Susan Russell and I would have some differences of opinion. Her focus is too much on the inclusion of the LGBT community in the church. It's not that I have anything against that principle, but it should simply happen because we proclaim Jesus and live according to his teachings. When we make it a cause, it seems to me that we actually undermine what Jesus would have wanted by making that cause, rather than God and neighbour, our central focus.
But in general terms, I love those words. It raises the question: who represents Christianity? The secular world does seem convinced - it's the Falwells and Robertsons and those in sympthy with them, because they get the publicity of the media, I assume because the media knows that these folks are controversial and will generate interest. Setting aside - not out of disinterest, just to look at it from another angle - the LGBT issue, isn't it more provocative to talk about someone who thinks Haiti suffered a devastating earthquake because they made a deal with the devil 200 years ago than to hear the voices of the many well meaning people of faith who actually want to get down in the dirt and help Haitians rebuild. Those folks are more representative of the Christianity I know than are those who think the Haitians are guilty of dealing with the devil.
So - who speaks for Christianity? To me, as someone who knows the Gospels fairly well, I'd say it's simple. Those who represent Christianity are those who love God and their neighbours as themselves. If someone's words or actions are inconsistent with those two things, I don't see how they can represent Christianity to the world. And, frankly, if all I knew of Christianity was the Falwell or Robertson kind, I'm not sure I'd want to be a Christian either.
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