Exploring the concept of reconciliation

What does it mean to be "reconciling" in the context of the Christian faith?

This morning, a fellow church member prompted me to explore more deeply what the concept of reconciliation truly means. As our faith community continues its journey toward becoming more welcoming and inclusive through the Reconciling in Christ program, we find ourselves navigating paths of resistance that call for patience, empathy, and deep introspection. What follows are some of my own reflections, along with thoughts and research shared by my fellow church member, on the meaning of reconciliation within the context of Christian faith and the Church’s history. I pray that God helps us all to continue this mission with grace—the mission Christ calls us to: "Love each other as I have loved you." -John 15:12

The Christian Church has long proclaimed a message of love, hope, and grace. Yet, history reveals a deep and painful contradiction: the marginalization and persecution of people based on race, gender, sexuality, disability, and other identities have often been justified, or ignored, by the Church. Today, the call to reconciliation is not just a theological idea but a moral imperative. But what does reconciliation really mean in this context? And how do we pursue it when some within the Church (and outside of it) feel that doing so threatens the very foundation of their beliefs?

So, what is reconciliation anyway? Reconciliation, in its biblical sense, is the process of restoring right relationships between individuals, between communities, and between humanity and God. It is not simply about forgiveness or forgetting the past. It requires: acknowledging harm, confessing sin, making restitution, seeking justice, walking together in newness of life (Romans 6:4).

Reconciliation is a Process. It is not a one-time event but a continuous journey of growth and transformation. It requires ongoing effort, perseverance, and a willingness to learn and grow in your relationship with God.

To "reconcile" something means to bring it into agreement, harmony, or compatibility, or to resolve a difference or conflict. It can involve making conflicting ideas, accounts, or facts consistent, or it can mean making someone accept an unpleasant situation.

When applied to the Church’s historical exclusion of marginalized people, reconciliation becomes a sacred process of truth-telling, lament, healing, and transformation.

It is a sad truth that institutions bearing Christ’s name have been complicit in colonization, slavery, racism, sexism, homophobia, and ableism. Churches have enforced theological interpretations that exclude rather than embrace. People have been told, implicitly or explicitly, that they are unworthy of God's love unless they change, conform, or disappear.

Not everyone welcomes the call to reconcile our errors of the past. Some feel that efforts to include LGBTQIA+ people, address racial justice, or welcome those who belong to historically marginalized groups compromises the Church’s integrity or reinterprets Scripture. For them, reconciliation feels like surrendering to cultural trends rather than remaining faithful to God.

But the heart of the Gospel is not fear of change. It's just the opposite. Radical love and inclusion was shown by Jesus Himself over and over throughout Scripture. He touched the untouchables, broke bread with sinners, elevated the marginalized, and challenged the powerful. True reconciliation does not erase Scripture. True reconciliation fulfills Scripture's deepest truths.

So how do we reconcile within the church while gracefully engaging with opposition to this process? We are called not to win arguments, but to love. That love includes listening deeply to those who resist change, not to concede, but to understand. It includes staying rooted in the example of Jesus, whose welcome was often scandalous. It includes educating patiently, using Scripture, theology, and lived experiences. It includes creating brave spaces, not just safe ones, where truth can be spoken in love.

Reconciliation is not a threat to Christian identity—it is the fulfillment of it. It calls us not to abandon truth, but to embrace the fuller, deeper truth that God’s love makes no exceptions. The Church must become a place where every person, especially those once pushed out, can hear the voice of Jesus say: “You are welcome here. You are beloved. You belong.”

-AI was used to assist in the creation and editing of this content