I frequently receive questions from heads of school and boards as they develop goals relating to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. It has been somewhat comforting to see deep continuity in these questions from my previous role at SAES into my current role at NAES.
As with most questions, I start by exploring how the mission and Episcopal identity of the school frames the conversation. For Episcopal schools, the Baptismal Covenant is a resource that I use to explore the issue of “what type of community are we called to be?” I also preach frequently on the Baptismal Covenant, focusing specifically on these two questions to the candidates:
Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
Book of Common Prayer, P. 305
However, during our recent meeting of the NAES Governing Board, the conversation shifted to whether or not we sometimes “gloss over” one of the earlier questions:
“Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?”
Book of Common Prayer, P. 304
I’ve preached on that particular question many times as my favorite part of the wording is the “not if, but when” portion about falling into sin. What a wonderful reminder that we all fall short from time to time!
However, what about the “persevere in resisting evil” part? I’m not sure if I have preached on that as much which made me reflect upon a few questions. What does persevering look like in connection with resisting evil as we think about school life? That might not be a popular topic—but one worth exploring. How are we doing individually as “agents of perseverance” against evil and injustice? What about when the community as a whole comes up short? What does appropriate perseverance look like in that situation? What are we doing to encourage the never-ending battle of pushing back against things that prevent us from creating communities that demonstrate a faithful response to the Baptismal Covenant?
As Episcopal schools work to create equitable and just communities, I hope that we don’t fall into a selective reading of the Baptismal Covenant. When I taught theology, I used to joke that we sometimes just “read faster” when we run across something that is difficult or challenging to us. I know that I have been guilty of that before. But, the question remains: How are we letting the entirety of the Baptismal Covenant inform our conversations around these questions?