There was a time early in my ministry where no one had a bad word to say about me. I didn’t realize that my supposed popularity was based on blending into the hierarchies of oppression and not standing up for anyone.
My silence in the pulpit about controversial issues meant I was a guilty bystander to the church’s abuse of women, the LGBTQ community, and to non-Christians in general.
Eventually, I learned if you truly love others you have to be honest enough to risk losing their approval. Being nice is not necessarily being kind.