Row, New York, 1972) p. 165.