True Inclusion: Creating Communities of Radical Embrace

Robertson (Nomad), lead pastor of Missiongathering Christian Church in San Diego, Calif., draws on his life experience to offer ideas for creating a truly inclusive faith community. After being confronted by the administration of his Bible college about his “same-sex desires,” Robertson looked elsewhere for an inclusive Christian church that pursued the “good of the silenced, marginalized, and oppressed.” Now serving as an openly gay pastor, he shares how he has confronted homophobia throughout his life in order to break down a key misunderstanding: the notion that inclusivity is about tolerating other people. For Robertson, inclusivity isn’t about toleration, but about getting to know and love those who aren’t like you. “The spirit of true inclusion,” he writes, “is one that invites the full diversity of humanity into community so that we can learn, grow, and reflect the expansive, diverse God in whose image we are made.” Robertson provides carefully selected passages from Scripture to support his claims, and also dedicates a chapter to a searing critique of patriarchy (“The Bible and our faith come from the margins... how can we not be willing to allow the perspectives of the marginalized to inform and change our interpretation of Scripture?”). This challenging treatise, intended to ruffle feathers, is a much-needed salve in the current climate of polarization. (Sept.)