On June 1st, modern iconographer Kelly Latimore posted his rainbow-drenched icon, “Christ the Light,” on Instagram with messages and hashtags that signal the late modern value of inclusion, which is a far cry from the ancient Christian virtue of welcome, as Anglican theologian Rowan Williams once pointed out in an interview:
I don’t believe inclusion is a value in itself. Welcome is. We welcome people into the Church, we say: “You can come in, and that decision will change you.” We don’t say: “Come in and we ask no questions.” I do believe conversion means conversion of habits, behaviours, ideas, emotions. The boundaries are determined by what it means to be loyal to Jesus Christ. That means to display in all things the mind of Christ. Paul is always saying this in his letters: Ethics is not a matter of a set of abstract rules, it is a matter of living the mind of Christ.
I left a comment on the post that rankled the celebrants of inclusion:
Bestselling author Douglas Murray, who happens to be a lapsed Christian and gay man, offers more wisdom and insight than some gay Christians and their fashionable straight allies, who embrace “gayness” as if it is the most important part of a person’s identification and embrace what comedian Dave Chappelle calls the “alphabet people” of LGBTQIA+ as if they belong to a genuine community. For an unconventional take on Pride Month, watch the conversation below by Douglas Murray and Julie Bindel.
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