Ethnocentrism and the Body of Christ

    

What is ethnocentrism?

According to dictionary.com, ethnocentrism is:

  • Belief in the intrinsic superiority of the nation, culture, or group to which one belongs, often accompanied by feelings of dislike for other groups.
  • The tendency to evaluate other groups according to the values and standards of one's own ethnic group, especially with the conviction that one's own ethnic group is superior to the other groups.
  • The belief that one's own culture is superior to all others and is the standard by which all other cultures should be measured.


What is the problem with ethnocentrism?

Ethnocentrism, at its heart, is an absence of love for people who are different from oneself, which is antithetical to the Christian life.

Ethnocentrism is an issue that all humans, regardless of their country or culture of origin, have. 

It is one that I struggle with, and it is one that I blatantly see among many people all over the world. 

This is present in the Middle Eastern conflicts between Muslims and Jews. It was present in the life and ideology of Hitler and the Nazis. And it was a reality in the biblical times, particularly as illustrated in the story of Jonah.

I have also noticed its heavy presence among Americans, regardless of religious beliefs (yes, this is highly present among Christians, too) or ethnic background.

I have heard people say and read what they write about their attitudes toward immigrants (whether legal or illegal), Muslims, people of color (and toward whites, too), and a myriad of other groups. I would have to be completely blind and deaf to not see or hear the words laced with hatred toward others and a feeling of superiority over other groups.

Friends, ethnocentrism has NO PLACE in the Body of Christ. NONE.

The Gospel is for all. 
Christ. Died. For. All.
Scripture is abundantly clear on this matter.

  • Isaiah 49:6 tells of God's plan to make His people a light to the Gentiles so that salvation would spread through the whole world.
  • Matthew 28:18-20 recounts Jesus' command that his disciples (that includes anyone who follows Him) are to go and make disciples of ALL NATIONS.
  • Revelation 5:9 shows the words being sung about Jesus in heaven - that with His blood, he purchased for God people of every tribe, language, people and nation.
  • Revelation continues to present this theme of every tribe, people and nation being represented in God's kingdom.
  • Revelation 22 talks of the leaves of the tree of life being for the healing of the nations.
Sometimes I think it's far too easy for Christians, especially those in the West, to forget that it is because of God's love for the nations that any of us who are Gentiles are at all considered part of His people.

Without God's love for the whole world, we would all be heading straight to Hell.


So what does this mean for those of us who are Christians?

We need to take a different approach, moving far away from the belief that we are at all superior to any other person or people group. If God's love for the whole world - every tribe, language, people and nation, then our attitude toward others should reflect His.

But, how do we do this practically speaking?

  1. Pray. Ask God to shape our thoughts and perspective in a way that reflects His love for others.
  2. Evaluate our own beliefs about other people groups, testing them against God's view of the nations to see whether or not our ideas line up with what He has stated in His Word.
  3. Go outside of our little spheres and get to know people of other faiths, cultures and native languages:
  4. Go on a mission trip.
  5. Listen to the stories of people unlike ourselves.
  6. Read biographies and autobiographies of people living in other cultures or ethnic communities.
  7. Read articles written from different cultural perspectives.

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