Poetry

"When power leads us to arrogance, poetry reminds us of our limitations. When power narrows the area of our concern, poetry reminds us of the richness and diversity of our existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses."

Some years ago when we first quoted these words of John F Kennedy in this journal, we had little notion that one day we'd devote an entire issue to poetry. He had in mind then the state, but the notion sounded altogether as appropriate for the church. The Baptismal Covenant has been and continues to be this journal's basic editorial policy. And now that we think about it, it is a kind of poetry in itself, a metaphorical shaping and way of imagining the Christian life, not unlike the parables, the poetry of Jesus, were for him.

It should be no surprise that the fundamentalist/literalist mindset now insinuating itself into the Anglican Communion's churches would want to change our traditional biblical theology-of-analogy into one ponderous confession qua covenant all the better to manipulate. This move is, indeed, as Kennedy wrote, a move for power which leads to arrogance, narrows our vision, and corrupts our polities and mission.

Rob Cogswell's deeply spiritual reflections recall for us how poetry, especially the poetry of our Baptismal Covenant, can remind us of our limitations together with the richness and diversity of our existence all the while cleansing us as perhaps no fuller on earth can do.

[The Covenant Journal, Number 26, September 2007 All poetry in this issue is by Robert Cogswell.]