Whiter Than Snow: Othering

Sunday we considered God’s work of grace to “purify a people for his own possession.” (Titus 2:14) He purified us so that he could embrace us as his own. As children of God, adopted into his family, we rejoice and worship the Son of God born to reconcile us to God.

The church, cleansed by grace, faces two challenges. The first is what Richard Beck calls the “liberal move” that “collapses the vertical pursuit of holiness into the immanent pursuit of mercy, equity, and justice.” (Unclean, p. 187) In essence, this group shapes its identity around matters of love and human care, disregarding God’s call to purity.

The second, falls on the opposite side of the spectrum, disregarding God’s call to care for others and pursue justice, focusing exclusively on purity and authority. This is best exemplified by the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. The problem wasn’t in their desire for holiness but in how they framed purity in “traditions of men.” (Matthew 15:1-9) In this case, washing their hands before eating.

As believers, committed to “bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God,” we often face the second of the two. We create socio-cultural barriers based on our own ideas of purity (traditions) and build our identity (personally and corporately) around that purity. Those outside those barriers are dehumanized, or “othered.”

Sunday, we’ll begin addressing this and how Jesus’ grace speaks to it.