As I wrote in my church newsletter – As an ally, parent, pastor, and friend I want to express my pride, using this word in its best sense, meaning to express honor, appreciation, and support. I am proud to be a part of a church that honors the sacred worth of all and is willing to stand with those who have been harmed because of their sexual and gender identity. I want to express my appreciation and give honor to all who strive to be who God has created them to be, and during this time, especially to those who have been turned into an issue and/or rejected when trying to be true to who they are as a child of God. As the popular Facebook meme for Pride Month says, “This pastor loves you.”
It seems that this June is also becoming a month of Protest. As your pastor, I want to speak to this as well. The word “protest” literally means to advance, proactively, a testament or witness. The word is most often associated with a proactive testament against something, but this is often accompanied by a proactive hope as well. For a protest to have moral power, it needs to be rooted in a commitment “for” something, not only “against” something.
From a Methodist/Wesleyan perspective, we are called to be protestants (note the word protest) with a “catholic spirit.” John Wesley used this term to promote universal (catholic) love for all. He asked, “May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion? We can if we understand that our calling is to “forward one another in love.” This is what we are “for.” We are “for” honoring one another, caring for one another, and building a community together, where our diversity is seen as a great blessing, and where we focus on values that are life-giving for all, rather than judging some by another standard.
In light of calls by major Christian denominations to overturn Supreme Court Precedents on Marriage, and in light of active efforts to devalue beloved children of God and to cause harm seemingly only for political power, there is a need for people of faith to express both pride and to protest, recognizing that sometimes these are the same thing. And for us, both must be expressed in a spirit of love – with patience, kindness, and a humility that does not insist on its own way. Both must give witness to the peace in which we are all called. We do both, trusting that God is at work for good. Both Pride and Protest can be holy work.
Connected In Christ 