Hans Växby Summer 2010

I shared a meal with the Sri Lankan representative at a recent international conference. I had heard about the long and violent conflict between Sinhalese and Tamil, the two ethnic groups on the island, and I asked him how the church relates to it. He then explained to me: Outside the church, Tamil are Hindus and Sinhalese Buddhists, divided by both ethnicity and religion. But in the church it is different – there the faith in Jesus Christ keeps Tamil and Sinhalese together.

A first step

We shall not idealize the church, not even the Bible does that. Already in the first Christian revival, “the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food.” Acts 6:1 They had their human problems, and we have ours. We do not need to pretend that we never have issues with one another. Actually, recognizing that we sometimes struggle with this is a first step in the right direction.

But the teaching in the Bible is also clear. Paul explains that “jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, [and] factions” Galatians 5:20 are not compatible with a spiritual life, and states that “there is no longer Jew or Greek… for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28 It was not easy in the first church to implement this theology in the congregational life, but they learned what was right, and tried to live it with the help of God.

Mirror of the surrounding society

We live in a time marked by ethnic conflicts around the world, we hear about them almost every day in the news. Our own society also has its tensions between people of different origin, although citizens of the same country. The barely masked racism only too often shows itself in derogatory comments, and several violent hate crimes have occurred in recent years.

The life of the church often mirrors the surrounding society. The trends of the church are, although not identical, often parallel to the trends in the world (music is an example of this). And it has been explained to me many times that certain things are not possible to change, because they are part of the Russian, Ukrainian, or Central Asian culture.

A different culture

But some things are different in the church, and should be so. In addition to all national and regional cultures around us, we also have a set of Christian values and a United Methodist culture. In Sri Lanka, my Christian friend told me, the church shows the society “a still more excellent way.” 1 Corinthians 12:31 By showing examples, the church helps the society to move towards reconciliation and mutual respect.

To be “recognized in the society ” does not necessarily mean to do what the society does. On the contrary, recognition may come only if we represent an alternative, and show values that not yet have been totally imbedded in the general culture.

Therefore, “there is no longer [Russian or Korean, West-Ukrainian or East-Ukrainian, Kyrgyz or Uzbek]…, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28