Anglican archbishop of Sydney, Australia from "Fear of Criticism Has Made Christians Silent Instead of Significant," Sydney Morning herald, May 11, 2002
"Churches must have the courage to win influence back from a secular world. The role of the Christian churches...today is to speak the truth in love... We have accepted the secular world's verdict that we have nothing of importance to say, and we have adjusted ourselves to this reality. We have become domesticated... Instead of explaining and defending the Gospel, we have sought the path of relevance... The Christian Gospel is the insertion of truth into the untrustworthy discourse of the world. Some of us want to be kind, so loving that we will not speak the truth. The therapeutic model of pastoral care has been perverted into mere affirmations of human behavior. Our love is not love, for it refuses this great test: will it speak boldly, frankly, truthfully?... One of the chief reasons why we have ceased to speak the truth is we are fearful of the reaction of those around us... We have contributed towards the gagging of God, perhaps because we are frightened of suffering. But there is one fundamental task to which we must be committed, come whatever may: Speak the truth in love."
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