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Showing posts from January, 2025

Brave Bishop Budde

We all knew it was going to be an unpredictable week, that’s for sure.   But honestly, did anyone have on their bingo card that a preached homily would be trending and The Episcopal Church would be at the center of the talk of the nation??? I don’t believe that the themes found in Bishop Marianne Budde’s homily are really controversial for Episcopalians.   They seem to reflect not only the path of Jesus but the foundation and realities of the Episcopal Church: Unity without uniformity:              relational rather than agreement “to care for each other even when we disagree” unity in action, not just in prayers Caring for one another, against a “culture of contempt that has become normalized.” Empathy:   “Honor the dignity of every human being” (right out of our Baptismal Covenant). Honesty in our words and actions. Humility which allows us to recognize each other’s humanity. Mercy:   Be merciful as God is merciful, and f...

A new beginning...

At the conclusion of yesterday’s service at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Salt Lake City, I promised more that one person that I would make my sermon available in written form, since it had not been recorded. I typed everything up and realized that there wasn’t a good place to post it. It’s been almost 5 years since I posted on my blog ( https://osc-religionandpopculture.blogspot.com/ ) and what feels like a lifetime since I regularly posted. It’s time for something new. The old blog was “One Step Closer: Religion & Popular Culture” named after a U2 song. “There is no them” are the key lyrics from another U2 song, and feel especially appropriate for this moment in time when so many would make things “us vs. them.” There is no them. There’s only us.