"Intensional" (D.A. Horton)

TITLE: Intensional: Kingdom Ethnicity in a Divided World
AUTHOR: D.A. Horton
PUBLISHER: Carol Stream, IL: NavPress, 2019, (224 pages).

Different groups describe justice differently. For some, it is about retaliation. For others, it is about making sure the culprits are brought to justice and punished accordingly. Then, there are those who would use perceptions of injustice to do other forms of injustice. In a divided world, it is not just definitions or perceptions that are divided. People are deeply divided over matters of religion, political stance, language, looks, and especially ethnicities. If there is one thing that is badly needed, it is reconciliation. It is about building bridges instead of walls. It is about learning how to live and to accept one another's differences with grace and humility. This is what the kingdom of God looks like when it comes into the world. The biblical story is divided into four seasons: Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration. As Horton works through the process of conciliation, he guides us with a theological principles of how the Church should practice and embody Galatians 3:26-28, the part about all people baptized into Christ, regardless of human distinctions. He warns the Church, especially the American Church about the "sin of partiality." If we take sides among our human race, then we are sinning against God. Looking at James 2, we learn about the dangers of using poverty and social ranks to judge people. We need to apply the golden rule. We need a "Color Blind Christianity," one that affirms a person's ethnicity. Affirmation is neither idolizing nor ignoring. Accepting one another's ethnic differences means we don't make it superior nor inferior.


As the author deals with the complexities of the divided world of opinions, perceptions, and tensions, he asks some pertinent questions:

• What is ethnic conciliation? What does it look like?
• How are we to show compassion?
• What does it take to enable human flourishing?
• Politics before faith? American Christians or Christian Americans?
• What are the social commands of Jesus? Spiritual commands?
• ...

Apart from these, Horton also makes us face our own presuppositions as well. If there is any racial issues, remember that we are all part of the human race. He shares the story of a homeless man suffering from stage four pancreatic cancer wanting to receive the gospel. It seems like some of the most marginalized people in the world may very well be the most receptive to the gospel. Theologically speaking, the world we live in often push the gospel to the margins. If it is true that the discarded and the unwanted are most receptive, perhaps that is where more of our gospel work needs to be. Even as we work toward greater ethnic conciliation, it is important not to forget the higher calling to make the gospel known to all people, and not just to the people we like or feel comfortable with.

My Thoughts
Ethnic conciliation and racial reconciliation is a long term project. It begins at a tender young age. I remember the times in which I have friends of all colours. We play together, eat together, and do many things together. Children don't have that tendency to distinguish between the different colours. By nature, they are gullible and innocent. The same cannot be said when they grow up and enter the larger world. Upon entering mainstream society, many people gravitate toward their own kinds, their comfortable cliques and their recognizable ethnic groups. Some would burst into a language they feel comfortable with. Others might do things according to interest and cultural patterns. It is inevitable for people to behave that way. The point is: Nurture often trumps nature in the world of ethnic relationships. It is not enough just to train children from young. What they learn then could easily disappear once the mainstream world takes hold of them. This is where Christians can lead the way to be children of God at all times. Horton shows us how to do just that. With the set of social commands, we are reminded to treat one another humanely, with mercy and grace.

Breaking the ethnic barriers is also a continual work in progress. Even if we succeed in one generation, with rising global movement of people and the growing refugee crisis in many parts of the world, we will always meet people from different walks of life. It is a case where instead of us going out into the world, the world may very well be coming in at us. Education is key and this book is one of many resources to help us do that. Having said that, teaching is one thing. Practicing it is another. Even though most people would agree that love, mercy, and justice are important, they all have different takes on that, just like the earlier mention about what justice means and how it is meted out.

For the work of conciliation to be sustained, we need as many partners as possible. From government to churches, businesses to individuals, whenever there is an opportunity to build bridges, use them. It is hard to build relationships, easy to break them. Education takes a long time. Tearing down relationships only takes a moment. Talk with one another more. Spend time understanding the different cultural differences. Learn to communicate at a level that is comfortable for all. Even while we acknowledge the presence of privilege, recognize the need to uphold the dignity of all. When in doubt, practice the golden rule. At all other times, work toward the practice of humility and love, grace and mercy, justice for all. "Together" is a great way to start, a great way to end, and a powerful way to journey with.

We need more reminders like this book from Horton. Every generation needs it. For all we know, this generation might need it more.

D A Horton is an assistant professor of intercultural studies at California Baptist University and pastor of Reach Fellowship, a church plant in Long Beach, California. He holds a B.S. in Biblical Studies from Calvary Bible College, a Masters Degree in Christian Studies from Calvary Theological Seminary and is currently working on his PhD in Applied Theology with a North American Missions emphasis at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of Tyndale Publishing House, NavPress, and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.