The kingdom of heaven is available for other uses than those that are sometimes thought to be distinctively spiritual. As with the mustard seed grown into a tree, the birds come and perch in its branches. Did the tree grow for the sake of the birds, or did the birds avail themselves of the hospitality of the tree? It is even so with the kingdom of heaven. Whatever is true has a right to be in the church—all art and science, all business and literature, all recreation and joy. Do not banish these sacred birds from the branches of the church tree, for they are all God’s, and if they do not receive hospitality in the church, they will find it elsewhere, and the church will be the loser in the long run.
— Joseph Parker
