ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
April 21, 2023
Kat Armas is a Cuban American author and theologian, and I recently listened to her online talk about a Guatemalan woman by the name of Rigoberta Menchú. Menchú won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 for her work on the rights of indigenous women. Her earliest experiences of Christianity were those of a Christianity born out of colonialism, a form of Christianity that was all about power from above, oppression, the need to submit to authority, and to never question one’s place in the world. When Menchú began to actually read the Bible, she found an entirely different story. From the experience of the Exodus, to the words of the prophet, to the life of Jesus, God was on the side of the oppressed, not the side of the oppressor. God weeps for the enslaved and seeks to liberate those who are exploited.
When people say, “I’m just a Christian,” what is often misunderstood is just how many different expressions there are of Christianity, and some of them are dramatically different from one another. We don’t always need to agree on every aspect of how we comprehend God, faith, salvation, Jesus, etc. But it is important for people to be able to articulate clearly what they believe while recognizing how each of us has a very different perspective that is shaped by our experiences. And when we live our faith inside an echo chamber, only being challenged by people who basically see things as we do, there is no one who calls into question (for example) a colonial version of Christianity, which is not a form of Christianity that makes any sense when placed alongside the Jesus life. Who are the people you are reading? What voices are informing you and enriching your limited experience? How often do you confess, “I did not know that, but in light of what I have learned, I recognize some needed changes within me”?
Following Jesus is hard if done right, O God. And I have a feeling that I am probably scoring a C- at best. Challenge my assumptions; give me ears attuned to the stories outside of my circle of familiarity; inspire me to live for those who have too often been devalued and ignored. Amen.
