It's Better if We Don't Include Everyone

In Matthew 15 Jesus and the disciples bump into a Canaanite woman in need for Jesus to heal her daughter. After her first plea for Jesus to help, the disciples beg Jesus to make the woman go away for she is a nuisance.

They act just like our churches do today.

I mean fellowship, communion, and membership are not for everyone. We can’t have anyone and everyone walking around our stuff, getting in our space, and worshiping our God. It wouldn’t be kosher. It wouldn’t be clean.

I mean what if I came in to church on a Sunday morning and someone was sitting in my seat, on my pew? What if they were homeless? What if they were gay? What if they were poor or had too many unruly children? What if they looked Muslim or, (for the Caucasians in Georgia), what if they were black?

Just imagine the mess it would cause if we didn’t properly screen our members.

It’s just better if we don’t include everyone. We won’t say that we are excluding, we just won’t advertise that we are inclusive either. We’ll duck our heads, lay low, celebrate with our community only, and never reach out. Never branch out. Never go beyond the walls of our comfort level to embrace our neighbor, give voice to the voiceless, or care for the downtrodden. It’s just better this way.

Unfortunately too many of our churches nod in agreement with this mindset. I submit God is quite displeased with this.

God wants us to interact not distance. God needs us to engage not exclude. Is mercy not available to all who pursue it? So if someone comes in to church looking for mercy why aren’t we more willing to be the hands and feet of Jesus?

Maybe I’m wrong; maybe churches are doing a very good job of welcoming the stranger. But why then, I wonder, have church memberships in America been in steady decline since the Vietnam War?

Comments

Anonymous said…
Generalizations ("They act just like our churches do today") and straw man arguments ("Unfortunately too many of our churches nod in agreement with this mindset. I submit God is quite displeased with this") really delegitimize a person's creditability.

There's nothing noble about wagging your finger at an un-Christ like practice that is practiced by an amplified minority. Can you say, with intellectual honesty, that the MAJORITY of churches in this nation act like this? The truth is neither one of us can. In the mean time you end up just preaching to a crowd that already agrees with you (just my assumption of course) and add justification for that crowd to add fuel to the fire of divisive debate all too prevalent in this nation.

If you'd like to talk of the inclusiveness of the Gospel, talk about the inclusiveness of the Gospel with the content of that inclusivity as its foundation, not generalizations of a straw man you can beat down that you're audience will celebrate.

I say this with brotherly love and hope that your ministry is fruitful.
February 17, 2011 at 12:28 PM
Barrett Owen said…
I appreciate your comment - it's a valid and helpful reminder of the tone in which I write. I'll do better!
February 17, 2011 at 2:08 PM
Anonymous said…
Good to hear. I suspect your ministry will be fruitful indeed!
February 17, 2011 at 4:35 PM
Cameron Thorp said…
From the experiences I have had in churches i see this to be true. It is sad to see churches that think the church is a building and everyone needs to 'come' to them. It is sad to an hidden exclusive attitude that seems to prevent outsiders from joining our communities. Thanks for your comments.. They are needed and helpful!

Grace

I write about some similar things at my blog. Check it out if you like. Its called The Kingdom Post .

Cameron
March 10, 2011 at 4:15 PM
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