August 7, 2016 - Jon Ritner

This summer has seen a categorical escalation in anger and resentment towards people who are not like “us”. Whether it is our country’s racial tensions, the discourse around the presidential election or ongoing global terrorism, the news is filled with people who are suspicious, fearful or antagonistic towards others because of their differences. How do people of diverse races, cultures and religions live together in peace? This month we will explore the journey of God’s prophet Jonah as he wrestles with the command to bring God’s word to a culture and people very different than his own. We will try to identify who “the others” are in our own lives and how we can seek to promote understanding and empathy as God’s agents of reconciliation on earth.