The CATHEDRAL TIMES The weekly newsletter of the Cathedral of St. Philip · Serving Atlanta and the World · July 5, 2020
PUBLIC PRESENCE, SOCIAL MEDIA, COMMUNITY By the Very Rev. Sam Candler, Dean of the Cathedral Most of you reading these words have a public presence! It used to be that our communities assigned the designation “public presence” to only a few among us, such people as: elected officials, heads of public institutions (like companies, schools, the media), maybe clergy (like me), maybe movie stars. Usually, but not always, those kinds of acknowledged public people were careful about how they phrased their opinions, how they said things. They realized that a stray word, or an unguarded emotion, could crank up harsh public opinion, even if it was unintended. Un-careful words, and wild emotion, could harm the public they actually wanted to serve. These days, however, almost everyone has their own public platform. It’s called a publishing platform. It’s called social media. We are our own publishers, not having to work our thoughts or opinions through any sort of filter at all. Most of us are free to publish things without a social filter, or community filter, or intellectual filter, or emotional filter. Most of us have no editors! About ten to fifteen years ago, there was an image going around of a young do-nothing hacker, who experienced life almost entirely alone, in his or her parents’ basement, with no social contact. That person, so the image went, had enormous influence, using the internet and social media platforms. That person thought he or she was a genius, able to say whatever he or she wanted, with no contradiction or discussion at all. Well, in some ways, we are all that young do-nothing hacker these days. We have been forced into isolation, into side rooms and basements with nothing to occupy us except our internet access and our social media broadcasts. Some of us have learned self-editing. Some of us, maybe, have a sense that the community reading our posted material is way different, and way broader, than our own perspective. But others of us are behaving badly. Those posts are public! For several years now, I have received the occasional complaint about what such and such a person has posted on their social media platform. The complaint might have been about someone in my extended family. Or, more often, it was about someone in the church I serve. And, just as often, the complaint was about a fellow citizen in our country. I am in the habit, over and over again, of advising people in two ways: 1) If you have a reaction, or complaint, about a social media post, please contact that person directly! 2) If the matter is sensitive and disruptive, please contact that person face-to-face! I am not a police officer in these matters. I do not survey the internet for people who are abusing their public platform. When people have complained to me about a post, I have often not even looked at the post, to the disappointment of the person complaining. While I do appreciate, and need, the posts and opinions of people who think differently than I do, I also practice cutting away and ignoring any posts that are abusive, contemptuous, and rude. I don’t have the space for those attitudes. It is way too easy to believe we are engaging others simply by writing a post, or casting an opinion into the internet. It is far harder, and yet far more important, to engage with others face-to-face and over time. That, of course, is what makes our present situation so hazardous. We are all frustrated and miserable from having to live in isolation. We do not have a way of continuing the social discipline and need for community with people who are different from us. The more isolated we are, the more we are tempted to think— without even realizing it!—that ours is the only perspective out there. We have no ability to share, civilly and gracefully, in community. Video conference calls help, but even they do not provide full social community. So, I realize that I am writing this article alone, by myself in the office of the church. I really do miss our community. I miss it a lot. But I am especially missing it now, because I sense what happens when people continued on back page...
This SUNDAY
JULY 5 2020 · The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 9, Year A
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 · Psalm 145:1-9 · Romans 7:15-25a · Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
WORSHIP WITH THE CATHEDRAL ONLINE AT CATHEDRALATL.ORG/STREAM, ON THE CATHEDRAL APP, AND ON THE CATHEDRAL FACEBOOK PAGE.
