We often use the term Beloved Community to cast a vision for the People of God living in peace and communion with one another and the created world. The Beloved Community is decidedly focused not on justice in the next world, but about living together, loved and reconciled, in this world and in our churches and communities today.
First coined by theologian Josiah Royce in 1913 and popularized by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Beloved Community offers a compelling theological vision for racial justice and reconciliation. God calls us to the work of repair and reconciliation not only because it is just and right, but because it draws us out of our egos and tribal identities and into a sense of shared and sacred community. In our American context, that cannot happen without a reckoning with power, white supremacy, injustice, and inequality.
The Episcopal Church leans heavily on the vision and journey of becoming Beloved Community and has even widened that lens to consider how issues like poverty, creation care and climate justice, and LGBTQ+ inclusion are at the heart of this work. The more we explore the work of reconciliation and justice, the more we see how deeply interconnected these things are, and how essential this work is to how we live our faith.
This Sunday, I’ll welcome the Rev. Canon Rosalind Hughes, Canon for Becoming Beloved Community in the Diocese of Ohio (and longtime friend of Trinity Cathedral). We’ll explore the work of the people of the Diocese of Ohio in building Beloved Community, both practically and as a faith practice, and learn about Canon Rosalind’s own work in bringing about justice and peace in our region and world.
Faithfully,
