Sunday, September 25, 2022
Sunday Reflection: Insiders and Outsiders
My Sunday School has been reading Paul's letter to the Galatians, which frankly seems like it is written by three or four different people. It is sometimes as clear as a January sky and other times leaden and confusing. Over all, though, it is all about a central debate of that time: whether the people of the Way (the earliest Christians) should include only people who followed the Jewish laws or open themselves to Gentiles. Paul is arguing for broader inclusion.
It's a debate we still have, unfortunately. I'm always struck by how much effort Christians at times put towards separating themselves from others through church schisms, demands for orthodoxy, and excommunication of one type or another. It's a strange focus, and probably one cause of the shrinking of the church in this time that demands compassion and breadth.
Any church I'll be a part of is going to include people who haven't followed all the supposed rules or don't believe in all of them (and that group includes me). If someone wants to search for God and meaning with me, that's enough in my book.
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One thing himanity does well is try and separate humans into boxes and further categorize and supersubcateforize. We seem uncomfortable without labeling everything.
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