Someone here at CCW asked me what I said at the Biennial in support of the proposed amendment for the Bylaws. With the caveat that the bylaws were voted down and sent back to committee, we (members of the ABC-Metro Chicago) presented the amendment to lend some clarity to the objections to the proposed Bylaws. Here's something like what I said. We were allowed two minutes to speak. I had a rough sketch of an outline.
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Good afternoon.
I am a proud member of the ABC-Metro Chicago and I am glad to be standing before you today.
Our tradition is founded upon the power, the potency of open dialogue...shared ideas and shared testimony. The Holy Spirit lives, I believe, in this conversation - in the tension, the harmony, of distinct and different experiences of God in Christ.
This is faith given voice: noisy, boisterous, passionate, and respectful.
The world is clamoring for opportunities, for places for open conversation and need to be taught how to do this. Just look at the internet for a moment through this lens! In a tradition such as ours where we claim that the Spirit is discerned in the gathering of the Beloved Community, striving not for unanimity but for unity, we need to take the time and make room for "the public square" in our Bylaws. This is the Baptist charism, our gift of the Spirit to the world.
Please continue to keep this central identifying characteristic in the forefront of our minds as we continue to discuss the necessary restructuring of our denomination. This is how we can be a light to the world, our friends and strangers alike.
Thank you.
Posted by tripp at July 1, 2009 04:47 PM