Just before ascending into heaven, Jesus instructed his disciples to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8), a missions strategy starting in their hometown; reaching out to their home country; going to the country next-door—geographically close but culturally and religiously different; and finally, going to “the ends of the earth,” including to every ethnic group on every continent. This missions strategy included one place which Jesus’ disciples might have preferred he not mention: Samaria. The countries of Judea and Samaria were next-door neighbors, but unfriendly neighbors. Jews and Samaritans held deep prejudices against each other. Jews would go out of their way to avoid Samaritans. But Jesus was different. In the gospel of John (chap 4) Jesus took his disciples on a short-cut through Samaria on their way to Galilee. He went this way in order to meet a particular Samaritan woman who needed to hear the gospel. That woman became a believer and she became the first evangelist to the people in her hometown, leading many of them to also believe in Jesus. By talking to this woman Jesus crossed the common ethnic, social, and gender barriers of that day.
I am reading a book by Alejandro Mandes: Embracing the New Samaria: Opening Our Eyes to Our Multiethnic Future. The book describes demographic changes happening in the United States. By 2045 there will no longer be a majority ethnic group in the United States, whites will also be a minority group. The book calls our country Samerica, blending the geographical name America with the biblical name Samaria. The implication is that we all have next-door neighbors who may be ethnically, culturally, linguistically, and religiously different from us. Welcome to Samerica!
Of course, this situation is not new. America has always been a nation of immigrants. Before Columbus accidently found the Bahamas while looking for India, there were already 900 native groups already here—the first “Americans.” After Columbus, immigrants from around the globe flooded into the “new world.” For example, the town of Corn, close to Cordell, used to spell the town name as Korn, the German spelling, and their school documents from 100 years ago were written in German, the language of the immigrants who settled there. And that story could be told all across the United States. Eventually the US was settled by people speaking Spanish, French, English, Norwegian, Russian, Hindi, Chinese, Arabic, and dozens more. On the islands of South Carolina there is a community of people speaking Gullah—an African dialect related to Liberia, the nation where we started our missionary career. America has become a melting pot of diverse groups, and I believe that this ethnic mix is part of what has made America great!
But just as the Jews and Samaritans in Jesus’ day often didn’t like each other, people in Samerica don’t always like our next-door neighbors. Prejudices old and new can divide us. These divisions shape who we hang out with, where we shop, what we buy, our forms of entertainment, politics, and worship. Sometimes Americans have tried to homogenize this mixture (make everyone the same) either by efforts to get rid of the diversity or by enforcing one set of cultural norms on everybody (sadly we see both of these attempts happening now).
I am not trying to talk politics here—there are always two sides to every political question. But for Christians there are not two sides. We should always do what God has told us to do! I believe that the effort to homogenize Samerica is the very opposite of what God is calling us to do. Biblically we are to love all our neighbors as ourselves. Giving our neighbors new and old respect, compassion, fairness, and justice! We are to treat them as our equals, the same as citizens, just as we want to be treated (Leviticus 19:33-34; Deuteronomy 10:18-19; 27:19). Otherwise, how can we obey Jesus and be witnesses to them?
Here is a true story: I know a couple that moved into a new town and rented a house in a mixed neighborhood. Surrounding them was a diversity of families with lots of kids. The couple’s first reaction was to build a fence to protect their privacy and their property. But before they did that, they realized that God had put them into this neighborhood for such a time as this. Instead of keeping the neighbors out they began to invite them in, even the kids. This new perspective opened their eyes to see the ministry that God had now given them.
This story is a parable for the church. Instead of erecting walls to keep people out, churches need open doors to invite them in. The Great Commission (GC1) tells us to go to the whole world. Guess what, the sovereign God has brought the whole world to us! The Great Commandment (GC2) tells us to love all our neighbors—inviting them in! The result will be a Great Community (GC3), a multifaceted church which resembles a coat of many colors. Maybe this Great Community is why God brought so many new neighbors to our Samerica!
As my Dad told Jean and me prior to our departure for our first missionary assignment, “Love the people.” Our heavenly Father tells us the same thing.
Greg Giles is a published author, who, along with his wife Jean, has embraced the call to serve and teach around the globe. Their life together has included missionary work in Liberia, Bangladesh, teaching in China, and raising a family in Bemidji, Minnesota. Between global travels and local commitments, including serving as superintendent of Corn Bible Academy and their current part-time roles at Corn Heritage Village, the Gileses have found “home” in many places; yet, they now happily reside in retirement in Cordell. Please visit his website at reflections-on-wisdom.com.