A Theology of Welcome
by Cadet Andy Miller III
“Welcome one another,
therefore, just as I have welcomed you for the glory of God.”
Romans 15:7
Theological reflection in the
sphere of social ethics demands that conscious and thorough
attention be given to the position of otherness and identity
within one’s theological method and praxis. When considering
these issues a distinct and clear picture of the Triune God
presents itself in a way that calls humanity toward welcoming
others, particularly those who are not accustomed to being
welcomed. [The particular theology of welcome that follows
draws from the major themes incorporated in Miroslav Volf’s
book Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of
Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation (Nashville:
Abingdon, 1996).]
A theological exploration of human
identity and otherness must be rooted in the cross. A theology
of the cross that incorporates the themes of self-donation,
divine solidarity, and the self-giving nature of God
beautifully expresses the nature of the suffering Christ who
relates with suffering humanity. God seeks to identify with
humans through Christ, and to provide a place for humans who
are all longing for welcome. Through the cross the Triune God
welcomes and “suffers with victims, protects them, and gives
them rights of which they have been deprived”(Volf, 23).
Thus, the triune God offers a sweet form of hospitality that
has personal experience with humanity’s pain. If this type of
love, as expressed in the cross, is a part of the nature of
the self-giving God then it should also be a directive for
humanity.
An understanding of identity
logically follows, in light of a gracious God who welcomes.
Miroslav Volf illustrates, “the will to give ourselves to
others and ‘welcome’ them, to readjust our identities to make
space for them, is prior to any judgment about others, except
that of identifying them in their humanity” (Volf, 29). John
Wesley expresses his readjustment by explaining that through
the physical “rags” that cover despairing humanity he sees,
“one that has an immortal spirit….I see through all the rags
that he is purpled over with the blood of Christ” [John
Wesley, Works of John Wesley, vol. 3: Sermons 3:71-114
(Nashville: Abingdon, 1986)]. A view of the other, in light of
the cross, not only changes one’s perception of the other but
also stirs people towards a deeper understanding of
themselves. Thus, a persons’ identity is intrinsically
gregarious. Because Christians are a part of a distinct
community and are directed to welcome strangers, a healthy
balance between one’s distance from culture and belonging to
it is required.(1)
Exclusion is juxtaposed to the
welcoming character of God. Some might view exclusion solely
in extreme forms, such as genocides and ethnic cleansings, but
Volf describes exclusion, as coming from the “situated self”,
that is, the internally focused person who disregards the
welcome of others. Exclusion is therefore, practiced by common
people. The character of sin is painfully evident in
exclusion, which takes place, “when the violence of expulsion,
assimilation, or subjugation and the indifference of
abandonment replace the dynamics of taking in and keeping out
as well as the mutuality of giving and receiving” (Volf, 67).
Thus, sin has a social characteristic and the world is
bursting with practices of exclusion. Henri Nouwen
illustrates, “In our world the assumption is that strangers
are a potential danger and that it is up to them to disprove
it” [Henri Nouwen, Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the
Spiritual Life (New York: Doubleday, 1975), 69]. The
Christian’s acceptance of others and the hospitality that is
directly related to such acceptance is not based on one’s
perception of innocence or lack thereof. Instead, God’s
character shows embrace to all. The moral implication and
application for the Christian is to do the same—mainly to show
grace. This kind of welcome is possible when the Spirit of
Christ becomes active in taking away the ambitions of the
“situated self.” Volf explains that this power can “resist the
power of exclusion in the power of the Spirit of embrace” (Volf,
92).
The movement from exclusion to
embrace is marked by forgiveness. Volf asserts, “Forgiveness
is the boundary between exclusion and embrace”(Volf, 125). The
divine movement of forgiveness is Christ’s passion and hence
the Triune God’s passion. Self-giving love and creation of
space are two themes that are specifically tied to the passion
of Christ but are also intrinsically tied in a reflection of
the inner life of the Trinity. The welcome exhibited in the
passion is the willingness of God to extend embrace toward
“estranged humanity” (127). This welcome is a greater picture
of the Trinitarian welcome, which through the cross seeks to
embrace the beloved who has become an enemy. Volf wonderfully
pictures this embracement, which occurs on the cross as a
“dancing circle of self-giving and mutually indwelling divine
persons opens up for the enemy; in the agony of the passion
the movement stops for a brief moment and a fissure appears so
that sinful humanity can join in (see John 17:21)” (129). This
embrace is the clarion call for enemies who are no longer
excluded to show a reciprocal welcome and embrace to others.
John Chrysostom continues to challenge practitioners of
welcome to “make no difficulty about meeting visitors;
instead, if on the one hand we are in a position to alleviate
their poverty, let us do so with love and cheerfulness, not as
giving something but as gaining very great advantage” [John
Chrysostom, Homily 41 on Genesis 18, trans. Robert C. Hill
(Catholic University Press or America, 2004), 416]. The
social dimensions of God’s character, exhibited in the
Trinity, involve the intercommunion of the divine persons and
the inclusion of humanity. The personal experience that
Christians have in the divine life reframes the theology of
welcome as more than a sacrifice.
The welcome of the Trinity, and
the reciprocal welcome that Christians offer is not merely the
giving of oneself, on the contrary it is a continual receiving
of others. Such reception helps Christians understand in a
deeper way the nature of their Triune God who is being served
in their welcome (Matt. 25:31-36). In an embrace, the
distinctions between guest and host become non-existent
(2) , and reconciliation has the freedom to do its work
because of embrace. The divine embrace reaches fulfillment
when reconciliation happens both between humans and God.
Postlude for the Salvationist:
There are many ways that a
theology of welcome can inspire, encourage, and affirm the
Salvationist in the fight. That is, Salvationists who are
saved to serve even while suffering. However, this reading of
Volf should challenge us when we are comfortable allowing
social services to be handled by the professional. Are
countless people who walk into your corps experiencing a
welcome that is rooted in the cross? Jesus spoke to me through
a homeless guy we serve each week on the canteen ministry at
the SFOT, he said to me, “I know why you do this, cause of
what he [finger point up] did.” Who was the guest and host in
this conversation? Lord give me the grace to welcome.
Any feedback is “welcomed”—
Andrew_Miller@uss.salationarmy.org
1 Volf articulates this unique balance in
Chapter one ‘Distance and Belonging’ in Exclusion and Embrace
(35-55). Similarly Pohl discusses the communal and practical
aspects of maintaining this balance in Making Room (135-141)
2 Volf says, “In an embrace a host is a
guest and a guest is a host.” 143.
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