I heard a fascinating interview on the radio yesterday; Terry Gross speaking with Nadia Bolz-Webber, a Lutheran pastor in Denver.
When asked why people are surprised she's a pastor, Bolz-Webber responded, "...I tend to swear like a truck driver...I'm very heavily tattooed, I have sleeve tattoos, basically, and very short hair, and I'm, like, 6-feet-1-inch [tall]. I don't actually act like a pastor either. I don't have that sweet, nurturing, "come to me; I'll co-sign on all of your BS problems," like, I just don't have that warm, cozy personality, and I'm kind of cranky and a little bit sarcastic, I guess."
So she went to seminary, and started her own church: The House for All Sinners and Saints.
Everything was great, until The Denver Post ran a front-page feature about Bolz-Webber, and the "normals" descended on the church.
She struggled with "our weird" getting "diluted" - but eventually faced the basic tenant of her ministry: accepting strangers - including "bankers in dockers".
Looks more hacker than pastor, huh?
Bolz-Webber was a stand-up comic in recovery when she got her calling. She was giving a eulogy at a friend's funeral, when she realized the crowd of academics, comics, and alcoholics were people like herself; not readily welcomed by mainstream churches.
Bolz-Webber was a stand-up comic in recovery when she got her calling. She was giving a eulogy at a friend's funeral, when she realized the crowd of academics, comics, and alcoholics were people like herself; not readily welcomed by mainstream churches.
So she went to seminary, and started her own church: The House for All Sinners and Saints.
Everything was great, until The Denver Post ran a front-page feature about Bolz-Webber, and the "normals" descended on the church.
She struggled with "our weird" getting "diluted" - but eventually faced the basic tenant of her ministry: accepting strangers - including "bankers in dockers".
What struck me are the parallels with BSidesLV:
- A church for sinners and saints and a conference for infosec and hackers.
- Vibrant communities built on shared interest, not necessarily shared belief.
- Unexpected dramatic growth from people outside the archetype.
- Built on accepting strangers and Encouraging diverse voices.
I am so grateful for the BSidesLV community. Being one of those people with a foot in each door, I'm interested in the intersection, the exchange of ideas. Being able to hear other perspectives is invaluable - even [especially!] when I don't agree.
Sometimes I change my mind ;-)
Bright creative people aren't easy. We're not easy to live with, and we're not easy to work with.
So please: bring your toys back to the sandbox. We need each other.
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