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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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