A Letter To a Friend

The story you give concerning your faith and spiritual community sounds so much like the development of a movement turning into an institution and then being reformed in the second or third generation.   The Christian Church went through this in the early years, and has continued reforming ever since.  It is important to return to the origin and take the fundamentals and use those in reforming, knowing that you will never recapture what was, but you can establish something new based on your understanding of the beginnings.  The number of denominations and independent churches of the Christian tradition are too numerous to count.  

We have spiritual longings and needs to be met, and it is important to seek out what will help us grow and continue walking a path that is fulfilling and compassionate. I chose the Episcopal Church early in my life because it was open in thought and had a beautiful worship format. It has teachings,  but the primary focus is to have common worship.  I have gone through a million changes in beliefs, practices, and journeys in the last 50 years and the Episcopal Church has encouraged, tolerated and facilitated them for me, and that is why I stay with it.  I also think it is important for us to be part of something that is bigger than we are to help correct us along our way.  All corrections are not necessarily conducive or important or good, but they at least give us another perspective and call us to be accountable to ourselves and others.  So, my friend, if you have a call to reform, do it with humility and boldness.