Q Commons is a live learning experience that challenges attendees to stay curious, think well, and advance good in their communities and yesterday I had the privilege of attending the Perth event. One of the speakers spoke about the irrelevance of faith and told us:
Over 46% of our neighbors believe religion and people of faith are part of the problem in our communities,
not the solution.
As a growing list of contentious issues present themselves on the cultural front—such as racism, gender, euthanasia, sexuality, religious freedom
and more—
the Church finds itself on the margins of the mainstream conversation perplexed about how to engage.
David Kinnaman
Some spoke about being good neighbours and the world refugee crisis, others about the problems in the communities around us. The common theme was that people of good faith bring faith out of the margins of extremism and into the community. Social impact investment, community involvement, collective impact, healthy leadership, welcoming the stranger all speak of collaboration and engagement, not of a preachy, authoritarian religious structure.
We are all humans, and humans have messy, complicated and complex lives. The issues we face collectively: war, famine, poor water, refugees, crime, hopelessness, the environment, sexuality and so on are not going to be fixed by individuals. The message was clear. We need to get past religious, racist, gender lines and work together for a common vision and purpose.
The US presidential nomination race highlights how fractured the world is. Some candidates are calling for hard line, divisive policies. Others are calling for unity and compassion. In the end, we are all better together. Together—despite our differences, despite religious lines, despite our sexual preference, gender or race.
It’s time for people with moral courage to get out of the outskirts of life and live with conviction.
Tim Costello (CEO World Vision) said this: You know what your purpose in life is not simply by what makes you happy and what you’re good at, but by where those two things intersect with the needs of this world.
