a practical guide to the new world of pronouns

Here's a great learning opportunity that I've created for you -- a practical guide to the new world of pronouns. 

This 36 minute video covers key topics like:

• Correct Pronouns Matter
• People Who Might Use Other Pronouns
• Pronouns for the New World We Live In
• Getting Practical About Sharing Pronouns
• Messing up with Grace

Link to watch directly at YouTube.com: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdtVLgU6OxA&t=6s

introduction to two spirit people

In the fall of 2018, my colleague and I met with Jeff Chalifoux, then one of the co-chairs of the Edmonton 2 Spirit Society. Our conversation led to two "Two Spirit Ceremony and Workshop" days being held at my place of work. 

I attended both sessions and they were amazing and enlightening. Over the months that followed, I read many, many articles about Two Spirit people, mostly by Indigenous academics, of whom many were themselves Two Spirit. I also attended another Two Spirit ceremony at MacEwan University in March 2020, led by Elder Leonard Saddleback.

One of the outcomes of this learning focus is that I wrote a crisp, two page article titled "Introduction to Two Spirit People", which I'd like to share with you. I'd also like to thank Jeff for giving the final draft a helpful once-over!

Read: Introduction to Two Spirit People

I welcome your thoughts and feedback using the Comments section below.

employee resource groups for the flourishing of employees

As diversity and inclusion initiatives increase, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are becoming more common. In fact, your workplace might have some.

"Employee Resource Groups for the Flourishing of Employees" is a resource that I've been working on over the past year, and which I hope will be of use to some of you.

It introduces ERGs, presents seven key principles, discusses their evolution over time and includes steps for starting a new Employee Resource Group, with a particular focus on their purpose being the flourishing of employees.

What's unique about this resource? At least two things:

1. The focus on the flourishing of employees. For the record, the flourishing of employees is not always the reason that ERGs are started. Particularly in the for-profit sector, corporations use ERGs as a way of increasing innovation, attracting new employees, connecting with potential markets, etc. Few in the world of ERGs are emphasizing the flourishing of employees.
2. The seven key principles. There are many resources available online yet I have not seen any that have anything close to these key principles. These principles help ensure that ERGs increase diversity and inclusion overall and focus on the flourishing of employees without becoming introverted.

Access the PDF here and comment below.

key principles for employee resource groups

The following is an excerpt from the Employee Resource Group Framework that I have been working on over the past six months. The full document when available will provide additional information on these and other key items for Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).

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Employee Resource Groups are voluntary groups which bring together employees who share a common identity, characteristics, and/or bond or background and provide optimum environments and opportunities for these employees to flourish and to contribute fully to the organization. ERGs also advocate for the necessary shifts required to accomplish this at a broader and deeper level in the organization.

Some of the most common Employee Resource Groups are for women, LGBTQ2S+ employees,  Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities and minority cultural groups.

Note that these key principles were written for a non-profit / non-governmental organization / government context, and thus will differ from what one sees in articles about company ERGs.

Key Principles for Employee Resource Groups

1. Based on People Attributes

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) bring together employees who share a common identity, characteristics, and/or bond or background.

In the context of a diversity and inclusion initiative, most if not all ERGs are attribute-centered, particularly around peoples who have historically been or presently are at the margins in the workplace. They are not primarily about shared interests, hobbies or skill development.

2. Focused on Flourishing

Employee Resource Groups are focused on enabling and increasing the flourishing of their members. While there are benefits to the employer, these are not the primary driver for having ERGs.

3. Member-Driven

“Nothing about us without us.” While some overarching policies and principles govern Employee Resource Groups, what happens at an ERG in terms of format and activities is determined by its members.

4. Inclusive of a Range of Needs

Employee Resource Groups can address a range of desired results for their members. The hierarchy can be expressed as follows:

Positive mental health and general well-being
Social networking and personal development
Organizational awareness and policy alignment; community outreach
Full integration into the business

While seeking to create movement forward, Employee Resource Groups need to remember those employees who most need help and support to be included and to flourish at work as well as those who are further along in their journey.

5. Geared to Their Members

Employee Resource Groups are geared to the needs of their members as related to their social context, barriers faced, etc., and can vary significantly from one another in their purpose and format.

6. Evolving over Time

It is anticipated that the form and structure of each Employee Resource Group will evolve over time as movement toward flourishing takes place and as the corporate culture evolves.

