Our World Christian Heritage

I just returned from a trip to Europe. After going on this trip, I feel connected more globally than before. I also think that we have a great deal to learn from Europe today. The European people live closely to one another in many ways. Certainly the World Wars of the twentieth century involved nation against nation, the size of which are closer to the states in the USA. Perhaps that leads to a greater acknowledgement afterwards that they must live in civility with one another. In addition to this, there is the realization that crises such as Syria are not a half a world across an ocean but closely tied to the European continent. Although the response to the refugees from Syria has been mixed, by and large there has been hospitality extended and received that goes beyond what at least our communication has been in the United States.

Perhaps it is the connection to the past and the realization that these countries must live together that has led to the cooperation at the current time. I realize that France and Germany, for example, have been bitter enemies in the past. But now they share in the realization that isolation has led to enmity, and enmity has led to great loss of life. There is much to be learned here in the United States of America from this. In addition, our Christian ethic should lead us to be more collaborative and less restrictive toward other countries of the world. It should also lead us to be responsive to human needs in the world such as Syrian refugees, and not close our doors/build walls in our approach to other human beings around the world.

If I have learned anything from my recent trip from Paris to Normandy, France it is that the lessons of history come at great loss of life and momentum around the world. If we are to learn from our own human history, we need to learn from those who died for freedom and dignity. The voices of those lost in our inhumanity to other human beings should lead us to greater civility. One week before our USA election we need to realize that we cannot isolate ourselves from the world because we are part of the whole world. All lives around the whole world do matter!

When we take the time to reflect on these larger global and Christian issues in retrospect. we can regain our appropriate status of being citizens of the whole world. I believe that is what President John F. Kennedy meant when he said he was a Berliner and what President Ronald Reagan meant when he returned to the Berlin Wall and called for the walls to come tumbling down. More importantly that is what Peter talked about in Acts 10:34 when he said that I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. This is what Paul meant when he wrote to the Galatians in chapter 3: There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. As American Christians we should live out this heritage! Every person on this planet is our brother or sister. We must work together or we will surely grow farther apart. It is our Christian calling in the third millennium.