The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth Jr. Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio, is a remarkable presence in his conversation with a Cleveland “shock jock” about the saying “God loves you. No exceptions.”
You can listen to the podcast here.
The broadcast does a good job setting up the circumstances that led to the bishop being in studio.
The conversation happened a few weeks ago, but it has more recently started to make its way around Facebook.
The comments from the listeners are rather appreciative of the bishop.
Lynda Bernays wrote: Thank you, Bishop Hollingsworth, for stating so clearly, over and over, that God loves us. You are a voice of radical welcome and acceptance in a world that has way too much rejection and hatred — everyone needs to know that God’s love is ever-present, and through that, our love survives (no matter what).
Jane Russell Freeman wrote: I so appreciate hearing Bishop Hollingsworth’s non-reactive, calm proclamation of God’s love with a very provocative radio interviewer. His responses were a model for us all.
Mimi Moore wrote: “I think that the hosts of this show, by the sound of their voices, slowly began to respect both the Bishop, and the message. They used better tones, more respectful language, and that shows they started to turn towards the message rather than turning away from it.”
And last but not least, The Lead’s own Torey Lightcap quoted these sobering words:
“What I don’t want is for my resentment and vengeance to take over my life.”