BRAVE Spaces: Rules for Engagement (Part 1)
Welcome to the BRAVE Blog! We tackle tough topics about identity, politics, identity politics, and what God says about all of it. Before we get too far into the conversation, let’s set some ground rules.
I want you to know that this is NOT a safe space. This space will challenge you, stretch you, and may leave you bruised and scratched. Places that have the possibility of leaving you bruised and scratched, are, by definition, not safe. Instead, I invite you into bravery.
The concept of a Brave Space isn’t brand new, but it is new-ish. I have used it for years as a framework for how we should enter difficult conversations. I originally heard of the Brave Space concept through an article written by Brian Arao and Kristi Clements called “From Safe to Brave Spaces: A New Way to Frame Dialogue Around Diversity and Social Justice.” Initially, I worked with some colleagues to create the first iteration. I’ve since Updated it to reflect my personal journey.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love God and are called according to God’s purpose.
B - Believe
Believe that all stories have value, power, meaning, and weight. This has three different places where I tend to apply it.
In difficult conversations, especially in ones surrounding identity, we often want to cling to our worldview for dear life. We spend so much time and energy defending ourselves that we miss the opportunity to truly engage with others. So the first part of this invites you to see every story as valuable, powerful, meaningful, and heavy.
I also want you to extend this grace to yourself. This seems counterintuitive, given the want to cling to our worldview, but this gives the opportunity to reexamine events in your life and the beliefs you created about yourself. Your story and experiences also carry value, power, meaning, and weight.
It can be difficult to remember that our friends and neighbors that have views that we see as bigoted also have stories with value, power, meaning, and weight. It’s very easy to simply write off those folks and their experiences as bigoted and unchangable, but we must remember that folks with bigoted worldviews also have stories and experiences that shaped them. Just as our eyes were opened, others have the same ability to learn and grow.
Romans 8:28 says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love God and are called according to God’s purpose.” All stories work together for the good of those that God has called. If God has called you, everything that happens to you and everything you do will create forward movement in God’s Kin{g}dom. God has used stories of bigotry, hatred, and injustice to bring calm and peace to the earth, and will continue to as long as it’s needed.