7. Intentionally Intersectional

Recognizing the intersectionality that runs through the lives of many employees, Employee Resource Groups will be intentional about using an intersectional lens in their planning and activities.

8. Collaborative

Employee Resource Groups will seek out opportunities to collaborate with other ERGs to share resources, optimize their efforts and increase unity.

9. Engaged with Allies

Employee Resource Groups are engaged with their allies to work together for the flourishing of all.

Rob Goetze

declared spaces inside declared spaces

This site has extensive discussion of uncertain spaces and declared spaces. Much of it has focused on the big declaring that a church can do in terms of how welcoming and embracing it is. The outward signs, and the many inward ways which make the declaration more than just words and empty gestures.

One of the ways a church or organization can declare itself further, which has not been discussed here yet, is by having specific declared spaces within a broader declared space. As will be seen in the following examples, some of these specific spaces are physical spaces; others are "spaces in time". As well, there are also ways for people within a church or organization to declare themselves...


declared "spaces in time" within declared spaces

These are defined declared spaces that happen at certain times, within a broader declared space. Here are some examples.

example 1: standing stones services

Several churches in our parish hold Standing Stones services once a month, in some cases during the regular Sunday morning service time.

"Standing Stones is a gathering of Aboriginal and Non-aboriginal People to explore God in an Aboriginal Context.  We come to worship Jesus, infusing Cree symbols into Christian ceremony.  We smudge to purify our minds, hearts and spirits in order to come to a clearer understanding of God; we seek wisdom in Aboriginal story and scripture, we ask for God’s healing water and prayer on ourselves and our community and we celebrate God’s activities in our lives though the sharing of bannock and berries.  Standing Stones is a fresh expression of Jesus to the Aboriginal Community and to the diocese.  The hope is that this gathering is a means of Christ’s reconciling Love to heal ancient wounds and enlighten the next generation of all Canadians."(source)

why I no longer believe in lgbtq+ friendly churches

I used to be in favour of lgbtq+ friendly churches.

My denomination, according to head office, has at least four lgbtq-friendly churches in this area¹. Generally, these churches are welcoming of people regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, allow involvement in ministry at all levels and have pastors who are theologically progressive.

Despite being lgbtq-friendly, these churches are uncertain spaces to many people, in that they have not declared if and how they value and embrace diverse peoples. To be specific in this context, these churches do not say anything about being lgbtq+ friendly, their website gives no indication of their welcome and there are no rainbows on the sign out front. The effect is that people in the neighbourhood and, in fact, even people inside the church itself, might have no idea.

And so initially I had thought that they needed encouragement to move toward becoming churches that openly declare that all people are welcome and valued. This is particularly important so that people who are at the edges and who belong to minority groups would know which churches will walk with them on their spiritual journey.

That's what I used to think. But now, I no longer believe in lgbtq+ friendly churches.

It’s not because they are hesitant to proclaim that the good news they believe truly includes everyone. It’s because just as lgbtq+ friendliness is absent from the signs and the website, so are all things lgbtq+ absent from the culture and structure of the church.

uncertain spaces

introduction

Your colleague tells you that Human Resources wants to see you right away. If you have no idea as to why, there is uncertainty ahead - perhaps combined with some anxiety or fear -- until you find out whether they are going to fire you, promote you to a special project, or just need a form signed.

You are in an uncertain space, even if just for a few moments until you find out what they really want.

Now what if you're new in town, or perhaps what's new is that you've decided you want to be part of a church. You drive by a church in your neighbourhood, and the sign out in front says "Everyone Welcome".

what does that mean - “everyone welcome”?

Did you know that a study done in the U.S. found that three of the top words non-Christians ages 16 to 29 associate with Christians are judgmental, hypocritical and anti-homosexual? (source: unChristian and article)

Which means that there’s a good chance the person driving past your church and wondering about it, is already doubting the truthfulness and reality of the “Everyone Welcome” sign. Add to that any past negative experience they've had with the church or with Christians, and the uncertainty is even stronger.

