Nobody Steps On A Church In My Town*

It's often been a blessing to have Pastor Rick Warren's mammoth Saddleback Church in our backyard at St. John's in Rancho Santa Margarita, about two miles south of Warren's digs. His ministry gives inspiration and comfort to tens of thousands in our community and millions around the world. He brings the gospel alive in practical ways to help people live better, more faithful lives.

But now he's offered to help dissident Episcopalians plant a church in our neighborhood. Thanks a lot, dear colleague!

In the wake of Monday's ruling by the California Supreme Court under which three churches which tried to leave our Diocese may soon have to return their buildings and other properties, Warren wrote,

We stand in solidarity with them, and with all orthodox, evangelical Anglicans. I offer the campus of Saddleback Church to any Anglican congregation who need a place to meet, or if you want to plant a new congregation in south Orange County.

As the orthodox pastor of the closest Episcopal church to Saddleback, I'll try not to take it personally. Still, if any of the 20 million Baptists who aren't especially taken with Pastor Rick's conservative Southern Baptist Convention want to plant a church in his backyard, I'll happily talk to the St. John's Bishop's Committee about using our choir room to start Saddleback South. We could only seat about 20, compared to Pastor Rick's 50,000 Christmas Eve worshipers, but all good things start small.

Among dissidents' problems with Mr. Warren's Southern Baptists is this carefully worded policy statement from the Convention's web site:

Women participate equally with men in the priesthood of all believers. Their role is crucial, their wisdom, grace and commitment exemplary. Women are an integral part of our Southern Baptist boards, faculties, mission teams, writer pools, and professional staffs. We affirm and celebrate their Great Commission impact.

While Scripture teaches that a woman's role is not identical to that of men in every respect, and that pastoral leadership is assigned to men, it also teaches that women are equal in value to men.

That's right: Pastor Rick and his colleagues believe Jesus Christ didn't want women to be pastors. The policy is one reason former President Jimmy Carter resigned from the Convention in 2000. With us Episcopalians and many other denominations, the seeming crisis is over the sacramental status of gay and lesbian people. But an even more important problem is that many Christians haven't even come to terms with the radical equality of women in the body of Christ.

In the early church, women played a prominent role in all aspects of ministry. After all, the "apostle to the apostles" wasn't Peter, James, or Paul, or indeed Tom, Dick, or Harry. All four gospels agree (in other words, "scripture teaches") that Mary Magdalene first received the good news of our Lord's Resurrection. She believed, while Jesus's male followers (who had fled in fear after the Crucifixion) at first did not.

And yet in the 21st century, powerful Christian leaders still keep Mary's half of the population down. I can well understand why they prefer to talk instead about the 2-3% of the population who are homosexual. Safer odds.

* Name that movie!

Hat tip to Greg Larkin

Happy Birthday, Mr. President

On a windy afternoon in Yorba Linda, Rear Admiral Garland Wright placed a wreath at the grave site of the 37th President, part of a daylong celebration of what would've been his 96th birthday.

The Florida-born admiral is a sailor in more ways than one. An all-American athlete, he was co-captain of Annapolis's first-ever national championship sailing team. In their remarks to a crowd of 150, he and Commander Sheri L. Snively, chaplain of Miramar MCAS in San Diego, talked about RN's own naval service. Snively -- a Quaker minister and distant Nixon cousin -- stressed the significance of the future President going to his peaceloving Quaker mother Hannah and asking permission to seek his naval commission at the beginning of World War II.

After the wreath laying, I gave a talk about President Nixon in the White House East Room -- after being introduced by the great Bruce Herschensohn. It should've been the other around! Read an account of the day at the Library here.

Republicans Are More Fun

Updating Army Archerd's coverage of President Nixon's famous 1968 appearance on "Laugh-In" ("Sock it to me?"), "Variety" provides this detail:

"Laugh-In" hoped to get opposition candidate Hubert Humphrey to appear, saying "What a good IDEA!!!" in response to Nixon's "Sock It To ME!!!" But they could never get the Demos to OK his appearance.

On Dec. 29, NPR's Terry Gross, on her "Fresh Air" program, rebroadcast a fall 2008 interview with "Saturday Night Live" head writer Seth Myers (available here on a podcast) in which Myers describes how easy Gov. Palin and her staff were to work with during her famous SNL appearance. As a matter of fact, he said Republicans were typically easier to work with than Democrats. When Gross asked why, Myers replied that Democrats are afraid that Republicans will use comedy show appearances against them, whereas Republicans know Democrats won't reciprocate.

What a deft and impossible-to-prove way of turning Republicans' game attitude against them. There's an alternative theory Myers ought to consider. It was offered by legendary LA Times political reporter Bill Boyarsky when he visited the Nixon Library about 15 years ago. He'd partied with politicians for years, he said; "Republicans are more fun."

Two Quiet Days In Santa Barbara

The sun-drenched hills above Santa Barbara didn't look so peaceful in mid-November, when fires destroyed 130 homes as well as the Mt. Calvary monastery and retreat house, California home of the brothers of the Episcopal Order of the Holy Cross. The monks are now living down the hill at the retreat house of the Sisters of the Holy Trinity, another Episcopal order, which is located right next door to the Santa Barbara mission. Five clergy buddies and I spent two days with them this week as well as with some Franciscan brothers and sisters from northern California and one young monk from Brazil-- also all Episcopal. Monasticism runs deeper in our denomination than many people realize.

