Thomas L Brackett's Page

The Invitation:

Over the next three months, I’ll be videotaping brief interviews with Episcopalians as they answer the follow-up questions following each of Brian McLaren’s recent claims (see below). It is my hope to combine an inspiring collection of “I dream of a church where . . .” statements with practical “next steps” statements that will offer a sense of vision to new leaders in our Episcopal Church. I’ll be wandering the halls of General Convention for two weeks, video camera in h… Continue

June 12, 2009

Let me tell you about one of the more exciting developments I’ve come across in weeks! It all started three weeks ago when I received an e-mail from a West Coast Community Organizer who had served her Diocese as a member of their Executive Council for two terms. She and a team of friends had identified a neighborhood with particular unmet needs and had pooled their financial resources to start an after school program for Latino Hispanic children, as well as a weekend “club” for th… Continue

There comes a moment for me – usually after I wake up from a vivid dream – when I ask myself, “What was that all about?!” The moment also comes to me when I’ve experienced something too big to take in, right then. A friend of mine says that most of us have great difficulty recognizing the shape of the times we currently inhabit. (We seem to be a whole lot better at recognizing the shape of times past.)

Some of you know that, a few months ago, I spent three weeks in the UK, exploring the Church… Continue

Over the last few days, the e-mails coming into my Inbox regarding the role of the institution in supporting emergence in faith communities and networks has been so confirming. They have confirmed for me that this is an important moment in the long history of our Christian dialogue. What is it that we say in Eucharistic Prayer C -- something about “Open our eyes to see Your hand at work in the world around us . . . "?

Most of the time, the only real obstacle to moving into new life is our fear… Continue

Lately, as I visit with leaders in American Christianity, I hear three categorical responses to our changing world and the impact of those changes on the churches we hold dear:

"Let's return to the True Faith and Order of the past." Some of these tend toward Fundamentalism, but not all. These are the ones who promise that if we just did our Bible Studies better and welcomed folks more warmly, we would grow again.

"'Just be faithful and God will bless! After all, we've had a 2000 year successfu… Continue