This is an outline of a recent talk one of my New Testament Professors gave recently at Fuller. I think it is pretty profound. She is a courageous woman.
Love Sechrest Speaks in Martin Luther King Chapel
In a chapel service on January 10 celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, Fuller faculty member Love Sechrest spoke on “Being One in Christ.” “The image of Church as family has always fired my imagination,” Sechrest, who is assistant professor of New Testament, explained in her opening remarks. She then addressed race relations and unity within the Church, using as her text Galatians 3:28: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”
Sechrest approached this text by recounting how it has been used in the past to support either total cultural assimilation or a radical emphasis on racial categories. Pointing out that “ancient Jews constructed race on the basis of who one worshipped, rather than on skin color,” Sechrest suggested that this verse instead “reconfigures the flesh of a Christian as a member of a new race.” She made a similar point regarding issues of social class: “For the Church, Christ has reconfigured the ordering of class—mastery and dependency have been replaced by interdependency.”
According to Sechrest, “Galatians 3:28 neither erases nor enshrines racial differences; instead, it creates a new racial unity.” This unity does not equal sameness, however; there is a diversity of giftedness within the Church, and “our history and distinctives are gifts to the body of Christ.” Sechrest honored Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King for their efforts towards racial integration in society while maintaining that “in the Church, our goal is interdependence rather than integration.” She concluded by commenting that “we are privileged to live in a society where the world is at our doorstep, but with great privilege comes great responsibility,” and encouraging the Church to therefore take further steps towards racial interdependence.
love to hear your thoughts
also, i thought i'd let you know i have only been awake for about 5 hours today. this sickness thing is fighting me hard
2 comments:
i could go a long way with the idea of interdependence over integration. i'll be thinkin....
mishna
We live in a world where most people have an "us and them" mentality. Whether it is based on beliefs, race, gender, and, dare I say it, sexual orientation. Even within "the" Church you find this between the denominations.
I would say that it stems from our desire for comparison. We lose focus on God and start trying to move ahead of those around us. Without an "us and them" mentality, it would be hard to say that "they are better than us" or vice versa.
So, I'd say the biggest obstacle in becoming interdependent is getting people (us) to embrace the fact that we are all equal in God's eye. Then, we might realize our need to rely on one another.
Until then, we will be too busy trying to win the race to the front of the line.
Sorry that I've been MIA for a week. I've been trying to be productive at work.
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