The Rt. Rev. Larry Benfield, Bishop of Arkansas, reflects on violence in Charlottesville:
[A]s much as we Christians deplore naked hate, we must also be a people who are self-reflective and who remain centered in the midst of the violence around us. We must not allow ourselves to be drawn into the same vortex of destruction. At this moment, we remind ourselves that Christians are called to evangelism in its best sense.
If we want an evangelism message, here it is: We Christians see the risen Christ in everyone—and we will treat each person as if he or she is indeed Christ walking beside us. Take that message to heart. Evangelize our friends. Evangelize our fellow employees. Evangelize our political leaders. The church and the nation need our witness now more than ever.
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
