Presiding Bishop addresses church’s role in modern society during Sewanee panel discussion

[Episcopal News Service] The University of the South’s School of Theology in Sewanee, Tennessee, hosted a panel discussion on the opportunities and challenges The Episcopal Church faces in a contemporary cultural landscape. Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe spoke alongside Western Louisiana Bishop Jacob Owensby, who serves as the university’s chancellor, and Robert Pearigen, its vice-chancellor.

“The Episcopal Church is a tradition that has always valued learning, and in particularly in this time and in this season, we could use a bit more thinking and a bit more reflection, a little less reaction,” Rowe said during the Jan. 26 panel discussion, which was held at the University of the South’s Convocation Hall and led by Owensby.

About 150 people from the university and wider Sewanee community attended the event, where the panelists also discussed the university’s role as an Episcopal institution.

The University of the South – which is owned and governed by The Episcopal Church’s 28 southeast dioceses – continues to be rooted in that same tradition, which remains relevant in the 21st century as it’s combined with Episcopal faith and morality, Pearigen said.

“That includes the integration of the mind and the heart – the integration of faith and reason in a way that is so important to who we are as an institution – that integration of faith and reason and service so one is a place where the notion of service and commitment to others,” he said, referring to the university’s motto, Psalm 133. “A commitment to the common good is at our core.”

Even though The Episcopal Church and its affiliated institutions, like Sewanee, remain steadfast in upholding Anglican traditions and morals, Rowe stressed the importance of also adapting to broader cultural shifts while delivering a “grounded” Christian spirituality. This requires going beyond politics and partisanship to bring the “hope of a relationship with God.”

Adapting and proclaiming Christ’s message includes catering to the spiritual needs of people of all ages and backgrounds, including young adults and seminary students.

“I think what the church has to offer is a way of thinking about the world, a way of reflecting on life, particularly as you’re beginning to form what is your own vocation and call,” Rowe said. “I think that’s the joy of The Episcopal Church, because we all have a vocation to which God is calling.”

Rowe highlighted the work Episcopal Migration Ministries, or EMM, as an example of effectively and adaptively responding to the modern world. EMM is one of 10 agencies existing with federal contracts to facilitate refugee resettlement on behalf of the State Department. Through EMM, the church has helped resettle more than 100,000 refugees fleeing war and persecution since the United States created its federal resettlement program 45 years ago. The agency’s work was effectively halted last week when President Donald Trump signed an executive order that suspended all refugee resettlement in the United States and gave no clear indication when, if ever, it might resume. Despite uncertainty under the Trump administration, EMM is remaining focused on its mission.

“The program as we’ve known it will go away, but something new will emerge, and we’ve already been thinking about ways in which we can continue that commitment to refugees around the world,” Rowe said. “We’re learning how to adapt right now. We’re not going to give up.”

Regarding seminaries, specifically, Pearigen said offering a strong liberal arts education provides an environment that encourages exchanging ideas and asking questions. This foundation is applied to adaptive programming the University of the South’s School of Theology offers, including the SUMMA Theological Debate Summer Camp for high school students.

Adding to the discussion of faith and cultural adaptation, Owensby said Episcopalians tend to be able to inhabit spaces with people from different faiths and viewpoints without compromising their commitment to Jesus. Whether inside or outside academia, civil exchanges can be “enriching” and “enhancing.”

“You might not be Episcopalian. – You might not even be a Christian; that’s fine,” Owensby said. “The point is … we’re about making humans more human, and we believe that that involves this connection to the transcendent in some way that propels us to just keep asking.”

Some students who attended the webinar in person asked the panelists questions. One person asked Rowe how the church should maintain nonpartisanship in politics. Rowe said that politics is both important and inevitable, but ultimately Episcopalians should remember that their first allegiance is to God. For reference, he mentioned Washington Bishop Mariann Budde’s plea to Trump to show mercy to “the people in our country who are scared now” – specifically LGBTQ+ people and immigrants – during her sermon at Washington National Cathedral’s Jan. 21 post-inauguration worship service.

“This is about loving our neighbor and the fact that our first citizenship is in the Kingdom [of God],” Rowe said. “That’s why we should be able to be united across parties, across political differences … caring for the stranger.”

Earlier in the day, Rowe preached during the university’s All Saints’ Chapel 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. worship services. The latter service was livestreamed.

While visiting Sewanee, Rowe also met with seminarians, faculty from the theology school and other university groups.

–Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.