The Christian Century

“Jesus was quite serious when he said that God was our father, that we belonged all to one family, because in this family all, not some, are insiders. Bush, bin Laden, all belong, gay, lesbian, so-called straight—all belong and are loved, are precious.”

—Retired Anglican archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, addressing the Ninth Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Brazil

“The most shocking thing for me was to work hard for several hours, raise up my head, look around and realize how little we accomplished. There is an awesome need for people to come to Louisiana as work teams. The need will go on for years.”

—United Methodist bishop Tom Bickerton, about the continuing needs in Louisiana after getting a firsthand view of hurricane damage