Topic
I'm a gay lapsed Catholic who's moved on. Yet I allow Benedict XVI to bedevil me. Here's why.
This Anglican says get lost to anti-gay wing.
His message of non-violence is no plea for passivity. He knew how to challenge power.
Find more rights and justice reporting on The Tyee.
It's the same point made by Jeff Metcalfe, the young seminarian in Toronto: "Jesus exercised a prophetic ministry in his time, which is what got him killed. It's not the safest thing to do, but being a disciple of Jesus was never about security."
Ironically, Grayston identifies the Anglican Church's political activism in the 1960s and '70s as being at the root of its ongoing fiscal crisis. "When I was a teenager at Christ Church Cathedral growing up, my visual memory was of a lot of tall men in suits. When I went back there 30 years later, those men were gone. There was an alienation between the church and the business community."
Grayston describes the Anglican Church's participation in the Taskforce on Churches and Corporate Responsibility, a coalition that would invest in Canadian companies with operations in places like apartheid-era South Africa, then show up at shareholders' meetings and call executives to task. "You can imagine how popular that was."
Under the leadership of Archbishop Ted Scott, Grayston says the Anglican Church tackled "development, refugees, nuclear weapons, the works." Scott grew up in East Vancouver, wore a blue shirt under his cassock rather than a white one, and was frustrated by what he saw as the Church's Band-Aid approach to poverty.
Nicknamed "The Red Primate" after taking up national leadership of the Anglican Church in 1971, it was Scott who sent Dennis Drainville on a cross-Canada tour of frontline agencies dealing with deprivation, homelessness and hunger. Drainville identifies that trip in the preface to his book Renewing Hope as formative in the development of his own political philosophy.
After retiring, Scott was reportedly baffled by the Church's obsessive focus on same-sex marriage. Having come to his own conclusions long before, Scott wanted Anglicans to move on and deal with pressing issues of social justice and economic inequality, at home and around the world.
When Ted Scott died in a car crash in 2004, another retired Anglican archbishop, Desmond Tutu, travelled from South Africa to lead a public memorial service in Toronto. Tutu said of Scott: "Those at the bottom of the heap, those at the end of the queue, found in him a committed and courageous champion."
In short, Ted Scott practiced prophetic ministry, carrying the Church's voice into the House of Commons and the public conversation across the country. Along the way, he asked Anglicans to walk the talk, and change the way they lived.
In response, to hear Grayston describe it, thousands upon thousands turned away from the Church, taking their families and financial contributions with them. Whatever the cause, since Scott's retirement in 1986 the Church has retreated from prophetic ministry, focusing most of its energy on its own institutional survival.
The Great Turning
Don Grayston quotes from eco-philosopher and Buddhist scholar Joanna Macy, who uses the phrase "the Great Turning" to describe the epochal shift away from an industrialized society dependent on perpetual growth. Grayston sees Western institutions standing at this crossroads, faced with a moral choice.
"Selfishness -- as represented by the tar sands, and Enbridge and so on -- that's death. And then what's life? Occupy, in a very raw way, was a sign of life. So who's going to come out on top? Are we going to save ourselves, or are we going to collude in our own destruction?"
The Anglican Church, says Grayston, is "treading water." This paralysis, in Jeffrey Metcalfe's analysis, will only hasten its demise: "The Anglican Church should care about cultivating and preserving a just social structure, because it is that same structure that allows its own identity to function."
To that end, Metcalfe suggests the Church create positions within each diocese for political theologians -- officials whose entire job would be to leverage the Church's voice in the public interest. Without a formal structure for this kind of engagement, Metcalfe says, "the Church finds itself caught off guard when social movements thrust it into a public debate in which it should have been participating to begin with."
Like Saint Paul's Cathedral, caught between the worldwide Occupy movement and the globe-spanning power of the City of London Corporation. In my analysis, the decision to side with the stewards of deregulated capitalism was short-sighted, succeeding only in buying a little time. In the long term, the Anglican communion took a big step away from the tradition of prophetic ministry, and thus its relevance to the 99 per cent.
This is a shame, because when a church really gets in gear, remarkable things happen. Things like the American civil rights movement, or the downfall of apartheid. Despite the horror and hypocrisy of sexual abuse and residential schools, the Church is still a conduit for the moral authority expressed by the prophets -- from Jeremiah to Jesus of Nazareth to Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Anglican Church is also home to people like Jeff Metcalfe, Dennis Drainville and Don Grayston, as well as many more who share their convictions, if somewhat less publicly. Prophetic ministry may have helped steer the Church into its current financial straits, but prophetic ministry also seems like the best chance the Church has now for institutional sustainability.
Bishop Drainville puts it this way: "I personally believe the Anglican Church will be here for many more generations. Undoubtedly, the structure and presence of the Anglican Church will change over the years, but the Truth that it persists in witnessing will continue, because the world needs such hope."
