The Grace of Inclusion

The Grace of Inclusion: Building an Inclusive Mindset
Our world today has become smaller with the widespread advances in communication technology. We are well connected and have access to information, literally at our fingertips and yet, we may not be connected with our neighbor next door especially in ways that we ought to be.
This book contains personal encounters and experiences which I hope will serve as illustrations to the concepts that are expressed. I also hope that it will encourage you to be inclusive in thought, word and actions. The content in this book comprises of five parts: Part one entitled “Encountering the Other” which is a study of how Jesus’s encounter with the Samaritan woman is a lesson in intercultural competency and the practice of inclusiveness.
Part two entitled, “Being Inclusive as an Inner Journey” looks at how we need to go past our egos in order to embrace the responsibilities of being inclusive. The need to practice empathy is emphasized Part three - “Overcoming Biases and Prejudices” sums up the challenges faced in the process of being inclusive and the need to overcome biases, especially implicit bias in order to be inclusive. It is also a study of the Gospel of John which is a narrative of the healing of the man born blind. In part four we look at how the healing of wounded experiences leads us down the path to wholeness. And finally in part 5 we look at outreach that is just, equitable, impartial and all inclusive.
The Gospel proclaimed by the church offers us life in Jesus who died so that we may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). If we believe in him and in his promises, contained in his Word we will not perish but live eternally (John 3:16). The church also invites us to enter into a new relationship with Jesus every day and to renew our commitment to his cause. If we do so we can truly express the words of saint Paul in Gal 2:20 “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me and the life I now live, I live through faith in the Son of God who loves me and gave himself up for me”. In verse 21 in the same chapter we read “I do not nullify the grace of God for if justification were through the law then Christ died to no purpose”.
In the New Testament in Mathew, chapter 11 verses 28 and following we read, “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart and my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Jesus invites us and teaches us to ‘be’ instruments of peace, and justice. As channels of grace we can bridge the gaps that exist between us. We can intentionally be the bridge of understanding as we reach out to the differences in congregational places, normative rules, social structures, institutions and the functional relationships. People’s intentions, the options that we believe we have, the decisions we make, the consequent actions we take and the resultant actions of others may be far from the truth. There is a shift from thinking that people always conform to normative rules and that they are more inclined to be intentional and that these intentions go beyond or outside the normative rules. People’s actions can change the structures and institutions within which they live. Hence individuals and cultures are agents of their actions which anthropology labels as ‘agency’.