As he told me how to turn off the lights in the St. Mary's common room before going to bed, one of the Holy Cross brothers said he'd arrived at Mt. Calvary in October from one of the order's three other monasteries. He hadn't even had time to unpack his moving boxes before losing everything he owned in the fire. "Even now, we'll be talking, and someone will say that he has something in his room, and then he'll remember," he said with a sad smile. As the brothers mull whether to rebuild Mt. Calvary, they contribute graciously to St. Mary's hospitality, preparing hearty meals -- corn chowder, avocado and bean salad, pancakes, peppery chicken and mushrooms in cream sauce -- and offering services of morning prayer, compline (the nighttime service), and Holy Eucharist each Friday through Wednesday.

A couple of days at a retreat center like St. Mary's is such a relaxing and affordable experience that I'm amazed more people don't partake. Of course you make your own coffee and twin bed and usually have to walk down the hall to the bathroom. But just imagine the quiet and beauty of the buildings and grounds, the squeaky wood floors, the funky old furniture and generous library and, on a retreat like ours, the long, languorous conversations with friends and colleagues. It all contributes to a gently gathering sense of peace and wholeness.

Even when the stress of the world intrudes -- it's hard to escape the BlackBerry these days, and the Holy Nativity sisters offer wireless internet access in the main house -- the world's demands feel considerably more manageable, especially when, from after compline until after breakfast, guests observe the house's rule of silence. It's hard to worry about saying or doing the right thing when you realize that you don't have to do or say anything at all.

When Editors Have Done Their Jobs

Andrew Sullivan puts his finger on the reason newspapers are indispensable:

There is something deeply precious about letting expert editors guide you through the news of the day. I find and read stories serendipitously I would never find online. And I read them through because I trust the editors to have done their job.

No One Notices The Shoe That's Not Thrown

The Economist:

Morale is low after the organisation [sic; they're British] has lurched from failure to scandal in the past few years. Under George Tenet, the long-time director who was beloved by his staff, the CIA failed to spot the September 11th attacks in the works. Then came intelligence mistakes over weapons of mass destruction and Iraq, followed by controversy over the use of torture and harsh interrogation techniques, such as the “waterboarding” of suspected terrorists (making the detainee believe he is suffocating or drowning).

Another possible reason for low CIA morale: The failure of most in the media and politics to give the agency any credit for helping avert a catastrophic attack on U.S. soil since Sept. 11.

The Big Three Thought Too Big

In his not-to-be-missed e-newsletter, Rep. John Campbell (R-Newport Beach), who worked in the car business before beginning his political career, says the Big Three's biggest problem is not poor quality compared to foreign manufacturers, the failure to build attractive products, building too many big cars, or even the UAW contracts (expensive though they are because of retirement benefits).

So, what is the problem with the Big 3? They have made some bad management decisions of course. But they have been chasing increased market share for decades as their market share has steadily declined. They have never been able to accept the idea that they could be smaller but more profitable companies and instead have always spent like they were bigger than they actually were. That is an oversimplification of course. But if you spend $100 thinking you can sell $120, but only sell $80 and you keep doing it because you have access to the cash flow and that $120 is right around the corner, you will eventually run out of money. And they have.

His advice? Go buy an American car or truck!

Come, Light Of Christ

A half-hour ago, a friend sent me this photograph of the brand new Roman Catholic Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, California, a good image to behold this morning of the Feast of the Epiphany. Christmas ended last night. Today the church celebrates the enlightenment of the world as signified by the visit paid to the Holy Family by the Magi (the gospels actually don't say there were three of them).

In an hour or two, I'll have the blessing of preaching at St. John's School about three epiphanies -- the one in the Bible, the ones we experience when we least expect them (those aha! moments of revelation, belonging, and peace), and the ones we can actually engineer by counting our blessings instead of our grumps. I also just finished writing the "Prayers of the People" for our Epiphany season liturgy at St. John's Church, which will take us right up to Lent (which is closer than you think!). We'll be asking for Epiphany light to suffuse all the shadowed corners of our lives and world:

As our world is darkened by ambition, aggression, and injustice, may those in authority be continually strengthened to do what is best for all your people. We pray especially for the President and President-elect; for those serving in the Armed Forces of the United States; and for the safety of the innocent amid war and strife.

Light of Christ, shine in every heart.

Hat tip to Kris Elftmann

Another View On Panetta

Michael Ledeen:

I always liked Panetta. He served in the Army and is openly proud of it. He seems to be a good lawyer (oxymoronic though it may seem). He's a good manager. And he's going to watch Obama's back at a place that's full of stilettos and a track record for attempted presidential assassination second to none. But Italians know all about political assassination; you may remember Julius Caesar. Or Aldo Moro. The self-proclaimed cognoscenti will deride his lack of "spycraft," and he's never worked in the intel bureaucracy or, for that matter, in foreign policy or national security. But he's been chief of staff, which involved all that stuff. I think it's a smart move.

Hat tip to Andrew Sullivan

A Giant Amazonian Apple

Adam Engst predicts the Kindle will make the iPod get bigger:

Look for Apple to introduce a new version of the iPod touch with a larger screen designed for better video viewing and text reading; Bluetooth keyboard compatibility; and optional 3G data access. Although this could be a bit too much wishful thinking, the market is ready for such an iteration of the iPod touch. Sure, it won’t fit in a pocket, but (a) many people in their 40s and 50s simply can’t see the tiny screens on current devices; (b) there’s a sweet spot between the iPhone and the MacBook Air that’s currently unfilled; (c) Amazon’s Kindle has been sufficiently successful to prove that people want a larger device for reading; and (d) the whole pocket thing is sexist anyway, since women mostly carry purses and don’t have reliable pockets. Oh, and (e), I want one.

And here's another techno-blogger promoting the idea of a larger iPod Touch comprising an Apple move on the Kindle. I love iTunes, too, but do we really want one company dominating music and text markets?