"We have work to do."

Not long ago the Presiding Bishop Elect of the Episcopal Church, Katharine Jefferts Schori, was interviewed on the Diane Rehme show. Here's a statement she made that's worthy of attention. It's a reminder that the fundamentalists do not offer the only Christian voice in our country today.

Katharine Jefferts Schori: I've made major statements about the Federal Budget the last time around, and on immigration issues. The church has a voice to contribute to the conversation, and I think it's essential that we do so. Obviously, if we're a nonprofit organization, we can't promote one particular candidate or one particular political initiative. But we have a responsibility as Christians to express our moral understanding of the implications of actions of Congress, and our government, and I think we need to do more of that work probably than less....I think the work around Millennium Development Goals has been a politically motivated initiative in the large sense of what that word "politics" means. I understand it as the art of living together in community. We are called to transform the world around us as Christians, into something that looks more like the reign of God. And the last time I checked, I don't think the hungry are all being fed, I don't think the ill people are all being provided with healthcare. We have work to do.

I love her definition of politics: "the art of living together in community." If we all thought of politics that way - instead of as a war - this would be a far, far better world.