I'm a huge Mike Kinman fan and I commend this thoughtful piece he's written about the call for a "21st century spirituality of discernment" that rejects the quick either/or and chooses instead the more complex and challenging both/and. (my summarization) I do believe that this is precisely the hard work we have been called into as followers of the One who loved us enough to become one of us in order to show us how to love one another -- and that as Anglicans we have the DNA of comprehensiveness in our collective veins that arguably uniquely equips us to for precisely that work.
Mike rightly challenges the knee-jerk, sound bite culture that leaves no room for nuance in our public discourse. It is sadly a reality of the "world as we know it" and I couldn't agree more.
My pushback is this: I believe it is in the service of living into that spirit of discernment to challenge moments when colleagues -- Justin Welby as case in point -- feed into that cultural dysfunction with statements such as the one that came from the recent LBC radio interview.
I believe it is important for those with voice and platform to speak out for the voiceless, the at risk and the vulnerable -- in this case LGBT people who hear in the Archbishop's words that the cost of recognizing their full humanity is the death of Nigerian Christians. (Whether or not that's what the Archbishop intended, it has been the impact of his words.) And finally, I believe it is important to call out that the purview of naming that impact lies with the LGBT people who are its target.
La lucha continua. (The struggle continues.)
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