Ephesians 2:19-22

“In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.” vss. 21-22

Christians have traditionally seen these verses from Ephesians as an ancient description of the Church as the Body of Christ, and they’ve not been wrong. By our baptisms we have become members of Christ’s body. As such we are his living presence in the world, and through us, the mission of Jesus to the lost and the hurting continues. We truly are the hands and the feet of Jesus, called to love and to serve in his name. There are some however, who are beginning to ask whether this definition is sufficient–they feel that it has moved away from its non-dualistic roots and that it is now used to describe insiders, (those who have been saved), over-against all those following some of the world’s other great religions. They wonder if the phrase, “in Christ,” doesn’t demand a more inclusive perspective. If we believe that Christ is indeed the one through whom Light has come into the Universe, it must also be true that Christians can’t possibly claim to be the only ones through whom the Light shines. While we can’t yet even imagine what this change in understanding might mean from a theological perspective, we can at least begin acting as though it’s true, and begin embracing our brothers and sisters in other faiths as fellow pilgrims on the Way!

Thought for the Day: How do I relate to those of other faiths?