Statement on the "Unite the Right" Rally from Fr. David Stoddart

Dear Friends,

As you know, a rally entitled "Unite the Right" is set to take place in Charlottesville on Saturday, August 12. The gathering is drawing individuals and groups who espouse various forms of white supremacy along with overtly racist and anti-Semitic ideologies. The language used to publicize this event has been hate-filled and divisive, and many people have expressed concern about the rally and the potential for violence.

So let me state what I hope is obvious: any form of racism directly contradicts everything the Church stands for. In fact, any attempt to disparage or divide people based on skin color, ethnic background, religious beliefs, gender, or sexual orientation clearly violates the teaching and witness of Jesus Christ, who calls all people into loving community. The Apostle Paul beautifully sums up the all-inclusive nature of that community when he writes: There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28).

Certainly the organizers of this rally have the right to express their opinions without fear of violence or retribution. But those of us in Christ also have a responsibility to bear witness to an alternative vision. In that spirit, Mo. Kathleen and I will be participating in a march that day organized by the Charlottesville Clergy Collective. Joining with our bishops and clergy from around the diocese and across the country, we will march from the Jefferson School African-American Heritage Center to the First United Methodist Church. The purpose of this march is to offer prayerful and non-confrontational opposition to the rally and all that it represents.

I am happy to offer such witness with my sister and brother clergy. But I want to make something very clear: while I strongly oppose all forms of racism and exclusivity, I am not marching against anyone. There is too much anger and hatred in our nation as it is, and I have no desire to add to it. I do not want to hate the people I disagree with or cause them harm. I am not marching against — I am marching for: for a vision of humanity which embraces all people with care and acceptance, and for the Reign of God in which every single person can experience the abundant life God created everyone to enjoy — no exceptions. I am marching for Love, that eternal Love which embraces all of us and which can never be defeated or overcome. This is what I believe Church of Our Saviour stands for. It is certainly what I stand for.