If those of us who align ourselves with Jesus don’t seek to understand more deeply his language and what he meant by love, we’ll fail. If those of us who have some loyalty to this thing called the church do not consider what that requires of us in terms of openness and hospitality, we’ll continue to alienate and shut off conversation when we should be doing the opposite. We can—really, must—be firm in our faith and yet kind and open. We must personify grace. We must recognize our limitations and leave to God what is God’s.
