Rom
1:9 NKJV
For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of
His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my
prayers,
A
favorite blogger exhibits extraordinary correctness:
Confessions of a Carioca: Not-a-statement on Ferguson http://j.mp/0BishopA1
or http://cariocaconfessions.blogspot.com/2014/11/as-bishop-i-am-quasi-public-figure.html
As a bishop, I am a quasi-public figure,
occupying a place on the long arc that eventually bends in the direction of
celebrity. Within the constricted world of the Diocese of Springfield, and the
slightly less constricted world of the Episcopal Church, and in some bits of
Anglicanism beyond TEC, there are lots of people whom I do not know, but who
know of me and a good bit about me.
Public figures from time to time make public
pronouncements on matters that are either presumed to affect them peculiarly,
or about which one might expect them to hold specialized information or unique
knowledge, or about which their views might be considered generally
significant. A few of my colleague bishops in the Episcopal Church, including
the Presiding Bishop, have already “issued a statement” on the situation
emanating from Ferguson, MO. It is entirely likely that more such statements
will follow.
Mine will not be among them.
It’s not that I don’t have thoughts, feelings,
and convictions regarding the tragic death of Michael Brown and the decision of
the grand jury not to charge anyone with a crime in connection with his death.
I have rather passionate opinions, as a matter of fact.
But that’s just the
point: They’re my opinions. The opinions of Dan Martins, private citizen. Not
the opinions of the Bishop of Springfield. The Bishop of Springfield has a teaching
office, but–and I say this with utter respect and affection for my colleagues
who have chosen to weigh in publicly on the situation as it emerges–while
my teaching office has a great deal to say about the love of God made known to
us in Christ, about the redemption of suffering through the mystery of
the cross, about the dignity of every human being, about the reconciliation of
those who are at variance and enmity, and about the eventual final triumph of
justice and peace, it has nothing to say
about whether the grand jury made a correct or incorrect decision, or about
the conduct of the St Louis County prosecutor, or about the behavior of law
enforcement authorities since Mr Brown’s death last August.
Dan Martins might have some things to say about
all these matters, but the Bishop of Springfield does not–and, I will go so far
as to say, ought not. Neither Dan Martins nor the Bishop of Springfield has any
specialized knowledge about what really happened on that fateful afternoon last
August. Fortunately, virtually no one cares what Dan Martins thinks, and that
is as it should be, because, while he’s a reasonably smart guy, there’s a lot
more that he doesn’t and never will know than he actually does know. A few more
might care what the Bishop of Springfield thinks, because he is, after all, a
quasi-public figure, a microcosmic celebrity. But pretty much all the Bishop of
Springfield is either qualified or authorized to say about this or any other
matter of public consequence is, “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down
death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.”
There’s nothing new in that, and even less that
is original. Some might consider it a cop-out. I look on it as my job.
Christians of goodwill and an informed conscience can and do hold an
astonishingly diverse range of views on matters of public policy and concern.
The views of Dan Martins lie within that range. The view of the Bishop of
Springfield is more singularly focused, and that is to bear witness to the
resurrection of Jesus the Christ from the dead, because any aspect of human
experience not seen in that light is not really seen at all. The private
opinions of Dan Martins pale in significance next to it.
Anyway, that’s my story, and I sticking to it.
No statement to follow.
Related
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