Amen. ![[Tyee]](http://thetyee.cachefly.net/ui/img/ico_fishie.png){kind=small}
Occupy the Pews: Page 3 of 3
24
Login or register to post comments
snert
1 year ago
What a low blow this article is
to a church that is so badly off that it is considering reunification with that other soon to be defunct religion out of Rome.
jimmmmy
1 year ago
christians ?
christie clarke a christian what a news flash. and here i thought she was just a greedy opportunist. as for the rest of the article, not impressed, anyone who makes his living off of religeon is a fraud not only does he not pay his share of taxes, but he's selling a non-existent product.
Grouchy
1 year ago
Crusty religeous ?
Anything Crusty does is politically motivated. How can the writer say ( with a straight face ) that she is religeous ? Daily she lies to and cheats the population of BC and then has the nerve to call herself a christian ! She is so far removed from being a christian it is ridiculous. Anything to try and curry favor and the writer must have a bad case of hero worship.
Jeffrey J.
1 year ago
Christ's Ethical Teachings Are Universal
The moral teachings of the man, Jesus of Nazereth, ring loudly through history. And like all great ethical thinkers (Socrates, Gandhi, Noam Chomsky), the principles speak for themselves.
As Nagata rightly explains, the Occupy movement underscores the deep injustice out-of-control capitalism, which is rampaging around the globe, destroying everything in its path. Until there is dramatic change, the majority of citizens will continue to struggle under the yoke of the ruling elite.
"Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God."
"Go fourth and announce the kingdom! Possess no copper or silver or gold. Take no bag or bread or extra garment. Take with you not even a staff"
"No man can serve two masters: Ye cannot serve God and Mammon." ~Jesus, Matt 6:24, Luke 16:13
The failure of most organized Christian churches couldn't be more hypocritical.
An excellent article!
pwlg
1 year ago
Christy's faith in pipelines
Back to the beginning of this article and the mere mention of Christy Clark and Christ gave me goose bumps.
Clark may be playing coy in regards to her decision on Enbridge's proposal to build the pipeline to BC's northern coast but the province's $90 billion investment arm, BC Investment Management Corporation (BC government employees pension fund) has already made up its mind.
With $3 billion invested in companies playing in the tar sands, including Enbridge, the province's financial institution, BCIMC, using government employees money, without their knowledge, is fully committed to the rampant exploitation of the tar sands.
If this fact alone wouldn't motivate Christ to enter Christ Church Cathedral and confront Clark's hypocrisy what would?
It didn't take me till I was a teenager to leave the Christian faith but like the author it didn't stop me from learning about and somewhat experiencing other faiths to find that there are universal values.
Below find a list of investments from BCIMC's 2011 Inventory list:
Enbridge – $280 million
Suncor (Tar Sands) – $834 million
Canadian Natural Resources (Tar Sands) – $473 million
Canadian Oil Sands Ltd (Tar Sands) – $106 million
Royal Dutch Shell (Tar Sands Partner – NE BC Gas) – $160 million
Exxon Mobil (Tar Sands Partner) – $247million
Imperial Oil (Tar Sands – Refiner) – $113 million
Total (Tar Sands) – $96 million
BP (Tar Sands Partner) – $87 million
Encana (Tar Sands Partner and Tar Sands and Gas Pipeline) – $225 million
Conoco Phillips (Tar Sands Partner-Encana) – $70 million
Cenovas Energy (Tar Sands – ConocoPhillips/Encana) – $252 million
Transcanada Pipeline (Tar Sands and Gas Pipelines) – $302 million
PetroChina (Tar Sands Partner) – $60 million
Statoil (Tar Sands – Norway Pension Fund) – $20 million
G West
1 year ago
Thank you Kai
An excellent piece which will, I hope, be just a stepping-off point for a series that will also deal with the Catholic Church in Canada as well as non-conformist Protestant churches.
The hypocrisy evident in Christy Clark's 'religiosity' with respect to the difference between what she says and what she does would have been even more sharply drawn if you had noted that her son Hamish (whom she never fails to mention in her public 'performances' attends a Catholic private school.
I believe that is about as clear an illustration of her 'commitment' to the value of teachers and the public school system as anyone could ask for.
Keep up the good work. I hope that what appears to be a sharp decline in Tyee readership won't mean that your important journalism is not being read by a wide audience.
Vox.Pop
1 year ago
Great Article
Well done, Kai Nagata. I found this the best article I have read anywhere for a long-time. Informative, well-researched, well-written, passionate & extremely relevant to the modern world.
The Corporation of the City of London is the prototypical model of modern capitalism. A corporate body set up to preserve privileges across the generations for a tiny group of people (almost always men) who wish to escape responsibility for their greed & actions behind a cloak of anonymity.
