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| Bishop Austin Rios |
Austin Rios, who was installed as our Bishop three months ago, has words of reconciliation (complete message after the break) after first stating his own disappointment in the election's outcome: [bold added]
As a long-term supporter of immigrant rights and the former director of an international refugee center, I do not believe mass deportations, promised by the Trump campaign, will make America greater or stronger.I was uncertain when Bishop Rios was elected, but now it's clear: the Diocese will be led by another social justice warrior for at least a decade. The giveaway is in the last sentence, where the Bishop assigns virtue or vice based on a candidate's sexual and racial identity. I'm disappointed, but as a believer in democracy, I accept the will of my fellow Episcopalians!
As a former resident of small towns in Texas, Wisconsin, and North Carolina, I have seen how misinformation can easily manipulate the views and feelings in more insular communities.
And I’ve also seen how small communities can sometimes show-up for their neighbors who are in crisis more consistently than those who call big cities their homes.
There is no denying the cognitive dissonance that arises from many Americans preferring an older white male felon to a younger multiracial female prosecutor.
BTW, there's a decent chance that all his convictions will be overturned on appeal, and all charges will be dropped in other cases. Will President-elect Trump still be a "convicted felon"?
Dear siblings in the Diocese of California,
Last night, a majority of American voters decided Donald Trump was their preferred choice for president.
His supporters are thrilling and his opponents are despairing. I am sure we have members of our diocese experiencing both these polarized emotions.
As a long-term supporter of immigrant rights and the former director of an international refugee center, I do not believe mass deportations, promised by the Trump campaign, will make America greater or stronger.
As a former resident of small towns in Texas, Wisconsin, and North Carolina, I have seen how misinformation can easily manipulate the views and feelings in more insular communities.
And I’ve also seen how small communities can sometimes show-up for their neighbors who are in crisis more consistently than those who call big cities their homes.
There is no denying the cognitive dissonance that arises from many Americans preferring an older white male felon to a younger multiracial female prosecutor.
Last night’s election results will be discussed for years to come, maybe generations to come, and it will be tempting to descend into blaming, second-guessing, and the paralysis of fear for those on the losing side, and empowered triumphalism for those whose vision has been validated by the votes.
My humble advice is that regardless of how you feel today, remember that the message of God’s love in Jesus Christ has never been, and will never be, fully expressed through the powers and principalities of this world.
Even when our governments draw nearer to the vision of God’s beloved community—or when they openly reject it—we ultimately know that our hope is not in the state to save us, nor in Caesar’s power to grant or take away the freedom and peace that only the Lord provides.
This is one of the reasons that when we say the Nicene Creed each Sunday, I often emphasize the line, “He will come again to judge the living AND the dead, and HIS KINGDOM will have no end.”
I lived in Rome long enough to know that empires rise and fall, but the living Word of God persists and endures.
The Church was born in an era of entrenched imperialism and generations of the faithful were persecuted for holding fast to the truth that a collaboration between the cult of Caesar and politicized religion sent Jesus to the cross, and the love of God raised him up.
I hope that these years to come do not see a return to such needless suffering.
But I cannot control how the future will unfold.
What I can do is live the truth of my convictions each day I have breath in my body.
So that’s what I did this morning.
I prayed the daily office and commemorated Archbishop William Temple, whose leadership in a time of division and discord reminded us of Christ’s better way.
I prayed for the people I know are struggling today, and for those who feel their struggle for recognition has ended.
But most of all, I prayed that this unique moment in history leads to us becoming more the church God calls us to be.
I will continue to see all people, regardless of race, creed, voting preference, gender, education level, living location, or sexuality as fellow and equal members of the mystical Body of Christ that we participate in through grace.
I will continue to advocate for policies and people that protect the dignity of every human being and that take seriously our care and stewardship of this fragile earth.
But most of all, I will continue to look to God and the foundations of our faith when anxiety, fear, and opposition threaten to overwhelm me, and I will couple that deepening dependence on God with the conviction that, regardless of what is to come—if we face it together as a community—Christ will be among us.
I do not know what the future holds for the United States, nor our larger world after yesterday’s election.
But I do know that the kind of church God is calling into being will be enough to face whatever trials, tribulations, or even joys that yet await us.
Resolve to be that church each day by connecting to God in prayer and worship and forming stronger communities with your neighbors.
Reflect the love of God and the promise of the beloved community in each daily interaction you have with others, especially those who didn’t vote the way you did.
And above all, rely on the companionship and guidance of the One who said, “My kingdom is not of this world,” and build one another up in love as we work toward and await the consummation that only Christ can bring.
May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).
Amen.
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