No–I’m not the host . . .
Rather, Nick Kinsley at the blog Entangled States that I’ve recently begun reading has proposed a collection of thoughts by those who consider themselves moderates. You can find the announcement here.
This suggestion combined with the work of Fr. Greg Jones seems to be a move to organize and give a voice to the middle of the Episcopal Church. I’m not yet sure if it will work. I have a feeling that there are many different things that “middle” or “center” can mean. Having a “movement” implies having a direction in which to move (unless an active sense of inertia can be called a direction…) and I wonder if the “middle” is moving in the same direction.
As you’ll notice in my brief bio over there on the right side of the screen I describe myself as a moderate and I’m pretty serious about that so I plan to contribute something on the topic soon.
In the meantime, if you think you’re a moderate, post something up and let Nick know…
I think that it is a good idea to keep trying to get across the idea that being moderate is not to be “wishy-washy.” I’ve heard worse accusations leveled at moderates and I have described myself as a bridge with the approaches washed away on both sides. I like the term “centrist.”
Oh, good. I’m glad you saw this – I was gonna give you the Head’s Up about it.
As a mainliner of ambiguous eccleisal affiliation (recently Lutheran, but currently attending an Episcopal Church), I’m all for this. I’ve been thinking quite a bit recently of how people who are “liberal” on issues like women’s ordination and same-sex unions but nevertheless aren’t intested in compromising or being revisionists on the essentials of the Faith (Christology, Trinity, creed, etc.) fit in to the increasingly stark division between left and right in our churches.
Good comment, Lee. The thing about the middle is that it is so, well, bland (in political terms, anyway). People get excited by extremes – hence the disproportionate power of the religious right even though most of the country holds a moderate position on abortion and other pet issues of the extreme conservatives.
Join the crowd, Lee! I’m a former ELCAer myself–and I think you’ve put your finger on one of the biggest problems in the polarized form of this debate.
I won’t say more here because this topic feeds directly into my reflections on “where and who I am as a “moderate.”