“This is a challenging but compassionate view of a troubling reality that should inspire every community of believers.”―Booklist
 
Discover how to move your church beyond mere welcome to radical embrace.

So your church website says you’re welcoming, a rainbow flag flies out front, worship uses gender-inclusive language, and you make sure you greet the stranger next to you on Sunday mornings. But is all of that really enough? And what if those welcoming gestures actually keep visitors from returning and exclude dozens of other groups or people in your community?
 

 
In True Inclusion, public theologian and pastor Brandan Robertson shares how to move your church from mere welcome to radical embrace. Pointing to a clear biblical imperative for radical inclusivity in the sanctuary and in the public square, Robertson presents a paradigm-shifting vision of community, “where nothing is simple, nothing is easy, but everything is beautiful.” Learn practical, step-by-step approaches to becoming deeply, robustly, and richly inclusive of all people regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, political affiliation, and socioeconomic status.

Written for people and communities at every stage of the journey, True Inclusion will challenge and inspire you to embody a gospel of radical embrace for all.

Review
“Robertson (Nomad), lead pastor of Missiongathering Christian Church in San Diego, Calif., draws on his life experience to offer ideas for creating a truly inclusive faith community. After being confronted by the administration of his Bible college about his ‘same-sex desires,’ Robertson looked elsewhere for an inclusive Christian church that pursued the ‘good of the silenced, marginalized, and oppressed.’ Now serving as an openly gay pastor, he shares how he has confronted homophobia throughout his life in order to break down a key misunderstanding: the notion that inclusivity is about tolerating other people. For Robertson, inclusivity isn’t about toleration, but about getting to know and love those who aren’t like you. ‘The spirit of true inclusion,’ he writes, ‘is one that invites the full diversity of humanity into community so that we can learn, grow, and reflect the expansive, diverse God in whose image we are made.’ Robertson provides carefully selected passages from Scripture to support his claims, and also dedicates a chapter to a searing critique of patriarchy (‘The Bible and our faith come from the margins… how can we not be willing to allow the perspectives of the marginalized to inform and change our interpretation of Scripture?’). This challenging treatise, intended to ruffle feathers, is a much-needed salve in the current climate of polarization.”―Publishers Weekly, September 17, 2018