Let’s Be Rad, Not Just Radish

The word “radical” has the same root word as “radish” and that root word is “root.” Weird, eh? When someone speaks of “radical” change they mean change at the “root,” rather than changing into something completely different. When we uses “radical” as a qualifier to a noun we mean to consider the “root” of that thing.

To think about “radical” inclusion is to think about it from the “root” of it. What is the exact meaning of inclusion? The original intent of “inclusion” referred to a list of things that are in a group and therefore, things not listed, are excluded.

Yet for us today, “radical inclusion” has come to mean the inclusion of people who were formally excluded, whether intentionally or not. For example, people confined to a wheelchair are not intentionally excluded from our Parish Hall, but practically (unintentionally) are. There are people who are in no way intentionally excluded from our activities but who feel excluded for a variety of reasons.

Radical Inclusion is about bridging all these gaps so that no one feels excluded from being with us in worship or whatever we’re doing. I cannot stress enough how important this is to the very root of who we are as followers of Jesus Christ. It is of the utmost importance. Thankfully, inclusion is something we are already pretty good at. We can do better, I can do better. Let’s get Rad!

Radical Inclusion is not as simple as saying we are inclusive. Radical Inclusion means change, the hardest kind of change, a change of behavior. To be truly inclusive we stop behaviors that exclude, such as judging, gossip, pride, jealousy, being precious about things, to name but a few. We seek a Radically Inclusive place where our faults and gifts provide opportunities for us to learn, to forgive and to receive forgiveness, a place where we can learn to pray and question together.