Unity In Diversity

 

Many of us who identify ourselves as Christians are allowing ourselves—and Christ’s Church—to be hijacked for partisan, political purposes. At best, many of us have remained silent about the blatant racism and fear mongering that have helped to fuel campaigns and pollute the airwaves and political process. At worst, some of us have become complicit, hitching our wagons to the stars of politicians and platforms that little reflect the love and inclusive community of Christ.

Jesus calls us to be engaged in the political process to serve the world without becoming entangled in the partisan divide. It’s hard to actively participate in God’s redemptive work when we allow ourselves to be enmeshed in worldly ideologies and values.

What’s the Cost?

A reflection on Mary of Bethany from the story found in John 12:1-8

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

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What will it cost to be who you truly are? Anyone who’s been alive a while—no matter how long—knows that being yourself can be risky and costly. Being who we are in the world without trying to fit into others’ expectations or cultural constrictions can cost us friends and family. In these days of extreme polarization in our culture and church, even sharing a perspective can cost valued relationships—or at least followers on Facebook or Twitter.

For me, “being myself” involves being a woman. And I have had women’s issues on my mind a lot lately. Through my work on the soon-to-be published CEB Women’s Bible for which I am an editor, I was reminded of the degree to which women’s stories and voices in the Bible are, with rare exception, relegated to the background if they appear at all. Part of the gift of this new Bible is that every woman—named or unnamed in the text—is lifted up and given some attention. That is encouraging.

Your Church Can Faithfully Battle Xenophobia

This presidential campaign season—as in no other of recent memory—Xenophobic, exclusionary, fear of the Other has been used by politicians in an attempt to garner votes. Xenophobia is more than a matter of preference for people whom we enjoy hanging out with, or those with whom we feel most comfortable. In Xenophobia we separate ourselves from others to better oppress, exploit, expulse, confine, hurt, or deny justice and access to others whom we have judged to be so Other as to be beyond the bounds of having any bond between us or any claim upon us.

In recent debates over whether or not to admit Syrian refugees, questions have been raised like, If we let them in, what’s the cost? Will our nation be less secure? Will property values in my neighborhood be diminished? Will these newcomers help or hinder the economy?