Dear Friends-
We are neither a red church nor a blue church, we are a purple church. I want to share with you three things about what that means for us at St. Paul’s. I write because I’m aware of a few small misunderstandings and anticipate that things will get more stressful.
1. Jesus in the Voting Booth. In March of 2004, when I was interviewing for the job as your Rector, I was asked if I preach politics from the pulpit. I said, “no, my job isn’t to tell you how to vote, it’s to make sure you bring Jesus with you into the voting booth.” I have held to that promise and will continue to hold to that promise.
2. Courtesy, Discretion and Prudence. Being a purple church means remembering that many of the people you love at St. Paul’s voted differently than you did. I would like to suggest that restraining from declaring your political opinions in contexts such as coffee hour would be in keeping with our commitment to being a purple church. There are churches where you need to be willing to be a Blue voter and churches where you need to be willing to be a Red voter. Here at St. Paul’s you only need to be willing to Transcend Contempt.
3. Purple is Our DNA. Our mother Church, the Church of England, solidified its identity under Queen Elizabeth I, who knew her subjects held a wide range of opinions. She insisted less on doctrinal conformity and more on conformity of worship, enabling a diversity of opinion within one Christian body. Our Book of Common Prayer worship is the strong container that enables us to be purple with integrity. The BCP forms us in a Benedictine way of life, which has been life-giving for small communities since the 6th Century. St. Paul’s is and can continue to be an oasis of Christian civility in an increasingly uncivil world.
We are a purple church. Let us all devote ourselves to following Jesus together in worship, prayer and service.
Faithfully,
Christopher
p: (415) 456-4842