Here Be Dragons 2 : When God Says NO.

About this episode

Bishop Michael Hunn reflects on the Episcopal Church's decline and the implications of God saying 'no' in the context of faith and vocation.

Here Be Dragons (Meditation 2): When God Says No—The Apophatic Way and the Church’s Stripping Away Bishop Michael Hun of the Diocese of the Rio Grande reflects on the Episcopal Church’s shift from mid-20th-century cultural confidence and institutional influence to a present season of decline, financial strain, and uncertainty, describing it as an apophatic “stripping away” in which familiar supports, plans, and programs fail and God seems to say “no.” He argues this is not a verdict of worthlessness but a clarification of vocation: willingness to follow Jesus without the future, security, or success once imagined, focusing instead on the people, place, and work actually given. Drawing cautious historical “rhymes” from the German church under Nazism and the Roman Catholic Church in Chile under Pinochet, he warns against trading the gospel for respectability, silence, or political co-option, and calls the church to speak publicly about bodies, violence, and justice while discerning how to proclaim gospel truth so people across a polarized spectrum can hear it. For more on Dietrich Bonhoeffer : https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc... For more on Chile and the Church see…

Topics covered

• apophatic theology
• church decline
• vocation
• historical parallels
• gospel truth
• justice

Keywords

• Episcopal Church
• cultural confidence
• financial strain
• Nazism
• Pinochet

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Torture and Eucharist: Theology, Politics, and the Body of Christ

Books & works: Torture and Eucharist : Theology, Politics, and the Body of Christ, Facing Decline and Uncertainty

Places: Chile, Germany

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