St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church

Notes to an Activist (after a series of visits to churches by anti-war activists)

You desire to come to my church and make a statement about the war. I’m sympathetic.

Churches look at the world a bit differently. I'd like to explain some ways that might help you do the work you want to do.

Before you decide to confront the church, visit the community and introduce yourself to the pastor. Church communities come in all sorts. They have particular, peculiar histories. Different clergy have quirks and interests and passions. Some are focused on fighting homophobia. Others want to protect the environment. Still others are pro-life. Some have histories deep in the civil rights movement; others are still dealing with the Vietnam War.

So first, know where the pastor and the denomination stands on the issue. Be familiar with the scripture of peace. That’s our language. Do your homework. It will save you a lot of ill-will and consternation later.

Churches are not malls or parks or public squares or city hall. They are more like a combination of living rooms and theaters and... bathrooms. They are like living rooms because the community is a lot like an extended family. They are like theaters because in the service we experience the unfolding of a divine drama. They are like bathrooms in that... they are places where we have some time to sit privately with our own thoughts. So when you arrive, think carefully about what you would say in a living room, a theater, or in a bathroom. After the service, however, church does change - it can become more like a lecture hall, or a restaurant, or a debate society. In those places the conversation becomes different.

We often use the word "sacred" to define church space. An analogy: imagine group of protesters in the midst of the wild, demanding an end to the war, scaring the inhabitants of that wild space. The wilderness is where many people experience the "sacred."

During a service, Christians are celebrating an event that is more analogous to a wedding banquet than a lecture. Of course, we know of plenty of stories where people get into fights or throw bombs at wedding banquets. But if your goal is to raise awareness or make friends, join the party first. Then talk about the issue, or leave a nice little gift bag of your thoughts.

Human beings react better to friends than to moralists. Christians are no different. If you have a moralizing tone, people will tune you out. Sometimes people say, “I’m not religious or “I am a Humanist” or “I don’t go to church” to a Christian and it sounds like, “I’m so happy I’m not like you, you crazy idiot who thinks bizarre things, but let me tell you what I think.”

Instead say, “I care what churches do and say. And I’m sad about the violence we have caused in Iraq. I miss the church witness. Where is it?” A bonus would be that you could back up that talk about caring about churches with some action by being a part of the church life.

Churches can do more; pastors can do more. But like any activist, pastors have a wide variety of issues they are concerned with. Some are banal – fixing the roof; keeping the air quality of the rooms clean; paying staff salaries. Others are more immediate – finding a place for a recent parolee to stay; feeding an undocumented worker; caring for a family that has lost a child. Pastors must be ready to discuss issues regarding racism, the environment and church politics, in addition to caring for the feelings of people who do don’t think identically. The war is just one set of issues.

Churches are, more than most public institutions, democratic organizations: almost anyone can come into a church and change the culture if they want. For this reason you have an opportunity to reach out to people who think differently. But its hard work to live in such community. Most of us, including progressives, don't have the heart or soul for it.

We believe in the separation of Church and State. So when we talk about politics it is within the context of the Gospel. We think it is possible to preach through implication rather than confrontation – to some extent people are allowed to draw their own conclusions.

(will be continually updated)