ETHOS (Part 7): Inclusion | Jake Haber

This Pride Month, we’re reflecting on what true inclusion means—not just in theory, but in practice, in our communities, and within ourselves. This message explores the sacred value of belonging, especially for those who have historically been excluded from spiritual spaces. Inclusion isn’t just a feel-good idea—it’s a necessary foundation for healing, identity, and even survival.

 

We dive into the complexities of creating safe spaces, acknowledging the layers of trust and vulnerability needed before genuine self-expression and love can emerge. You’ll hear reflections on how inclusive communities like Aldea have had to take bold stands in the face of resistance—and why that fight still matters.

 

Ultimately, this is an invitation to each of us to examine our internal and external “tables”: Who do we welcome? What parts of ourselves have we yet to embrace? And what might it look like to move toward a deeper, more expansive love—for ourselves, for others, and for the world?

 

Quotes: 

 

1. Kevin Garcia

   “I’m telling you my story because not everyone has survived to tell theirs… bad theology kills… I attempted suicide twice… spent most of my life hating myself and abusing my body with drugs and alcohol… bad theology is killing all of us.”

2. Dr. Thema Bryant

   “You cannot heal in a space that is unsafe. Safety is not a luxury; it is a necessity for wholeness.”

3. Brené Brown

   “We cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known. And that can only happen when we are safe.”

4. Kevin Garcia

   “Inclusion isn’t about tolerating difference—it’s about celebrating the divine in every expression of it.”

5. Ram Dass

   “Treat everyone you meet like God in drag.”

6. Barbara Brown Taylor

   “The hardest spiritual work in the world is to love the neighbor as the self—to encounter another human being not as someone you can use, change, fix, help, save, enroll, convince, or control, but simply as someone who can spring you into spiritual reverence.”

7. Brian McLaren

   “Why would I trust a God who is less merciful than I am? If I can imagine a more loving God than the one I’ve been taught, maybe that’s the Spirit inviting me to grow.”

8. Desmond Tutu

   “Inclusive, good societies try to accept people as they are—even those whose acceptance of others is still evolving.”

9. Richard Rohr

   “True inclusion doesn’t just welcome the outsider, it calls everyone into deeper maturity, including those who resist it.”