That We All May Be One

As I have written before, I am increasingly uncomfortable with how much time Christians spend — and not only in Lent — begging God for mercy as if we were (as one writer puts it) “an abused child before her abuser or a criminal standing before a hanging judge.” However, I do believe that we are sinners in need of confession and repentance.

We are sinners because all of us consistently fail to live up to the high calling to love which was woven into our very nature by the Creator. We turn out backs on God, we hurt one another, by our silence we are complicit in things done on our behalf which wound our sisters and brothers every day.

Confession simply means naming those sins. If we do not bring to consciousness the ways in which we have fallen short, it is unlikely that we will ever do any better. One of the ways in which sacramental confession (confessing our sins to God in the presence of a priest) is infinitely superior to private confession (in our own prayers) is that we actually have to say these things out loud, in the presence of another person. It is less likely that we will gloss over things by saying something like “You know what I have done wring. I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”

That will not likely lead to repentance which means “doing a 180,” actually turning around and going in a new direction. I really think that we are better off confessing our sins, not to God (even in the presence of a priest) but confessing them to the ones against whom we have actually sinned. “Please forgive me for what I said last night. I was wrong and I am sorry” goes a long way toward the reconciliation we all so desperately want. It’s harder than confessing them in the privacy of our prayer closets…but it is infinitely more effective.

So, this Lent, let’s spend less time beating our breasts and pleading for mercy to the One who, in any case, is the Source of all love and showers forgiveness upon us like the spring rains, and more time confessing our sins to one another…and actually doing something about it.

The following is a “response” I got from the Iowa Governor’s office about why Terry Branstad will not allow us to accept Syrian refugees. And…my response to “them.”

March 8, 2016

Dear Christopher,
Thank you for contacting the Governor’s office and expressing your thoughts about Syrian refugees being placed in Iowa. Please accept my apology for the delay in our response.

Iowa has a long history of welcoming refugees to our state. However, in light of the recent acts of terrorism in Paris and San Bernardino, Governor Branstad and Lt. Governor Reynolds have told the federal government that the State of Iowa is halting any work on Syrian refugee resettlements happening in the state. Governor Branstad’s priority is to ensure the safety of Iowans. In the past though, the federal government has failed to be forthcoming and transparent with information on refugee resettlement and immigration issues.

On January 6, 2016, Governor Branstad and Lt. Governor Reynolds sent a letter to Jeh Johnson, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and John Kerry, the Secretary of State, urging them to improve the vetting and information-sharing processes for Syrian refugees that the federal government proposes to resettle in Iowa. The inability of the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State to proactively verify the identity and personal information of refugees or to detect deception adds to the risk that a prospective refugee is not actually a refugee.

As you probably know, Iowa has a long history of admitting refugees and we will continue our commitment to assisting refugees in relocating to the state of Iowa. This year it is expected that Iowa will welcome over 800 refugees from around the world. However, according to the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, the Islamic State has clearly threatened that it will use Syrian refugees to harm the United States. Until these threats are eliminated, or significantly reduced, the Governor has urged the Federal government to change the process of admitting Syrian refugees to our nation and the state of Iowa.

Again, thank you for contacting Governor Branstad’s office. If you have further questions or concerns, please contact us by calling 515-281-5211.

Sincerely,

Office of the Governor
Nic Pottebaum, Policy Advisor

Oh wonderful. An anonymous response from an anonymous Governor. Terry Brandstad is a heartless bureaucrat, so I suspect I should have expected nothing less. Syrian (and other) refugees are properly vetted for security before they enter our country, which is why we have had no terrorist incidents associated with them. I hope Terry doesn’t ever say he wants this to be a “Christian country.” Because he doesn’t.

C. Christopher Epting
VIII Bishop of Iowa (Ret.)

I’ll be taking a week’s vacation from blogging while we visit grandkids in Phoenix. Watch for pix on Facebook though! Back March 7.

What a joy this weekend to be able to attend a retirement dinner for a seminary classmate, Ed Little, Bishop of Northern Indiana! Ed and Sylvia were at Seabury-Western during the same years my wife and I were there and have been colleagues and friends ever since. Ed Little has been remarkably and faithfully consistent over the years. He was a thoughtful, articulate conservative in seminary and remains so today.

While being in a “theological minority” in the House of Bishops (as many of us were thirty years ago!), Ed has remained in relationship with everybody in the HOB, has served in leadership capacities, and has been personally supportive of our presiding bishops even when he may have disagreed with them.

As a “Communion Partner” bishop, he has been anguished over the stresses and strains in the Anglican Communion and has voted consistently against any changes in our teaching on marriage. Yet, he never speaks in anger, never threatens to leave the Episcopal Church, certainly never speaks ill of others.

In short, Ed Little is a Christian.

If other conservative bishops had followed his example, we would not have suffered the schisms of recent times.  The House of Bishops would have continued to have the witness of even more theological conservatives and we would have been able to model, even more than we have, that it is possible to remain together as fellow members of the Body of Christ even when we disagree.

If politicians today could learn from Ed Little’s gentle but firm witness and how to honor those “across the aisle,” assuming (as Ed has always done) that those with whom he disagrees have also reached their very different conclusions in good faith and with a attempt to be faithful and to strengthen our common life, this country would be in better shape as well.

It has been an honor to serve alongside Ed Little all these years. I have learned much from him. This church, and this communion, are better because of his witness and his ministry. Well done, good and faithful servant!