From Ruminations, the weblog of Fleming Rutledge:
I recently preached a sermon at the ordination of Jason Poling in Baltimore (it is posted in Ruminations). As I hint in my charge to him, he has unusual credentials which enable him to straddle the evangelical-liberal divide, and as he moves around Baltimore, it is striking how many clergy of all persuasions he knows personally. Bishop Eugene Sutton of the Diocese of Maryland, though he recognizes that Jason is more “conservative” than his mostly “liberal” diocese is, has honored Jason’s gifts by putting him in charge of a lovely but empty Episcopal church building, to start a new congregation. I single this out for mention because there is an opportunity here to build some bridges. It does not seem to occur to most “liberal” clergy that a relationship with an evangelical pastor might be worth cultivating — for the sake of the witness of the whole church of God in this time of national crisis.
Image: The Rev. Jason Poling serves New Hope Community Church as senior pastor.
