Edina Hall

Fellow Christians, 

At the start of an Education for Ministry (EFM) year participants are asked to share their “spiritual autobiography.” I initially saw this as a group “get to know you” exercise but quickly realized that it was a personal “get to know me” one.

One year I started with the statement “I am an Episcopalian.” It seemed perfectly normal, until I heard everyone else start with “I am a Christian.” I suppose that I thought that being a Christian was implicit in an Episcopal identity. After some gentle questioning by my group, I admitted that I wasn’t comfortable saying “I am a Christian.”  

In today’s lectionary readings (Luke 4:14-21) we meet Jesus in the synagogue upon his return to Nazareth reading a carefully selected passage from the prophet Isaiah: 

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, 
    because he has anointed me 
    to proclaim good news to the poor. 
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners 
    and recovery of sight for the blind, 
to set the oppressed free, 
   to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 
—Luke 4:18-19

With everyone looking at him, he boldly proclaims, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 

In other words, “THIS is who I am!” 

Over the years, I have tried to embrace the title of Christian at least equally with Episcopalian.  I wish that I could say that I have become more comfortable with it—and in many ways I have.

However, in today’s understanding of what being a Christian is and what Christianity can look like to the world, I often don’t want to claim that title.  

I would find it abhorrent to be lumped with any of the many “Christians” that misuse and weaponize the gospel to stoke fear, hate and justification of all sorts of evil “acts” or agendas in the name of Jesus. That is NOT the Christian that I am. 

As a as a follower of Jesus Christ, however, I must embrace and proclaim that I am indeed a Christian—one that strives to follow Jesus and a gospel of love.  

That is who I am. (With God’s help.) 

But I am going to bring my Episcopal shield and all that comes with that identity—“following Jesus into a loving, liberating, and life-giving relationship with God, each other and the earth.” (episcopalchurch.org) 

—Edina