We run our website the way we wished the whole internet worked: we provide high quality original content with no ads. We are funded solely by your direct support. Please consider supporting this project.
The Incarnation as an Example of Cross-Cultural Love
Beautiful Faces of Palestine via Compfight
Christena Cleveland wrote an excellent piece about the radical cross-cultural nature of the incarnation. I’ve never thought of it quite this way before, but the incarnation is the most profound instance of entering into another culture in a selfless way. Moving outside of our “cultural comfort zone” to more deeply understand others who are different than we are is a true mark of disciples following the example of our Master. What would it look like to really make ourselves vulnerable to the worlds around us that are strange or unfamiliar? Let’s find out.
Here’s a snippet of Christena’s article:
If Jesus had wanted to stick to his cultural comfort zone, to be perfectly understood by those around him, to only spend time with those who spoke his language and shared his worldview, he never would have come to earth. By temporarily leaving the celestial community of the Trinity (the purest, most cohesive, most supreme cultural group ever) to embody humanity and commune with us, he inaugurated a world of cross-cultural relationships, proving that he can empathize well across cultures.
OK, “empathize well” is an understatement. Jesus’ cross-cultural empathy skills are perfect. Jesus doesn’t just try to relate. He relates. He doesn’t just try to forfeit his cultural preferences. He forfeits his cultural preferences. He doesn’t justtry to be aware of his privilege and power. He is aware of his privilege and power.
He is perfectly cross-cultural. He is perfectly incarnational.
Category: General
Tags: Christena Cleveland, Christmas, Empathy, Incarnation, Jesus, Kingdom Living, Vulnerability
Related Reading
God is Not What You Expect
Jesus came, in part, to finally reveal the absolute truth about God. He is the way and the truth (alethia) and the life (Jn 14:6). The word “truth” means “uncovered.” And what we find once God is uncovered is that he’s completely different than what we fallen humans generally expect God to be. As we…
Merry Christmas from ReKnew
Bless you all as you celebrate the birth of Jesus today. Here’s another song by Eustace the Dragon to celebrate. Ten Grinches, plus two by Eustace the Dragon Said the night wind to the little lamb, “Do you see what I see? Way up in the sky, little lamb, Do you see what I see?…
How should Christians respond to Near Death Experiences?
In a recent Q and A session about the book of Revelation, Greg Boyd and Paul Eddy answer a question on How Christians should respond to claims of Near Death Experiences. You can view the entire Q and A HERE.
Podcast: Could Jesus Have Sinned? (part one)
Greg considers the nature of temptation and the temptability of God. http://traffic.libsyn.com/askgregboyd/Episode_0114.mp3
Are the Gospels Historical Fiction?
Some scholars today argue that the stories recorded in the Gospels are actually intentional fabrication. In essence, they argue that Mark took Paul’s theology and robed the story of Jesus in a fictitious historical narrative. The other Gospels followed suit. The argument is clever and removes the difficulty of explaining how a legend of a…
Myth Become History
The Gospel of John tells of the coming of Jesus in an unusual way. John writes: In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. Everything came into existence through him. Not one thing that exists was made without him. He was the source of life, and…