Revd Jimmy Dube considers Archbishop Desmond Tutu and LGBT+ rights
I write to celebrate this month in the shadow of the passing on to higher life of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond M. Tutu who passed on to glory on Sunday December 26 2021.
Tutu, among many of his theological views, expounded a theology of radical inclusiveness. He argues that Jesus was so radical that his invitation was to all and for all and there is no way for the modern Church to reverse or ignore this and still remain true to the Gospel of Jesus.
By advocating for LGBT+ rights Tutu, as an African, black Christian in the public square helped to put to the test the often parroted argument that LGBT+ concerns are exclusively Western and non-African. He was consistent and eloquent in his theology of radical inclusiveness and moved the debate beyond racial, class and regional lines to a matter of the heart. You exclude only because your heart is small!
But what about those who label a section of God’s people sinners? Archbishop Tutu was very strong on this score by arguing that God made Him who had no sin to become sinner in order to redeem the world! In short, who are we to decide who are sinners and who are not, when we all share the same belief that Christ was willing to be a sinner in order to bring all on board? Who are we, as the body of Christ, to contradict Christ who became sin in order that all God’s children are welcome at the Feast of God’s love? I pray that as the Church celebrates the LGBT+ month this truth will reverberate in our pews that ALL God’s people are welcome and have full rights in the Table of grace.