A Conversation with Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Rev. Dr. Janet Edwards, a progressive Presbyterian Minister and blogger in a conservative part of the country, reached out to Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu after he wrote a letter in support of the Presbyterian Church (USA) opening ordination to LGBT candidates for ministry.

Here’s an excerpt from their conversation:

Rev. Edwards: What can we do to foster dialogue and build bridges with people with different views on inclusion?

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu: I think we should try to show that exclusion impoverishes us and inclusion enriches us all. When our Anglican Church here in South Africa voted to ordain women as priests and bishops we discovered how we had been horrendously impoverished by the previous exclusion. We have been wonderfully enriched by the inclusion of women. Equally we would be and are impoverished where we exclude persons from the life of the church and society based on their sexual orientation. Many of those who would be excluded are wonderfully gifted persons. We are the poorer for excluding them. I know from personal experience. When I was incumbent Archbishop two of my chaplains were gay. The one went on to be Dean of Cape Town and the other a diocesan bishop, both hugely gifted.

The full conversation can be found at: http://timetoembrace.com/a-conversation-with-archbishop-desmond-tutu/.

Please note: The content of this article is taken from a piece by Rev. Dr. Janet Edwards. It is being published with permission from Rev. Dr. Edwards.