War Cry has been highlighting hospitality, most recently in a series of articles by Coralie Bridle. In this edition, Captain Ross Wardle extends the concept to consider the hospitality churches may or may not show to gay and lesbian people. (We can read into this the hospitality shown to bisexual, transgender and intersex people as well.) Robin Raymond also touches on this in his article on Lutheran minister Nadia Bolz-Weber—highlighting the ‘dilemma’ of a very embracing congregation considering how to welcome those who don’t typically face exclusion from church.
Our own denomination was founded as a safe place for ‘misfits’ who did not fit into the church environment of the day (interestingly, the word ‘misfit’ has its origins in the period when The Salvation Army began). In an address titled ‘Compel Them to Come In’, our co-founder Catherine Booth writes, ‘There are teeming thousands who never cross the threshold of church … to whom all connected with religion is as an old song, a byword and a reproach. They need to be brought into contact with a living Christ in the characters and persons of his people’.
Jesus said, I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. This is a theme Jesus also touched on when talking about hosting a banquet not for family, friends and rich neighbours, but for society’s outcasts. I don’t see Jesus instructing his followers to establish ourselves as gatekeepers (or bouncers) at the doorway. On the contrary, Jesus sends us out to invite everyone in! I’ve found it liberating over the past few years to understand that Jesus doesn’t call me to vet people as to whether or not I believe they’re suitable for his kingdom. As the Army’s sixth doctrine reminds us: whosoever will may be saved.
Regular readers will notice some ‘spring cleaning’ in this edition, with the reordering of a few pages. Although this will make your journey through our pages different, we hope it’s just as enjoyable. After all, a little ‘different’ can be a good thing.
Christina Tyson
Editor
Romans 15:7 English Standard Version
‘Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.’
Roma 15:7
‘Nā, me whakahoa koutou tētahi ki tētahi, kia rite ki a te Karaiti i mea nei i a tātou hei hoa mōna, kia whai korōria ai te Atua.’