Thursday, January 04, 2007

The Episcopal Church: Ain't Misbehavin'

I think Garrison Keillor is, without a doubt, one of the best "unintended preachers" in or out of the church. He became an Episcopalian when he got married (how familiar is that story?).

I think we who begin as "outsiders" perhaps have some of the best - if not funniest -things to say about our beloved church. To wit - this little ditty.


Tune: Ain't Misbehavin'
Words: Garrison Keillor

I'm slow to anger, don't covet or lust.
No sins of pride except sometimes I really must.
Episcopalian, saving my love for you.

The theology's easy, the liturgy too.
Just stand up and kneel down and say what the others do.
Episcopalian, saving my love for you.

I bless myself with a flick of the wrist.
You'd never know I was raised fundamentalist.
Episcopalian, saving my love for you.

There's white folks and black, and gay and morose,
Some male Anglo Saxons but we watch them pretty close.
Episcopalian, saving my love for you.
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1 comment:

  1. Caroline DivineThu Jan 04, 03:37:00 PM

    On the show, he says he never became an Episcopalian because he didn't have the manual dexterity for it. ;-)

    See our friend on the other side of the Atlantic for a good illustration...
    http://www.cartoonchurch.com/content/cc/easy-to-follow/

    I must say this was one of the small irritants for me when I became an Episcopalian. (And I'm a theologian and ministerial type, so you'd think it wouldn't bother me -- but I was used to contemporary Catholicism, yes, of the quite literate and progressive kind, but where people don't have their nose in a prayerbook as much and there is more direct visual, call-and-response, and auditory involvement.) This remains a question for me, even as I treasure the Prayer Book and the fact that it is in all our hands; how can we work better with a) people of multiple intelligences (see Howard Gardner et al.) and b) people with varying degrees of literacy? I think we need to deal with this better. Oops, I changed the topic.

    That said -- great song. (I like the Fats Waller original, too.)

    (Yes, my blogger name is a triple play on words.)

    Love your blog. (Also a fan of MadPriest's.)

    In sisterhood,
    CD

    ReplyDelete

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