The doors of the church are open, open on Sundays but closed on most others.

Closed mouth to some conversations. “No comment.”

Closed eyes to some views. “See no evil.”

Closed off to some bodies that we recreate as “other” as if a human being can be something other than that. “Hands off. Don’t touch that—not even with a ten- foot cross.”

The doors of the church are open and “All are welcome,” reads the church sign. But that’s all we really say about that. Not too specific because not all are welcome. There are a few conditions and restrictions. Don’t “come as you are” but as we expect you to be. And that’s just one sign of our hypocrisy.

We have rules for your body. Shake our hand and receive this right hand of fellowship. We have a deal and you agree that we bless and baptize bodies then bless and curse certain bodies. We turn nobodies into somebodies, celebrating ourselves instead of Christ’s body.

We point fingers and judge some but not all bodies. We cannot get rid of the dead weight of these busybodies because they give too much money. Yet, we swiftly excommunicate those who ask too many questions like, “Why aren’t they welcome here?” Because that’s nobody’s business but ours.  We just need your hands and feet; keep your nose out of it and we’ll be one body.

Season two of the Raceless Gospel podcast and we are calling for all noses, all body parts to assemble here. The Apostle Paul is clear:

“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit” (First Corinthians 12.12-13, NRSV)

One, the number is tight squeeze. We won’t be able to add our divisions. Hyper- politicized, racialized and capitalized on, the Church in North America, this body of believers, has some bodywork to do.

Season 1 of The Raceless Gospel podcast is streaming on all platforms: Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Whooshkaa. Please be sure to like, subscribe and share it with your friends. We’ve got work to do.