lcc liberal arts studies / 2010 volume iii - LCC International University

34
MICHELE HERSHBERGER / A NEED FOR ORDER AND DIVERSITY: HOMOGENEITY AND PARTICULARITY
not Christian, and they took the class as part of their general education
requirements. In the beginning of the class, many were hostile toward biblical
studies. For some, the only Christianity they knew was an oppressive one, one that
had sanctioned wars, anti-Semitism and other atrocities. For others, it was a
cultural novelty--benign, old-fashioned, superstitious, or anti-intellectual. For
some, Christianity was homogeneity gone bad; for others there were no central
convictions that made it unique or of any value. And before me lay the responsibility
of teaching a narrative that could be interpreted in many ways. The questions of
homogeneity and particularity became real in a new way.
But when I got to the part about Jesus, and when, given my own set of
interpretive blinders, I explained this different kind of power that Jesus used, their
interest increased exponentially. Here was an example of someone who had core
convictions, who espoused a theological homogeneity and yet one who held it
lightly, relationally. Here was one who held truth but would not force that truth on
others. And yes, not everyone bought the idea of a non-violent Jesus, given the
reality of wars in the Old Testament; not everyone was convinced. But the
atmosphere in the room changed, and the conversations went long into the night.
My students were wrestling with the possibilities of this different kind of power.
Can there be a way to live out a story that unifies and creates a positive
homogeneity and at the same time, honors the particular voice? When the people
of God are willing to follow the power of vulnerability that Jesus used, and when
they glean their motivation from gratitude for what God has already done, perhaps,
in limited ways, they can.
End Notes
This verse can be translated several ways; it is ambiguous in that it could be an individual new creation
(he is a new creation) or it could mean something corporate (there is new creation). The latter is
preferred. See Victor Paul Furnish, II Corinthians: A New Translation, p. 314.
The word Gentile can be applied to a wide variety of people groups, but despite the vast diversity, one
can i define Gentiles as other than Jews. One could argue that “Jew” can refer to a diversity of people
groups as well. During much of the biblical story timeline, there was animosity between “Jews” and other
people groups. See Acts 10:28.
ii For a discussion on the Hebrew verb form of “blessing,” see Wenham, Word Biblical Commentary, p. 282.
The word for “nations” in the LXX version of this verse is the same word in the New Testament that is
translated “gentiles,” so the phrase could be translated “. . . to be a light for the gentiles.”
God's steadfast, covenantal love, where God gives people better than what they deserve. This
corresponds iii with God's command in Micah 6:8 to “love kindness,” an action Jonah struggled to accomplish.
iv
One could argue that there was only some homogeneity in First Century Judaism. There were many
competing stories of how to define the covenant people of God as represented by four major parties
LCC / LIBERAL ARTS STUDIES / 2010