The church you drive past is most likely an uncertain space. Will it be hostile or indifferent to you? Or will it be welcoming and embracing? Most times you just don't know.

a brutal unity explored

introduction

In this post I want to explore the concept of “brutal unity”, which I came across in Matthew Shedden’s brief review of Ephraim Radner’s A Brutal Unity: The Spiritual Politics of the Christian Church. In his book, Radner writes:

“In this life that is God’s, any Anglican—or Roman Catholic or Methodist or Lutheran—can be a Pentecostal; any Catholic Protestant can be an evangelical Protestant; any member of one church can be a member of another that has separated from the first; any Roman Catholic can be a Protestant. Any Christian can do this not because standards of truth have been cast away but because the standards can be suffered, in their very contradiction by the place where he or she will go with Jesus.” (p. 447, italics added)

unpacking the concept of “the standards can be suffered”

First, what is meant by standards? The term “standards” is used to refer to a range of things believed at a theological or philosophical level: doctrines, statements of faith, liturgical confessions, dogma, religious beliefs, and so on. Moral standards would be included, but as used here, the term does not refer to facts and figures.

Secondly, the term “can be suffered” is not about denying, ignoring or giving up one's standards. Instead, it is about giving the standards second place, laying them down for the sake of one's calling and the community, emptying oneself of the need to hold tightly and insistently to standards as if they are our salvation when they are not. Our salvation is in Jesus Christ who "made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Philippians 2:5-8). Does this mean we change our beliefs or decide that they are irrelevant? No. But we put them second to the greater calling we have, for unity and the community. Because Radner’s use of the word “suffered” is not common, our discussion here will often substitute terms such as “set aside”, “put second”, and so on.

Third, “the place where he or she will go with Jesus” will be understood here as either a calling to a particular church or community, or general involvement with a particular church or community, and will often be referred to as “church” or “community” for the sake of simplicity.

what I wish our churches taught us...

From reactive to proactive. Where does your church land on this scale? When it comes to controversial matters like abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, and hell, many tend to be reactive, which means most of the time they ignore such matters. And then when there’s a pressing reason like proposed changes to legislation, an adult club renting the building next door, or a Rob Bell asking questions about heaven and hell, they marshal their resources, preach sermons, picket and boycott, and tweet tweets which they sometimes later regret.

A current example of this is the response churches are giving to the legalization of same-sex marriage in the U.S. or the granting of same-sex blessings in Canada, where gay marriage is already legal.

Take my church, for example.

 At its recent meeting, our diocese held a vote to allow the bishop to give permission to priests who want to provide a blessing to same-sex couples who are in civil marriages. To say it another way, if a legally married same-sex couple asks the priest to give them a blessing, the priest must first ask for the bishop’s permission. Note that this resolution does not oblige any priests to provide such blessings; it simply gives the bishop permission to say “yes” if a priest asks. Now, the church we attend officially has a conservative view on marriage and was not pleased that the vote passed, in fact by a significant margin. In response to this, the leadership discussed the matter at the church’s semi-annual meeting, and will have a task group consider what response to make.

They also discussed it with the youth. And when our children came home from a youth day, one of them expressed that they didn’t know why the church was making such a big deal about blessing people who love each other when there’s more important things like KONY2012 happening in the world.

Some people might suggest that the leadership needs to do a better job of explaining how this really is a significant issue, and that the church should have been proactive in teaching its beliefs more clearly before a resolution like this one came up.

I would suggest that there’s a bigger picture that’s being missed here. And while it involves being proactive, it’s not about clarifying “what’s right and what’s wrong” before it becomes critical. It’s about perspective, respect for others, and God’s heart for people.

Here are four things that I wish pastors and others in church  leadership were teaching, with some recommendations for each point:


1.  The reality that God loves gay and lesbian people

Of course we are told in church that God loves everyone. When said generally like this, it is easier to forget this reality when we encounter people we don’t like or who are different from us. But when it is said with a specific people group in mind, it has more impact and is harder to ignore.

• State clearly that God loves lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. Repeat on a regular basis.
• Affirm that Jesus gave his life for gay people and straight people and transgender people and everyone else.
• Emphasize that loving our neighbours includes loving LGBT neighbours, relatives, and colleagues. Give a similar emphasis to other particular neighbours depending on current events, your city or neighbourhood, etc. For example, emphasizing God’s love for Muslim neighbours would be particularly helpful after 9/11. The goal is not to single out a people group, but to emphasize God’s love for people whom we might find it easier to ignore or hate.

Related to this is the concept that the self of the other person matters more than my truth. As Miroslav Volf says, “I may not sacrifice the other at the altar of my truth. Jesus, who claimed to be the Truth, refused to use violence to ‘persuade’ those who did not recognize his truth.” (Exclusion and Embrace, page 272).