The ever-funny MadPriest has done it again:

MP’s caption: Dog in three persons. A canine Trinity.

Via Proper of the Day.

The Anglican Communion is in crisis over who has sex with whom. Sexual orientation can get you killed, but it’s not the death that seems to upset folks in the right. It’s the sexuality. Meanwhile, in Zimbabwe, the Anglican Church is under great threat — including loss of life. From today’s NY Times:

The parishioners were lined up for Holy Communion on Sunday when the riot police stormed the stately St. Francis Anglican Church in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital. Helmeted, black-booted officers banged on the pews with their batons as terrified members of the congregation stampeded for the doors, witnesses said.

A policeman swung his stick in vicious arcs, striking matrons, a girl and a grandmother who had bent over to pick up a Bible dropped in the melee. A lone housewife began singing from a hymn in Shona, “We will keep worshiping no matter the trials!” Hundreds of women, many dressed in the Anglican Mothers’ Union uniform of black skirt, white shirt and blue headdress, lifted their voices to join hers.

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One of my favorite bloggers has done it again. Over at ASBO Jesus, you can find this:

In our consumer society, that just about says it all. Actually, it’s probably optimistic to think that Jesus rates as highly as some of the brands in our lives. Of course, this illustration is meant to portray the irony of branding Christianity at all. Surely our whole lives (”seven whole days, not one in seven”) should be encompassed by Jesus. But we Christians don’t seem to get that right.

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Saw this one earlier in the week over on A Guy in the Pew. Kind of amazing, really.

So this is a purely self-indulgent post. OK, what post isn’t self-indulgent on a blog. Guess that was redundant. Anyway, this is my life when I travel, as written in the NY Times.

If you feel cramped when you fly, imagine the anguish if you were tall.

For extra-tall travelers, the discomfort continues long after the flight, as their feet dangle off the edge of hotel beds, forcing some to position their bodies diagonally, and as they dance what one tall traveler calls the “shower limbo” thanks to too-low showerheads.

“I truly believe it’s a serious disconnect. I end up literally booking everything myself, travel agents haven’t a clue,” said R. J. Brennan, director of strategic workplace for IA Interior Architects in its Chicago office, who is 6-foot-8. “In economy, my knees are embedded into the wire of the seat pocket — I’m literally wedged in and can’t move. On some small planes, I have to physically get off the plane to take my coat off.”

No need to reply. Just thought you’d like to know why I obsess over which seat on which kind of equipment on which airline when I travel.

I wonder if churches could help finances by having a “pew plus” section with better padding and more legroom?

The parish I serve, Christ Church in Lincoln, Rhode Island, is seeking a curate. This is a new position for a full-time curate — priest or transitional deacon. All sorts of great things are happening here, and we need more clergy leadership to sustain our numerical and spiritual growth.

If you (or someone you know) is interested, you can find a brief job posting on the diocesan website. You can visit our church website. To get a flavor for who we are, also visit our flickr site and our youtube channel.

A few days ago, I sent out an email to some friends. It’s below the fold, if you’d like to learn more. Email me or contact Betsy Fornal, our diocean deployment officer, with questions or to apply.

This is personally exciting — and our community it thrilled — because amazing things are happening in this little corner of Christianity. Spread the word — we’re looking for another guide on our pilgrimage adventure.

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I wrote this essay on commission for a publication, who finally decided not to use it. I thought it might be of interest to blog readers here. The bold-faced sentences were meant to start new sections in the print version.

Candles and vestments were at the center of controversies that nearly tore about the Episcopal Church. In the nineteenth century, lawsuits were files, schism was threatened, and the church was distracted by fights over things that we take for granted today. Is there a lesson for us?

For much of the 1800s, the Episcopal Church in the US was consumed by internal disagreements. On one side, some people insisted that there was no biblical basis for using crosses and candles at the altar. On the other side, some people insisted that these adornments added dignity and reverence to the liturgy, and were justified based on church tradition. People left the church, and efforts at evangelism suffered. Rather than rooting itself in mission and evangelism, the church used its energy to fight about things that today seem unimportant.

Last fall, the Barna Group published results of a study of young Americans’ attitudes toward Christianity. Among young adults (aged 16-29), the leading perception was that Christianity is “anti-homosexual.” Nine out of ten young people listed this perception first. Christians didn’t fare well in other areas either. Among non-Christians, nine out of 12 of their top perceptions were negative. Christians are judgmental (87%), hypocritical (85%), and old-fashioned (78%).

We should not make the assumption that these attitudes will somehow change as this generation ages. The study should give us pause, as it warns that this generation may never be churched. To be sure, they also had some positive things to say.  But the overarching sense is that the church is not relevant to their needs. Rather than teaching about materialism or relationships – matters of great concern to this generation – the church is perceived as using its energy and time to mercilessly condemn lesbian and gay people.

Just as people of good will could disagree about vestments and candles, there are plenty of intelligent people on all sides of the controversies over human sexuality today. But are these matters worth dividing the church? Might Anglicanism have something to offer the whole church as we wrestle with conflict?

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Sure, you’ve seen the zydeco mass and the U2charist. But have you seen the Masster of Puppets? Yes, that’s right. A puppet mass.

I actually think there’s a place for this kind of radically creative — sometimes shocking — liturgical expression. It forces us out of our normal perspective, into contemplating why we do what we do. At its best, it opens us to the Holy Spirit in new ways. However, this requires the creativity to be done for the right reasons, and it’s not easy.

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From the Church Times:

THE Archbishop of Canterbury is planning to reduce his carbon footprint.  He may fly to Poland to visit Auschwitz in the autumn, but, apart from that, he intends to eschew air travel for the rest of the year, a Lambeth Palace spokesman said.

Dr Williams, who took the train to Rome for his meeting with the Pope this week, is following in the footsteps of the Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Richard Chartres, who gave up flying for a year. A carbon-offsetting scheme is also in place for the Lambeth Conference, to compensate for bishops’ flying to the UK. They will also be encouraged to take the train or share lifts in England.

What a great idea. Let me be the first to say that I have no room to point the finger on this one. For instance, though I’m not a bishop, I’m going to be around during the Lambeth Conference. I do some other traveling too. But it does make me wonder… What if some other bishops, especially from the Global South, decided to do their part for the good of the environment? Maybe Gaffe-Con should be canceled?

My blogging friend, the Revd Chris Epperson, writes about a recent experience at St. George’s School in Middletown, RI. He’s been serving as Interim Chaplain there, and he describes a singular moment during a recent confirmation service.

In my mind, the great moment in the service happened at the Fraction. As Bishop [Geralyn] Wolf broke the bread, she started to spontaneously sing a fraction anthem. She sang in a hushed tone, the mic quietly amplified. The alleluias slowly wafted through the enormous chapel. All fidgeting ceased. It became very quiet except for the alleluias washing over all. It was quite a moving moment of the pronounced presence of the Holy Spirit.

For me, it was a moment signifying hope. It was a moment that showed just how open young people are to transcendence. The Church is always talking about how to reach younger people. We are always looking for innovative ways to accomplish this. Yet, in the midst of a very normal Confirmation, it happened. Maybe, it is less about us, and more about the Spirit.

I would add only that it’s not just young people. Most people are open to transcendence, but we don’t seem to allow enough of these moments in our liturgy. In the parish I serve — which tends to be a pretty boisterous place, liturgically speaking — one vestry member recently cited the silence at Ash Wednesday as the most God-filled moment in the recent past. Go figure. God’s transcendent presence shows up in surprising places.

(The photo is the only one I could find online of the interior of the chapel Chris writes about. A pity, because it’s stunning, and worth a trip to see.)