Sean Rowe wants to realign the Episcopal Church; Religion News Service via AP, November 19, 2024

YONAT SHIMRON , Religion News Service via AP; Sean Rowe wants to realign the Episcopal Church

How do you see the church in the next four years vis-à-vis the Trump administration?

I’m gonna continue to call the church to stand with the least of these. We have for many years had a significant ministry with refugees. We’re one of 13 federal agencies that resettles refugees. We will continue that work. We want to stand with those who are seeking refuge in this country and stand on our record of success, resettling asylum-seekers and refugees. We’re Christians who support the dignity, safety and equality of women and LGBTQ people. We understand that not as a political statement but as an expression of our faith. We may disagree about immigration policy in the pews. We’re largely united about our support of people who are seeking refuge and asylum and inclusion of all people.

Has the church taken a stand on Christian nationalism?

Our House of Bishops has at least a theological report on Christian nationalism, which I think is well done. We’re after creating an inclusive, welcoming church that helps to transform the world. Christian nationalism really has no place. We will bring forth an understanding of the kingdom of God that is entirely in opposition to those ways of thinking and the values of Christian nationalism.

You yourself were once an evangelical. You went to Grove City College, a conservative evangelical school. What happened?

I attended Grove City College but I did not learn Christian nationalism there. I learned about the rule of law as a core fundamental and that’s what I don’t see in a lot of the thinking that is there now. I always struggled with a lack of an expansive or inclusive worldview that did not account for the complexity of human nature and the world around me. It felt limiting and narrow to me. I had friends who came out as LGBTQ, I traveled to see how other cultures lived and thought. As my world expanded, I came back to new understandings. I’ve gone from being an evangelical Christian, as the term is understood today, to someone who understands God as much broader and the world as much more complex than I once thought."

A Message from Dean Hollerith: The Work We Have To Do; Washington National Cathedral, November 6, 2024

The Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, Washington National Cathedral ; A Message from Dean Hollerith: The Work We Have To Do

"Today, America woke up to a new President, a new Congress and a new understanding of who we are as a nation. For some, this was a long-sought victory after years of work and organizing; for others, this seismic shift feels disorienting and disheartening.  

Whether your preferred candidates won or lost, our work as Americans is just beginning. There is healing we must do, as individuals and as a people. Now is when we must listen to Abraham Lincoln and “bind up the nation’s wounds,” and we must follow his example to do it with “malice toward none and charity for all.”

This will not be easy work. We must start by showing grace to ourselves and to others. There are many among us who are hurt, fearful or angry, and they may have no desire to extend a hand, or give their neighbor the benefit of the doubt. Others among us may be tempted to write this next chapter with a sense of winner-take-all vengeance.      

We are weary of division and bitter politics; we have no need for more of that. Instead, let us aim for a better way to move forward together, as one people, one family of God. We may not agree, we may not understand each other, we may not even like each other. But we are tied together in our shared humanity, and as hard as it may be to hear, in the end there is no us and them; there is only us. 

If we can learn anew how we see each other, then maybe we can learn anew how to treat each other. In this moment, and in all the days to come, let us strive to embody the challenges and promises of our faith. As Jesus said: 

Love your enemies.
Do good to those who hate you.
Bless those who curse you.
Pray for those who abuse you.
Do good and lend, expecting nothing in return.
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Do not judge, and you will not be judged.
Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.
Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Give, and it will be given to you.
For the measure you give will be the measure you receive. 

And the blessing of God Almighty — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — be with you this day and always. Amen."

New Gift Supports Research in AI, Ethics; Duquesne University, September 16, 2024

Duquesne University ; New Gift Supports Research in AI, Ethics

"Duquesne University’s Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law has received a $600,000 gift from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation to support the center’s mission to research ethical issues confronting society in the intersected fields of science, technology and law.

The center leverages the university’s expertise and commitment to the study of ethics to promote partnerships with leading institutions in order to become a transformational force for both Duquesne and the evolving global community. 
 
"We are grateful to the Henry L. Hillman Foundation for this latest generous gift to the Grefenstette Center,” said Duquesne University President Ken Gormley. “This new funding will allow the center to ramp up its work as a pivotal player in the modern field of ethics at a time when technology is changing at a rapid pace and creating new societal challenges.”
 
The Grefenstette Center is the first in the world to bring Catholic, Spiritan values and ideals in an ecumenical framework to grapple with the growing challenges presented by science and technology in society. The center hosts an annual tech ethics symposium, a student-focused hackathon (hacking4humanity) and regularly supports and publishes new research at the intersection of ethics, technology, science, and faith. 

Led by Executive Director Dr. John Slattery, the center was recently named part of the National AI Safety Institute Consortium."