Institute For Inclusive Christianity
Durham, North Carolina
Robert J. Buchanan, D.Min., Director
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Institute For Inclusive ChristianityDurham, North CarolinaRobert J. Buchanan, D.Min., Director
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Inclusive Christian Resources Link:
Different Spirit Contemporary Commentary The Ecumenical Catholic Church
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For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. (John 3:16 NRSV)
What is an Inclusive Christian?
The Gospel, as seen in John 3:16, is for everyone. It isn’t for only a few people. The apostles were commanded to carry the good news to all creation saying, "The one who believes and is baptized will be saved, but the one who does not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16:16) All who come to believe in Jesus and trust in his finished work on the cross are promised eternal life. Nothing is said or implied that this gospel is only for a particular ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, wealth, marital status or type of family. The Gospel must truly be for everyone without prejudice or judgment. Most of organized Christianity has come to exclude certain people. Some are excluded because they have been divorced. Others because they are single parents. Still others because they are attracted to someone of the same gender. Christianity has been presented as a heterosexual, nuclear family and wealthy religion. Inclusive Christians know that this is not the Christianity that Jesus proclaimed and taught. It is not the message of the Bible. Some of organized Christianity has begun to change. Multi-racial churches are becoming more common and the poor are beginning to get more notice in some ways. However, homosexuals and divorcees are still treated like second-class Christians. These churches have grown enough not to deny these groups all of the sacraments, but they continue to deny them some of the sacraments. For instance, a divorced person cannot have the sacrament of marriage. A homosexual cannot marry the person of the same gender he or she is in love with. A homosexual is denied Holy Orders, and often denied simple pastoral care. Yet these same churches welcome gays, lesbians, and bisexuals to come and worship, and give their money, but not to be totally included into the Body of Christ.
Learn more about the Institute For Inclusive Christianity at Overview.
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An inclusive Christian is one who takes seriously the teaching of Jesus,
"Do not judge so that you may not be judged." (Matthew 7:1) The majority of
Christians have come to believe quite the opposite, some of these are church
leaders. These Christians have decided that it is perfectly appropriate to judge
others, but usually only for certain practices or beliefs that they have decided are contrary
to God’s will. Thus the Church has often allowed prejudice to become rampant and
even dominant in its philosophy of life. Inclusive Christians are those who
strive to be accepting and non-judgmental toward others.
Inclusive Christians are those who understand and promote the concept of
complete acceptance and love that the Gospel is all about. We are Christians who
fight prejudice
because of race, economic status, marital status, gender, sexual orientation,
familial status, or for any other reason, believing in giving all of the
Sacraments to all of the people. "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is
no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are
one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)
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