The Sacred and the Silly explores the busy life of a keen, sharp-eyed theologian, the retired-in-name-only Episcopal Bishop of California, Bill Swing. By raising his hand in a West Virginia schoolyard, eight year old Swing set in motion a magical life -- devotedly religious, globally significant, and generously funny all along the way.
A reflection on a life of ministry, discovered young and developed into an exhilarating (and entertaining) career of service to the church and mankind. Through it all, Bill Swing found great humor and irony, and evangelized that along with his active care for the sick, the marginalized, and the poor among us.
The Rt. Rev. William E. Swing is the President and Founding Trustee of United Religions Initiative (URI). The idea for URI came to Bishop Swing in 1993 after an invitation by the United Nations to host a large interfaith service in San Francisco, marking the 50th anniversary of the signing of the U.N. Charter.
URI now has over 915 Cooperation Circles that operate in 105 countries. Bishop Swing served as the Episcopal Bishop of California from 1980 until his retirement in 2006. In that capacity, he led the international Anglican response to the AIDS crisis, co-founded Episcopal Community Services to address San Francisco’s homeless problem, and co-founded Community Bank of the Bay.
