Bishop Michael Curry
‘There is power in love’! That is the core message from the sermon delivered by African-American Anglican bishop Michael Curry from Illinois, Chicago and president of the US Episcopal Church.
Running at nearly fifteen minutes, the Bishop’s sermon which emphasized the power of love, wasn’t the traditional kind of sermon you’d hear or the romantic love you might express at a wedding. No, it was none of that. Rather, Curry was drawing on the rhetoric of liberation theology — a 20th century theological tradition inspired by Marxist thought — to characterize love as a necessary, chaotic, and political force.
The newlyweds had personally asked Bishop Curry to give an address in front of their 600 guests at the St. George’s Chapel. Curry was articulate, charismatic, fiery, enthusiastic, passionate about the message that he came to deliver. He spoke in the style of black American preachers, quoting respected speakers like Martin Luther King Jr.
“’We must discover the power of love, the power, the redemptive power of love,’” he said as he quoted Dr King. “‘And when we do that, we will make of this whole world a new world. But love, love is the only way.’”
Who is Michael Curry?
For those who may be wondering who this exceptional preacher is, here are 5 quick things you need to know about him.
- He was ordained as a priest in 1978, is the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church and has spoken on issues including social justice, immigration policy and marriage equality.
- Bishop Curry defended the Episcopal Church’s move to allow same-sex couples to marry in a church in 2015, which caused some churches to cut ties.
- He most recently campaigned for the creation of family day care providers, educational centres and investment in inner-city neighbourhoods in all three of his parish ministries – North Carolina, Ohio, and Maryland.
- The US Episcopal Church is one of only two Anglican churches worldwide that allow gay marriage in church – the other being the Scottish Episcopal Church.
- In North Carolina, he helped to refocus the church’s development goals to fund malaria nets to save more than 100,000 lives.
Watch his full sermon below: