Tribalism vs. The Gospel

While discussing trends that are facing the church in the 21st century, David Wells speaks of "the growing bonding of kin...in the new expressions of tribalism--nationalistic, ethnic, and generational" (22).

To this growing trend--which I think is blatantly evident in the niche churches that market exclusively to subgroups so as to be "specific things to specific people"--the gospel is directly opposed.

In Ephesians 2:11-18, Paul argues that Christ achieved relational peace between Jews and Gentiles on the cross where he said "For [Christ] himself is our peace, who has made the two [Jew & Gentile] one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace" (vv. 14-15).

Churches must be marked by this relational peace. Any racism, classism, ageism, musicism, income-ism, or any other -ism, or any ministry model that glories in and perpetuates our differences has the effect of reintroducing war to a battlefield Christ already brought peace to. It pretends that this very important--though often neglected--work of relational peace that Jesus achieved on the cross never happened.

A people who're truly seeking to have a cross-centered, gospel-focused, Christ-exalting life and ministry cannot let this be.