Reading: The Collect of Day Proper
28C
November 18, 2001
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
"Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever." Amen. (BCP 236)
I received an article on the internet from someone who is confused about Islam and about what the Koran really says. During the past few months, the author of the article has heard two different voices which seem to be in opposition with each other. One voice claims that Islam is a peaceful religion and that the terrorists who pulled off the 9/11 attacks don't really represent the actual Islamic faith or the teachings of the prophet. The second voice claims that a Holy War is justified by the Koran and includes the killing of people of other faiths and nations. If the second voice is flawed in its interpretation of the Koran, the author wants answers to the following questions:
1. Why is there such a huge effort to convince Christians, Jews, and non-Muslims that Islam is a peaceful, tolerant, kind, respectful religion, but there is not such direct effort to convey the same messages to the Mosques and Arab Muslim world?
2. Why isn't the media in the Muslim world saying that the terrorists' interpretations of the Koran and the Prophet's teachings are all wrong?
3. If the terrorists and the Islamic Fundamentalists have 'hijacked' Islam to further their own agenda and are not following the Koran, then why haven't the clerics and Imams issued a fatwa (religious decree) as was done with Salman Rushdie who wrote a book that broke Islamic Law?
Will the real Islam please stand up!!!!!!
All Holy Scripture needs to be interpreted whether it be the Koran, the Bible, the Torah, or the Bhagavad Gita. The way Holy Scripture is interpreted will determine one's understanding of God and how to walk in this world. The KKK interprets the Holy Scriptures through the lens of prejudice, ignorance, and aggression. They act accordingly. The Fundamentalists interpret the Holy Scriptures through the lens of capitalism, purity codes, and a longing for the "good old days." They act accordingly. The liberals interpret the Holy Scriptures through the lens of human rights and freedom while forgetting about personal responsibility, self-sacrifice, and tradition. They act accordingly. Will the real Christianity please up!
Unfortunately, the loudest voice that the American public hears in regard to Christianity is that of the Religious Right. In spite of their faults, they are the ones willing to make a public stand. They are the ones who diligently study scripture, can articulate public policy based on their understanding of the Bible, and try to influence political decisions. They are the ones willing to integrate their faith with their lives.
Where is the moderate, thoughtful, and compassionate voice of Episcopalians? Do we publicly respond to inaccurate and harmful interpretations of Holy Scripture that come from a place of fear rather than from a place of love? Do we even know our Scriptures enough to influence the religious discourse in America today and if not, why? I am afraid that we Episcopalians (like our moderate and peaceful Muslim brothers and sisters) have allowed the fundamentalist voice to tell the whole story. And in that tacit recession, we have allowed justice and the dignity of every human being to be trampled on. All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for a few good people to do or say nothing. Will the real Christianity please stand up!
Today is Scripture Sunday. It is the time in the liturgical calendar when the Church reminds us to be diligent students of Scripture. Our collect today calls us to this vocation: Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life. When I was ordained as priest, I took a vow to "be diligent in the reading and study of the Holy Scriptures and to minister the Word of God and the sacraments such that the reconciling love of Christ may be known and received." I have endeavored to be faithful to this vow. Last month, I met with other ministers in Cupertino to plan the Ecumenical Service which happened last week. The topic of concern was whether to invite our Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters to a service that had previously been a Christian liturgy.
One of the fundamentalist ministers was against this idea because he wanted to worship the "true God." He claimed that Jews and Muslims worship other Gods but not the Christian God. I was horrified at this ignorance and tried to correct his misunderstanding. I reminded him that Jews and Muslims worship the God of Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Rebecca and Rachael; that they worshipped the God whom Jesus called "ABBA". I quoted the gospel of John: "In the begining was the Word..." and reminded him that the Word of God which became incarnate in Jesus was the same Word that spoke through Moses, and Abraham, and all of those prophets whom the Jews and Muslims hold in high esteem.
If you had been there, do you have enough command of Holy Scripture to have challenged this misunderstanding? You see, my primary sphere of influence is this parish community and the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real. But you are the ones who are out in the work world and in the general public. You are the ones who cast more votes than I. You are the ones who make public policy or influence important business decisions. You are the ones who interact with others outside of this parish who may have a distorted version of Christianity. You are the ones who meet the unchurched or interact with those who equate Christianity with fundamentalism. Will the real Christianity please stand up!
If we as a faith community are to move onto the next level of discipleship; if we are to grow deeper in our faith; if we are to carry on important religious discourse that influences public policy, then we must know our Scriptures better. This means we must engage in serious Bible Study. The Bible contains all that is necessary for salvation. But it also contains much that is not necessary for salvation. Do you know the difference? The Bible contains some historical data and it also contains much that is not historical. Do you know the difference? The Bible contains exhortations, parables, poetry, prophetic, apocalyptic, and narrative literature. It contains myths, legends, purity codes, commandments, and words of Jesus. How does one interpret these different kinds of writings and apply them?
The Bible is the primary authority (along with tradition and reason) in the Episcopal Church. We do not require that people confess to a particular interpretation of the Bible. But we do ask that they hear, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, so that the reconciling love of Christ may be known and received. It is in the reading of Scripture that my heart is deeply warmed, that God speaks to me, and that my sense of hope is nurtured. For without hope, the human heart would break.
In Scripture, God has uttered for us not the last word but the first; a Word designed to set us off on a pilgrimage, in pursuit of that life that God has willed for us to have. Will the real Christianity please stand up!
| Updated 11/18/01 |
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