A message from Duncan Johnston
We’re all in this together. No, really. We are. We are living together in a cultural moment when the nation is dangerously divided – at roughly a 50:50 ratio.
Christians are called to do something about their country’s troubles. Episcopalians, in particular, are tasked with drawing on our historic tradition of ‘unity-in-diversity’ to model an alternative to the polarization.
At our upcoming October Speaker Series, St John’s will try to fulfil our duty to create love where there is division. Many churches see the dangers of this cultural moment and decide to ignore our national strife, fearing they will make things worse. Some others wade into the conflict with an eagerness and a bias that are inappropriate. At St John’s, as you’d expect, we’ll do it differently. We can’t ignore the thing that is on everyone’s mind and is creating so much anxiety. We just can’t. But we must address it with great care and with mutual acceptance, with the goal of loving our neighbors, as Jesus demanded.
On four successive Wednesdays, beginning October 2nd, we will come together to listen, explore (and eat!) for the love of God and our neighbors. We will use the material ‘The After Party’ as a way into addressing the nation’s polarization and how we can model something different. Much of the evening will be videos of the national Christian leaders who have created the program. Duncan will supplement these video clips with his own teaching material, which he wrote four years ago in another parish.
You can expect to be
- Comforted
- Encouraged
- Given hope for our country
- Given understanding for your neighbor.
But, of course, people will only receive these things if they come ready and willing to receive them.
You may wish to leave after the meal but before the presentation, if
- You are looking for an argument
- You want to talk about personalities, parties or policies
- You don’t trust yourself to remain calm and gracious throughout
- You are not open to self-critique
Dinner starts at 6pm, with the presentation from 6:30-7:30.
The peace of the Lord be with y’all.