When we consider our views of people who are different from ourselves, “tolerance” is a bad word. It is often used in relation to people of diverse sexualities or genders. How would we like people to “tolerate” us? Would we accept that term in relation to people of varying races or colours? In past times, that may have been the attitude of white people and most of us would not accept that as appropriate now. If we did, we would, more than likely, be regarded as racist. That approach to difference is far removed from the affirmation and celebration of the grand diversity we find in God’s good creation.
Those of us who are seen as “different”, who are lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, neutral-gender or intersex, may have a gift to offer to the church and the world. We could show them a reality that is beyond “labels” and that invites people to see a much wider and more diverse creation, one that has infinite possibilities lying within it.
Differences between people in histories, races, cultures, faiths, sexualities, genders, skills, interests and personalities are what create endless possibilities for change, for new ideas and understandings. If you think about it, variety within people is what brings about all sorts of developments in life for us all. Of course, sometimes we will be right and sometimes wrong, which is why challenges and changes in relation to some issues will always be needed as time goes on.
If we were all the same, life would almost stand still. And why should we separate out diversity in sexuality and gender from these creative possibilities? History tells us that these differences have been there forever, as part of the being of a minority of people.
There have always been leaders and people in general who have resisted forms of change or differences and many of them would be totally unacceptable now. Even in religious writings, there is evidence of mistakes, such as in the New Testament of the Bible which says “Slaves obey your masters”, and in the Old Testament where slavery was taken for granted.
Those of us who are Christian relate to a Christ who, soon after his baptism, was led into the wilderness to face his internal struggles, his temptations towards power and fame. Jesus said “No” to these temptations and, when he gave his first speech in the synagogue, pointed people towards loving the poor and the captives. His ministry was not just for the “in” group, but for everyone and, inevitably, he would be attacked for that.
Our task is to look for the “outsiders” of our day and to truly explore what it means to love our neighbours, to ask ourselves the ultimate question, “Did I sing the Lord’s song?” As Nelson Mandela once said to a gathering of international church leaders, the one thing that has eternal value is love. He has been one of the only African leaders to take his stand in the establishing of the new South Africa for people of varying sexualities. We think of him now as he struggles for health and inevitably nears the end of his life.
That eternal value of love is at the very heart of Christ’s song to the world in every place and age and, no matter who we are, we have endless opportunities to live from that and to keep on being part of the creation of a just, compassionate and loving world.
