St. Paul Jones, Bishop

Born in Pennsylvania, Paul Jones was graduated from Yale University and then took his theological decree at Episcopal Theological Seminary in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  His first posting was to a congregation in Logan, Utah.  That must have been a bit of a cultural shock.  In the event, Father Jones was named Archdeacon of the Missionary District [proto-diocese] of Utah.  He excelled at the growing of congregations and diocesan institutions and, in 1914, was elected Bishop of Utah.  He was strongly opposed to the First World War, which was born out of entangled alliances and had no moral purpose, and that opposition soon led to trouble.

In 1917, Bishop Jones attended a meeting of the Fellowship of Reconciliation in Los Angeles and, in a speech, made the statement that "war is un-Christian."  He was immediately attacked in the press, especially with banner headlines in Utah.  In the ensuing furor, the House of Bishops appointed a committee to investigate the situation.  The committee conducted a trial, found fault with Jones's statement  and called on him to resign, explicitly rejecting his contention that he had a right to object to the war on grounds of faith and conscience.  In the spring of 1918, Bishop Jones resigned.  From then on, he continued to lead a strong peace movement.  Under his leadership, the Fellowship of Reconciliation became international and accomplished much.  In 1940, he was the Socialist Party candidate for governor of Ohio.  Bishop Jones died on 4 September, 1941.

The churchly crisis Bishop Jones faced is a reminder of how, even today, there are Christians and religious leaders who refuse to allow their religion to interfere with their politics!  Leaders for whom values instilled by Jesus Christ are to be openly rejected, especially his clear teachings on peace and non-violence.  When Christianity becomes inconvenient, just redefine it to conform to the world's agendas!   It is a sad fact of life that Christianity does not convert cultures; cultures find ways to convert Christianity.

I am pleased to say that the House of Bishops, meeting in 1962, declared "the validity of the calling of the conscientious objector and the pacifist, and the duty of the Church fully to minister to him, and its obligation to see that we live in a society in which the dictates of his conscience are respected."

Bishop Jones wrote, "Where I serve the Church is of small importance, so long as I can make my life count in the cause of Christ."  So it must be for us.