I hope it comes as no surprise that inclusion is highly valued at Front Porch. One of the things we say is that all are welcome and all means all. And that’s true.
And. We take our responsibility to promote respect and care, particularly for those who are part of vulnerable or marginalized communities, seriously. All means all does not mean that anything goes. Everyone is welcome and no one has to prescribe to a particular view point. But we draw a line when it comes to respecting people’s identities.
For some it feels like we are holding BIPOC and queer folx up above straight, white, cis people. I don’t think that’s what we are doing but if it is, I’m going to keep doing it anyway.
The fact is that our society has idolized whiteness, maleness, and straightness for a long long time. And I come back over and over again to a saying I’ve heard:
When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.
So sure, it will feel like loss or oppression to privileged people when we draw a boundary around the respect and care for marginalized peoples. And we’re going to do it anyway. Because society’s default is the other way around. And this is one way that we INSIST on being counter cultural.
In Community,
Pastor Sam