Maggie:
I met Walter Clark  on the Sojourners list through a post about Henri Noewen's book: Return of the Prodigal Son in which Noewen meditates on Rembrandt's painting by the same name.  Walter's post, an excerpt from Noewen, and a link to the painting are here.

I don't like introductions nor do I like to toot my own horn, but FWIW, and out of respect for Maggie and the reconciling work she and others are doing on B-A, I offer the following. 

I was born in New York City and went to school there on the edge of Harlem. I played handball and stick ball on the streets and sidewalks with Puerto Ricans, Chinese, Jews, and Anglos. I am the eternally grateful recipient of values imparted to me by three people in particular: 1) My crusty father who taught me the importance of thinking instead of just reacting, and who considered entering the ministry until he became disillusioned with the insipid Christianity of Protestant liberalism and Roman Catholic dogmatism. 2) My mother who valued non-conformity and was an ardent admirer of the late Margaret Sanger, who spoke Latin, and who was expert in photography, horticulture, and Continental cuisine. 3) A devout country doctor possessed of a rapier wit, a lively sense of the absurd, a belief that women were as sinful as men, an ability to diagnose disease with uncanny accuracy by means of sight, smell, and taste, and a compassion that strongly reminded me, and others, of the compassion of Jesus himself, a compassion she constantly put into practice. 

I am a graduate of The University of Virginia and The Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. I am an ordained priest of the Episcopal Church. I have served in institutional settings like hospitals and prisons and in parishes both large and small. I put in many 16-hour days. My preference is for mid-size congregations. I believe in long-term pastorates and for twenty-two years served an Episcopal church of about 400 in south Texas near Corpus Christi. While there I served on several community based committees that dealt with issues of finding jobs and providing decent housing for the "working poor" and for people wanting to get off welfare. I also spent three years on a diocesan Commission on Human Sexuality which both challenged and enlightened me on the intricacies of human sexuality and relationships and gave me a new appreciation for people whose life styles often differed radically from mine. I remember being impressed by the dignity of those who visited our commission. 

My wife and I have just celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary. We have two handsome sons who live and work in Texas. My wife and I now live and work in the Shenandoah Valley, to which we returned last year to be closer to family that is aging and needs our support. I am currently serving a small congregation in nearby Maryland. 

I am deeply committed to the proclamation of the Gospel and often feel the Church tends both to water it down and interpret it too narrowly. I love the discoveries of modern science but scoff at its claims of salvation and believe that when science is used in this way, it becomes Gnosticism pathetically warmed over. I believe in the unity of mind, body, and spirit, better spelled mindbodyspirit, and see clearly that the attempts of science to atomize this unity is very damaging to the human psyche. I think America is blessed by its cultural diversity. I also think Americans in general are the most spoiled people on earth. I am appalled by those who slight the matter of poverty in this country but also know many who are working behind the scenes to alleviate it. I am an opponent of the death penalty. 

I believe God has a deep sense of humor and of the absurd, and that any lively faith must incorporate something of these attributes in order to prevent it from becoming pompous, self-righteous, narrow, and self-congratulatory. 

Well, enough of this. That's all you're going to hear from me by way of introduction. Now let's get back to reflecting on and doing the ministries to which we are all called by God. Peace to you all.