We are living in an age marked by skepticism, intellectual incoherence, and hostility to great, commanding ideas. In such a time, many Christians spend a great deal of time and emotional energy simply holding onto their faith—holding on, that is, to their assent to the most basic, core beliefs of the faith.
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The following article is based largely on a sermon preached at St. George’s Church, July 19, 2009. Some material has been deleted for the sake of this article and other points expanded. To view and listen to the sermon, click here: --RLS
Part I
I believe a helpful lens through which to interpret the recently completed General Convention of the Episcopal Church is the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians. As it happens, the Revised Common Lectionary that furnishes us our scheduled Scripture readings for Sunday worship has us now on a seven-week walk through this particular sacred correspondence. How might it speak to us and our situation as a denomination today? How might we embody two central exhortations found in this letter: “Speak the truth in love,” and “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might”?
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