The Anglican Church (or the English Ruling Class on Sundays) has always protected the status quo especially through its 'insurance policy' of personal resurrection. Now that scientific skepticism puts that promise in doubt the followers are drifting away. And asking these well-off burghers to start thinking about the poor: well, let's not get carried away with this social justice stuff ...
What a contrast between the inspiring list of political theologians & the ever-smiling Christie Clark. Between those who dedicate their lives to the revolutionary views of the Christian inspiration & those who just want to improve their careers (& public image).
Thanks again for an inspiring article.
Okanagan Orchardist
1 year ago
I can't resist this...
Having been brought up in a "Christian" family and having attended "religious schools" (PBI, as an example) until age 15, I have nothing but contempt for people who call themselves Christian. I have found them mostly to be the most egotistical, self-annointed, narcistic, untrustworthy, individuals you can imagine. My own brother was a perfect example. He changed religions several times during his life time to suit his profession, his marriage, and the "friends" he has made during his career.
I have no use for so-called "Christians" because, with the exception of my mother, none of them ever followed the teachings of Christ.
alive
1 year ago
Crusty needs a crutch?
One more reason to not like Crusty Cristy!
Of course I knew all along she is all about opportunism so why be surprised if she covers her bets by being a "christian"!
We do not need any more "God bless America" style politicians here or anywheres.
rantnic
1 year ago
CHRISTIAN VALUES?
Yes people are drifting away from the old, unchanging, hard core, Christian religions.
In this world of rapidly changing values we see many people reaching for something to form a foundation on which to base their beliefs.
Make way for the nouveau, born again religions that are capturing the hearts if not the minds of the many that traditional religions have abandoned.
There seems to be a lack of substance surrounding these politicians that would have us believe that they honor Christian values when there actions deny them.
Our politics may be corrupt but compared to religions they are saints. Religions have had hundereds more years of practice at being corrupt and at hiding it.
The "C" church as an example, is wealthier than many nations of the world, yet presides over the largest population of poor and starving people. There is not anything remotely Christian about that.
Bailey
1 year ago
The remnants of an empire
When the Roman Empire collapsed under the weight of the stupid corruption that had become its entire substance, the followers of Jesus were asked to do something no spiritual people should ever undertake; rule the world.
They were predictably rotten at it. It made them bureaucratic, powerful rich and wicked. It led directly to an 800 year dark age in which everything of value Rome accomplished was forgotten so completely it took archeologists centuries to puzzle it out, and still so much remains lost. It was a big fire in Alexandria.
In the same way, so much of what Jesus accomplished has been lost that it's taking spiritual archeologists to puzzle that out. The bureaucrats still prevail, but here and there, among the fruit of these trees, real lovers are beginning to appear. People who understand that truth is not found in the words.
It's found in the heart of each living soul. The early followers greeted each other with a kiss of unconditional love and recognition. They washed each other's travel stained feet in humility and gave what they had to the poor and hungry. They lived together.
Let's try that. It can't be worse than the other thing they did.
freewilly
1 year ago
The Anglican Church
The Anglican Church has always had forward thinking clergy, unfortuneately the Laity hasnt been so enlightened. Depending on the Church one attends,(high,low or evangelical anglican) many are conservative and the rest liberal more or less. When the book of common prayer was updated, it caused a ruckus among the people and many left the their parishes to find more conservative ones or move to a completely different faith. The same thing happened when women were ordained, another frenzy occured. Again the homosexual issue caused a schism.
I was a regular church goer for years, but I lost faith in people. Doesnt suprise me that Christy Clark is an Anglican, its an institution full of hypocrites. I found Unitarianism the best fit for myself
MkumbaJoe
1 year ago
just another corporation
Like the United Church of Canada, the Anglican Church of Canada is just another corporation, weekly sending out faxes to its "factories" on what to preach, based on decisions made by the Board at Home Office.
And speaking of HYPOCRISY why have the churches in Canada been most visible in political fights taking place thousands of miles overseas?
Why is it that Canadian churches have been relatively mute and blind in Canadian political fights, such as First Nations rights.
lynn
1 year ago
Great article and discussion
Especially enjoyed your posts, Jeffrey J. and Bailey.
freewilly
1 year ago
there is a level of hypocrisy
I think there is a level of hypocrisy in all organized religions.It seems to me that many of these mainstream religions are at odds with their own members, Noone wants to ruffle the feathers of their parishioners so the result are policies that don't go far enough. To give the Anglicans some credit, their churches are pretty much representative of the minister in charge, who hold all sorts of beliefs, agendas and dogma that sometimes are not anglican or Christian at all. They give their ministers some latitude to attract a particular group of people, depending on the neighbourhood. Of course there are always 'hangers on' that try to mold the church atmosphere and not respectful of change.
