There are a million reasons not to stay. I could list several hundred thousand, at least. Many of our churches are sick, infected by racism and patriarchy. Many use shame and fear as ways to control. Many use manipulation and charm. There are so many reasons to walk away. But nothing gets healed or restored or brought back to life unless those of us who still believe in hope, in honesty, in confession and prayer and the sacred reality of the church gathered keep gathering, keep working, keep praying, keep making changes. And so I stay. I hold on to the fact that God is. And he is love, which
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