40-40-40 ... Day 7: The Reformation Project

I'm reading a book called "Fierce Convictions." It's the story of Hannah More (1745-1833), a poet and abolitionist during the 18th and 19th centuries who worked with William Wilberforce, among other reformers of the time.

Hannah was a devout member of the Church of England, yet many of her fiercest convictions (to abolish slavery or at least improve conditions for slaves, and to educate women and the poor, for example) went against their teachings. While many people whose views were in line with Hannah's were dissenting from the Church of England (including the Quakers), Hannah held firm. She insisted she could be both a member of the Church of England and a reformer.

She repeatedly received criticism and public defamation of her character, causing her deep distress, both physically and emotionally.

I thought of Hannah when an online friend of mine told me about The Reformation Project. The Mission of The Reformation Project is:

The Reformation Project is a Bible-based, Christian grassroots organization that works to promote inclusion of LGBTQ people by reforming church teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity. Our vision is of a global church that fully affirms LGBTQ people.

My friend is a Christian. My friend is gay. And he experienced what too many have experienced -- a trauma at the hands of the church. The Reformation Project has aided him in the process of his healing, which is ongoing.

In the words of Hannah More, "My very soul is sick of religious controversy... Oh, how I hate faction, division and controversy in religion!"

And yet I can understand the fight, when two opposing views are so fiercely convinced that -- by God -- "their way" is the "right way."

I've seen people try to have this conversation. In one instance, when it was clear that neither side of the argument could hear the other side, one man got up, filled a basin of water, and started to wash another man's feet. The room was moved to tears. It was truly an act of worship. And yet. And yet it was clear that the conversation could not continue.

Which is what I am drawn to from The Reformation Project. That their goal is to teach people how to have a conversation. Even if that conversation is uncomfortable. Even if that conversation challenges your fiercest convictions.

Because no one should be excluded from Christianity. The only thing that excludes one from being a Christian is not believing in the life, death and resurrection of Christ. (Though even that some would probably like to debate.) But in my eyes, salvation is a free gift from God through the death of his Son. It's not something we earn. It's not something that requires us to live up to a certain standard (mine or yours). It's free. It's a gift. It's for everyone.

ACTION STEPS

SHARE your story of inclusion in the church, and your tips for having a conversation with someone you don't agree with.
LEARN more about The Reformation Project.
WATCH the video that got this project started: God and the Gay Christian.
FOLLOW TRP on Instagram or Twitter.
READ one of these suggested books to gain further perspective on the subject, or Hannah More's biography "Fierce Convictions" for a history of an "ordinary" woman who made a huge impact on her time when she refused to do nothing.
DONATE to support leadership development, training, and other resources through The Reformation Project. (This was by far the easiest donation site I've found. Finally! Why is it always so complicated to give???)
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