Realizing Beloved Community: Report from the House of Bishops Theology Committee

A major study on the theology of Beloved Community.

This long-awaited work by the church's top clergy, scholars, and thought leaders examines the theological foundation of Beloved Community and its threats. It addresses such important topics as the legacy and sin of white supremacy, economic disparity, racial healing, and the call for reparations. The committee's work sheds light on the societal and cultural implications of the largest obstacle to the core mission of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and outlines what is necessary for the future of racial justice.

"I am so grateful for the... work of the theologians and bishops who have spent the last five years working on [this study] . . . This is hard and holy work, not to hurt or harm, but to help and heal."
―Michael B. Curry, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church

Allen K. Shin is the Bishop Suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. He serves as the chair of the House of Bishops Theology Committee of the Episcopal Church. He lives in New York, New York.

Larry R. Benfield was elected the thirteenth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas in 2006 and consecrated in 2007. He lives in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry is the Episcopal Church’s 27th Presiding Bishop. He was the Bishop of North Carolina from 2000 to 2015. Bishop Curry has a national preaching and teaching ministry and is a regular on TV and radio and a frequent speaker at conferences around the country. His books include Crazy Christians: A Call to Follow Jesus; Following the Way of Jesus: Church’s Teachings for a Changing World; and Love Is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times.

Thomas Breidenthal is former chair of the House of Bishops theology committee and is the former bishop of the Diocese of Southern Ohio. He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Laura Ahrens is Bishop Suffragan in the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut. She lives in Danbury, Connecticut.