Charleston writes that “[t]he seventh rung on the ladder to the light is renewal, which requires an exchange… an exchange between the people… an exchange between [the people] and the Spirit…” He notes that his book is an example of this exchange, as invites us to set down our own cultural assumptions and consider a different way of being. Renewal is about our willingness to change in response to what we learn from others.
For Charleston, “[d]iversity makes exchange possible,” where “diversity” means “every person’s right to be who they are and believe how they wish.” That, of course, is where I still stumble, but I’m clearer now than I was before about the stone that trips me up. Do we really want to tolerate all beliefs – even those that undermine mutual respect and even those that work against the pursuit of truth? I’m reminded of what Charleston says in Chapter 4: “[Holding diversity in equilibrium] is not easy. It requires our commitment and our willingness to learn. A diverse community is a constant learning experience. It is a school of awareness, a center of intellectual exchange.”
For me, this book has been gently challenging me to "see the Light." Or even more, to not let the darkness smother me.
Everyday we face things that bring despair. None worse than the Nashville school horror.
I have granddaughters that age and they go to school very near Covenant. My daughter texted me early on, so I would know it wasn't their school.
For days, the darkness did indeed smother me. All I could do was PRAY. Those aching hearts in Nashville
Something drew me to look back on my book notes. On page 62, he writes, "wisdom, courage, love." (I have prayed those very words for most of the Pandemic.)
My heart is still aches, but I will light a single candle and hope.