Love is the Way

This week’s Anti-Racism Group recommendation is shared by Lydia Jeter.

Love is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times

by Bishop Michael Curry

A descendant of slaves, son of an Episcopal priest, brought up in the Civil Rights era, Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States, leads you through his faith journey. Bishop Curry invites you to follow his growth in faith and his deepening understanding that following Jesus means to follow him without reservation.

This book has poignant stories from Bishop Curry's days as Rector in Baltimore where he preached God's love on street corners and baptized a hardened drug dealer, helping him leave the streets. You see Bishop Curry's evolution in understanding God's love as he embraces the ordination and marriage of gay people. Through his entire life, God's love is his guide and touchstone. Bishop Curry invites us to follow this same way of love in our lives.

One of my favorite quotes of Bishop Curry is: "The opposite of love is not hate. The opposite of love is selfishness." I highly recommend this book. In the words of Archbishop Justin Welby, "This is a beautiful and moving book."