8:45 A.M. AND 11:15 A.M. HOLY EUCHARIST Celebrant: The Rev. Canon Lauren Holder Preacher: The Very Rev. Sam Candler Cathedral Singers octet: Prelude: The National Anthem Hymn 719, “O beautiful for spacious skies” Materna Psalm 145:1-9 (Anglican chant: David Hurd) Hymn 591, “O God of earth and altar” King’s Lynn Harold Friedell, Draw us in the Spirit’s tether Richard Proulx, Sanctus & Benedictus from A Community Mass Hymn 568, “Father all loving, who rulest in majesty” Was lebet Hymn 680, “O God, our help in ages past” St. Anne Margaret Vardell Sandresky, March in A Major
PRAYER List FOR THOSE WHO ARE ILL OR RECOVERING: IMMEDIATE NEEDS Maggie Maddux
LONG TERM PRAYERS R. Huntley Allen • T. Mayo and Pat Atkins • Al Bailey • Margarito Barragan • Edgar and Judith Beach • Perry Benton • Virginia Bicksler • Mindy Boggs • Josh Borden, Jr. • Bernice Burton • Corey Cashion • Connie
Chapman • Heather Clark • Terry Dornbush • Sarah duBignon • Deborah Ellington • Randy Farmer • Jenny
Ham • Katie Hughey • Louise Kan • John Kelleher • Chris Kopecky • Lisa Krysiak • Elaine Lyon • Patricia Madison • Carol McDonald • Glenn Miller • Ashley Minear • Royce Mitchell • Bud and Emily Murphy •
Susan Myers • Charlie Neal • Linus Nickel • Edith Oliveros • Marion Palmore • Garry Pryor • Rowland Radford • Rubye and Wayne Reid • Tommy Ripley • Agnes Elizabeth Robertson • Louis "Skip" Schueddig • Julie Thompson • Tommy Truesdale • Faye Van Winkle • Karen Young
FAMILY AND FRIENDS Eileen Abeyesundere • Bill Aycock • Karyn Bacon • Bettina Bass • Tom Bingham • David Bond • Lynn Chandler •
Andrew Clark • Marie Corrigan • Carleton Fuller • Tom Ingegneri • Stephen Jones • Bernard A. Kan • Susan Kuzia • Pete Livezey • Pat Martin • Michelle Maxwell • Bonnie Shields McCormack • Bob McGill • David
Mickle • Malcolm A. Moore • Steven Norman • Frank Roth • James Sands • Patricia Schooley • Clark Shelton •
Milton Shiver • Tina Susco • Yvonne Tate • Pierson Thames • Jeffrey Thomas • Janiece Townshend • Roger Traylor • Ron M. Wallace • Whit A. Wright • Patricia Young • Hollis Youngner
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED Vernon Dexter • Rodney DuBose • Robbie Zappa
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The Very Rev. Samuel G. Candler, Dean Dale Adelmann, Ph.D., Canon for Music The Rev. Lauren R. Holder, Canon for Community and Education The Rev. George M. Maxwell, Jr., Vicar The Rev. Catherine Zappa, Canon for Liturgy and Pastoral Care The Rev. John William Harkins III, Ph.D., Priest Associate The Rev. Nathan G. Huddleston, Priest Associate for Youth and Young Adult Ministries The Rev. Julia B. Mitchener, Priest Associate for Children’s Ministries The Rev. Deacon Juan Sandoval, Deacon for Hispanic Ministries The Rev. Theophus “Thee” Smith, Ph.D., Priest Associate The Rev. Carolynne G. Williams, Canon Associate for Pastoral Care and Elder Ministry Del King, Senior Warden Dorsey DeLong, Junior Warden
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...continued from front page speak and publish things without filters, or editors, or communities. We all need each other, and yet we are unable to be with each other. That is miserable to me, and to us. And when we speak, and post, without an awareness of others, without an awareness of wider community, it is actually dangerous to us. Meanwhile, of course, I do have a responsibility to calmly guide family members. And I do have a responsibility to assign leadership roles in the cathedral to people who have demonstrated an ability to represent the cathedral with the grace and excellence and hospitality of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have a responsibility to foster healthy community, for the common good, for the public. I pray that our community can engage, and re-engage, with that grace and excellence and hospitality, soon. Soon and very soon.
The Very Rev. Sam Candler Dean of the Cathedral
POSTMASTER: Dated Material. Please deliver by July 4, 2020 POSTMASTER Send address changes to: The Cathedral of St. Philip 2744 Peachtree Road, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30305-2920 404-365-1000
CATHEDRAL TIMES (USPS-093440) is published weekly by The Cathedral of St. Philip 2744 Peachtree Road, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30305-2920 Periodicals Postage Paid at Atlanta, GA
Adult EDUCATION OLD FASHIONED SUNDAY SCHOOL This Sunday, July 5 in Old Fashioned Sunday School, the Rev. Julia Mitchener will teach a class titled, “Freedom for What? Biblical and Cultural Perspectives on Liberty.” Join us on Zoom for an Independence Day Weekend exploration of basic biblical understandings of freedom and how these may compare and contrast with postmodern American ideas.
RAISING WHITE KIDS Talking about race can be hard. Talking to kids about race might be even harder. Dr. Jennifer Harvey’s book Raising White Kids addresses this challenge, opportunity, and responsibility. Canon Lauren Holder will lean on Dr. Harvey’s book in a three-week Sunday School class open to all adults at the Cathedral. The class will be held July 12, 19, and 26 at 10:10 a.m. and 8 p.m.—you choose the time of day that works best for you! Join us from anywhere on Zoom.
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