The New Bishop-Elect of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh

The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh has elected a new bishop. As part of the process, candidates were given four questions to answer. Here is the link to the questions and answers. I am particularly taken by the answer to question #4, as follows, from the now Bishop-Elect, the Reverend Dorsey W.M. McConnell:

4. How might you respond if a person who was not a Christian approached you and said, “Why would I want to be a Christian?”

“Years ago, when I was in your position, a friend warned me to think very carefully before becoming a Christian. He said it would ruin my pleasure in my own sin, and I have since found he was right. And there are other consequences as well. It will seriously hamper your self-centeredness and your pride. It will make you love people you don’t even want to like, forgive people you have every reason to hate, and help people without any thought of gain. And it will bring dozens, hundreds, even thousands, of additional family into your life, who don’t look or talk or think like you — brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters. Since most of us can’t manage the ones we already have, that is also something to think about.
“Of course, there are huge advantages. You will finally know who you are and why you are on this earth. You will find endless mercy, limitless grace, compassion without ceasing, love beyond bounds. You will experience real joy, again and again. You will have an abiding sense of God’s care for you, and you will never again depend on the kudos of the world. After years of trying to create your own universe and run it (which never goes very well), you will be released from the endless task of proving your self-worth. You will discover that serving Jesus Christ will use every fiber of your being, every cell of your creativity, talents you never knew you had, in pursuits you never would have imagined. In short, you will discover the grace and truth of God in this life, and in the age to come, life everlasting.”

My response? I intend to memorize this response and make it my own. What do you think?