David Beers
1 year ago
GWest, Tyee readership is up 80 per cent
Not sure why you would make that comment. Page views, visits and unique visitors for The Tyee are up 87 - 89 per cent compared to this time last year, lifting us to an average now of over a million page views a month.
zalm
1 year ago
good thoughts
...by all, on a good article. No need for me to add to 'em.
G West
1 year ago
David
Page views and unique visitors are one thing - actual 'readership' is something else.
Not wishing you any bad luck David - I'm just reflecting what my contacts are telling me and expressing my own conclusion that (with a few exceptions) a lot of your material just isn't engaging or particularly relevant of late. With obvious exceptions like Nagata, McMartin and Nikiforuk...and, I hasten to add, Dorothy Woodend's all too infrequent reviews.
Good luck nonetheless.
jimmmmy
1 year ago
mr nagata i've lost touch
mr nagata i've lost touch with a childhood friend named stan nagata would you by any chance be related to him . i'd like to reconnect with him or at least find out how he's doing. thanx
Roving-I
1 year ago
An excellent and Inspiring piece of writing
Like many of the Anglican community, we have drifted away for the church itself. Not because we no longer believe in it, but we have just allowed life to "get in the way".
Reading about the people mentioned in this article, I was reminded about my friend Peter Zimmer. Peter is a the priest at St. Michaels All Angels church in Prince George, BC and is probably the most Christian man I have ever met in my life. He walks the walk every day of his life and over the years he has set up may programs to help the homeless and less fortunate persons in that community.
Peter retired a few years ago, but has been asked to come back as as they were ultimately unable to find a replacement all could agree on.
I know that often one man's voice can go unheard in the chorus of the crowd, but if that one man will not be silenced others will start to listen.
If the Anglican church can become the church Kai speaks about and the people he talks about here in Canada are working to make it become, they will grow exponentially. I believe that Canadians, especially the "99%" are inherently good. By making itself relevant and accepting the Anglican Church can see a huge resurgence and growth.
I hope Kai follows up with further instalments of this article. Very well done.
Also appreciate the thoughtful and insightful comments from the majority of posters.
williamroberts
1 year ago
The Identity Relevance Dilemma
Great piece and thanks for all these prophetic leaders in the Anglican and other churches. We need more Kairos that's for sure.
I was at that Cathedral yesterday morning and know of few other more inclusive, inspiring and diverse communities, sacred or secuar, in Vancouver.
But as an Institution, like all other institutions, the more that communities of faith focus on their own internal survival the less relevant they become - and the more relevant, chasing every legitimate concern and ideology, the less its own centre holds.
As a Christian I will fight to my last breath for equality of opportunity and social justice in the most relevant and effective ways I know. And I thank God that with others I can regularly go back to the wells of inspiration and support, and occupy the pews of Christ Church Vancouver and St. Paul's London.
Rictor-8
1 year ago
The Church(Catholic or other)
I believe in "God". I also believe that one book cannot decribe him completely, or the way by which to live. That being said, Christ gave up his LIFE to change the world, while most Christians are strongly opposed to giving up a little change, on the dollar(taxes), to make the world better.
"The Church" is an organisation made to control the masses. The Church does not enlighten for free, like Jesus did, they charge by the class.(Collection plate at end of every service) Okay, the collection plate is so that the church can provide a haven for believers to practice, but now they provide no real haven, at least from the unGod like standards of Capitalism. It is no long God save the Queen, but instead God save a dollar.
Any Christian whom cannot stand for Christian standards, by/in practice, cannot say that they are Christian. In Robin Hood Friar tuck was a drunk, who lived meager like his flock. What happened?
stevebailey
1 year ago
Reframing the Anglican Church as a "missional' entity
Thank you for your excellent analysis, Kai. The Anglican Church in Canada is slowly reshaping itself into a missional organization - one whose raison-d-etre is to minister to the needs of people generally through meaningful participation in spiritual, social and economic justice contexts. Anglicans are seeing the importance of being voices for people - particularly those who are powerless and have very little voice of their own. Our own Diocese of New Westminster has a myriad of associations and community partnerships which are connecting effectively will people of all faith - or no faith- communities who are working together to realize the kind of social realities the Gospel of Jesus stands for. Being "missional" is a much more urgent task than sustaining institutional structures and attitudes that ignore the centrality of ministry. Of course Drainville, Ted Scott and my colleague Don Grayston are right. And their visions, their "prophetic" insights, are beginning to be realized.
Rev. Steve Bailey, Deacon
Tom Nicon
13 weeks ago
If you ever get the
If you ever get the probability to see George Strait Facebook Page live in concert don't pass it up as I can tell you from a private practice that it is worth ever dollar you expend, of all the country music performers I've seen in concert he is the emperor.