Hospitality demands that some things be clear from the start.
As Canadians living in Austin, Texas, my wife and I have a sign on our front door that reads, “Please take off your shoes.” The Northern experience of slush, grit, and mud, as well as a few years spent living in Japan, made us committed to the goodness of shoeless indoor living. (Slippers and indoor shoes allowed.)
We hung the sign several years into our time in Austin. After more than a few awkward greetings—an effusive welcome coupled with quick instructions about our footwear convictions—we decided that clarity was a necessary part of hospitality.
This same connection between clarity and hospitality has come to inform our practice in church as well, especially on the topic of marriage and sexuality.
As part of the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA), our church’s position is clear: We hold that God’s desire for faithful conjugal sexuality happens in the context of a covenant marriage between one man and one woman. But as a particular church in Austin seeking to embody the welcome of God in Christ, conveying that message is more difficult. Our community draws people who are surprised and even pained by this counter-cultural teaching.
I’m not totally sure why our small church often attracts people with more left-of-center perspectives. Part of it relates to the area of the city we’re in, where a lot of young families and professionals come to live. Part of it is simply generational, as these millennial and Gen Z Christians grapple with the legacy of their particular traditions.
For some in our community, the church’s teachings on marriage impinge on the most intimate and personal areas of their life. What does it look like for their own sexuality …