Frequently Asked Questions

Are you a religious organization?

Why yes we are! Motor City Wesley is connected with progressive Christian faith communities and claims our Wesleyan/Methodist heritage. This means we believe in a God who offers grace to all, even before we know it. Further, we believe that serving others and building a more just world is a holy response to the grace, forgiveness and inspiration announced and enacted in the teachings and life of Jesus Christ. We also believe that there is no barrier to welcoming and working with students of all faiths or no faith, since working toward goodness in the world is consistent with our understanding of God’s hopes for everyone.

Aren’t Christians anti-Gay?

Unfortunately some are. But we believe this is a misreading of the Bible. We believe that the story of Jesus is all about making room for the marginalized - particularly those marginalized by religious doctrines. We believe that the church’s historic teachings against homosexuality are based more in an attempt to preserve patriarchy than in the biblical commandments to Love God and Love Neighbor. We recognize the harm that such doctrines have done to the LGBTQIA+ community. We repent of our complicity in that harm. And, we commit to deconstructing and eliminating the teachings, policies and actions that continue to perpetuate such harm.

Aren’t “conspiracies” bad?

This is probably the questions we get asked most. And, the world has experienced a whole different level of violent conspiracy theories lately, so we get it. But we are continually informed and inspired by those who have conspired for goodness in the world even when those actions put them at great risk. One story from WWII was particularly formative for us when we first started to encourage students to get into #goodtrouble and holy mischief: The Conspiracy of Kindness in Le Chambon France. We hope this is the kind of conspiracy the world never forgets.