On Pilgrimage Together

Saints and Sinners

“Belonging is the risk to move beyond the world we know, to venture out on pilgrimage, to accept exile. And it is the risk of being with companions on that journey, God, a spouse, friends, children, mentors, teachers, people who came from the same place we did, who came from entirely different places, saints and sinners of all sorts, those known to us and those unknown, our secret longings, questions, and fears.”

Diana Butler Bass (Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening)

I confess to being a Democrat. I'll bet half of you shut this site down right after reading that short sentence. For those who didn't, I'll tell you why. Yes, I grew up in a family of Democrats—back when that was the conservative party. I'm still a lot more conservative than most in the party. But it is more than that. I once visited a small town in the mid-west to attend a wedding. By the evening of the first day, I realized that there were no people of color in that town. Honestly, none. The more I looked, the more convinced I was that this town, albeit a small one, was composed entirely of white people. And that was uncomfortable to me. Even caused me a bit of anxiety. I'd never even thought about living where there were no people of color, never imagined that there was such a place. It was as though half the color palette was missing. It was then that I understood something about myself—I like the diversity of ethnicity in this country. I like that black, brown and Asian people bring a different perspective and culture. I like the changes wrought to the somewhat bland European music and cuisine by people from other climates and locales. To me, the Democratic party of today embraces that diversity.

But I'm not here to write about politics. I just want to echo what Diana Butler Bass wrote in her book, Christianity After Religion. I am here on this journey, whether I identify as Christian or not, with other people, and they don't all look like me. In fact, 70% of the earth's human population is non-white. Only 21% are European or of European descent. A bit more than half of this planet's people are Asian. And not only that, but this—while 89% are heterosexual, 11% are not—and that's world-wide. Just the facts, ma'am. We are diverse, and that's a good thing.

When I hear about white nationalism, or white supremacy, I cringe. We have an opportunity to make peace with our differences, and to realize that this journey was not invented simply for people with lightly pigmented skin. We're all in this together. Rather than lament that, let's embrace it. Let's even celebrate it. These are our companions on pilgrimage, our kindred, our friends and teachers. Saints and sinners alike are the weft and warp of the human tapestry. Let us love one another.

                                                              In the Spirit,

                                                                  Jane