Ethnicity

My recent travel to Eastern Europe brought something to my attention that I had never thought much about before: ethnicity. 

I have lived nearly my whole life in societies that are clearly “melting pots” or at least “salad bowls”. This means that the population has a variety of ancestral origins that have all melded into a new national identity. Our families may reflect a mixture of Irish, German, Norwegian, Hispanic… But, we are all American. The same was the case in France. Genealogy may become our hobby, but it is not really our exclusive defining identity. 

Both American and Western European societies reflect this mixing. We do talk about race – “red and yellow, black and white” – but the race category is one that tends to paint with a very wide brush stroke, overlooking other types of differences within that large scope. We are seeing the inadequacy of such a generalized description as the melting pot yields combinations that defy neat racial distinctions. When considering this mix, we’re maybe not sure just where Jews fit. Are they an ethnic group or is their identity one of culture, race, or religion? But they stand out as a rather unique case.

Through my contacts with Africa I was aware of the extremely strong ethnic differences and ties that exist in cultures on that continent. It is sometimes described as tribalism. The world was made sharply aware of the power of these identities by the Hutu – Tutsi genocide in Rwanda in 1994. That tragedy seemed to confirm the old adage that “blood is thicker than water”, even baptismal water, since this ethnic genocide was Christian on Christian. During that conflict Kingdom values seemed unable to stand up to these more powerful identities.

Coming from this background I was really taken by surprise by the intensity of ethnic identity in Eastern Europe. The depth of this identity was demonstrated during the war following the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. As we were driving the 20 minutes from Osijek to Tordinci, we went through two other villages. As we drove through our host described each of them ethnically:  this is a Serbian village, this is a Hungarian village, Tordinci is a Croatian village.

Through the movement of empires over time, various groups were moved around Europe, being settled in areas which were not native to them. They appear to have maintained their original identities to an overwhelming degree. Even today classes in elementary schools in these different villages in the country of Croatia are taught in these different languages – Serbian, Hungarian, and Croatian! These are villages that are only 2 or 3 miles apart. Instead of integrating a unique national identity, the original ethnic identity is cultivated. During the war, such clear ethnic separation made it very easy for the Serbian army to target certain villages and bypass others. For the villages we saw, the Serbian and Hungarian ones were untouched and the Croatian one was completely destroyed.

The importance and liberating newness of “Kingdom identity” suddenly became strikingly clear to me.  Embracing our identity as Sons of God as our primary identity, replacing our ethnic or national identity in ultimate importance, thus becomes deeply essential. The Apostle Paul knew how counter-intuitive this is to our human nature that finds comfort in familiar categories when he said “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26-28) In Ephesians he even mentions the “barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” that existed between Jews and non-Jews before Christ. But Christ “himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility..” (Eph. 2:14).

Building walls of separation is a human reaction to differences that is still being done in our day, but there are no walls in the Kingdom of God! “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple of the Lord.” (Eph. 2:19-21)

What a powerful reality! How exciting to see how our Croatian colleagues are living this out in their Croatian-Serbian ministry, looking beyond the very recent ethnic wars and walls of separation. They are doing their part to prepare that “great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and langue, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9), with no walls of separation due to ethnic background. We appreciate how they are demonstrating the importance of living out Kingdom values, here and now.

Croatia

Croatia? Let’s see. Hmm. Isn’t that in … Well, I’m really not sure. 

No, Croatia is not one of those countries that shows up on the regular news cycle. Its claim to fame outside the country is probably the attractiveness of its Mediterranean Dalmatian coast as a tourist destination. Otherwise, this strangely shaped Central-European country bordering Hungary, Slovenia, Bosnia and Serbia was mainly in the news as a part of the former Yugoslavia that was involved in the awful war in the 90’s, at the time of the breakup of that country.

After a one-week visit, my word for Croatia is “charming”. Maybe a bit tattered, but charming. It is obvious that years of Communist rule and the subsequent war have left their traces. The facades of ornate old buildings in downtown Zagreb are desperately in need of a face-lift and general repairs. First Communism, then a war, and now an economic crisis fabricated in a far-away rich country – it is hard for a small, poor country to get back up on its feet after such successive blows. But the center of Zagreb is eminently walk-able with cobblestone streets, flower markets and more sidewalk cafés than any other city I’ve ever visited. They may not have much disposable income, but the people make up for it in discreet openness.

We visited 2 cities and a town in Croatia. We flew into Zagreb, the capital, where we ended up spending two full days – one at the beginning and one at the end of our visit. This quiet little city is backed by a mountain and faces a river.

All the way on the eastern tip of the country, on a very flat, very fertile farming area is Osijek. This city, also on a river, is about ½ hour from the Danube and the border with Serbia. The front line in the war with Serbia was on the edge of the city which was shelled relentlessly. The headquarters of the Croatian Reformed Episcopal Church is located here and is where we lodged. This is where Bill preached on Reformation Day. The area around the church is the city’s academic center with numerous high school and university campuses.

Tordinci is a farming town of 800 people, about 20 minutes from Osijek. The first Reformed church in Croatia was founded in Tordinci in the 1500’s. This is a long way from Wittenberg, Germany, and I find it amazing to see how quickly the Reformation spread throughout Europe at that time. Bill preached in this historic church on Sunday, November 3. We also attended a brief service in the village Protestant cemetery the morning of All Saints Day. This included a time of thanksgiving for a Hungarian pastor and his wife who ministered here for 50 years at the end of the 19^th and beginning of the 20^th centuries. They are both buried here where they served.

Bill’s first visit to Croatia was 3 years ago when he stayed in Tordinci for a couple of days. He returned from that trip telling me how the walls of every home in town were completely pocked with shellshot from the war. Tordinci was occupied by the Serbian army. One block from the church is a memorial to the 200+ people from the town and surrounding farms that were killed in this very recent war. The church itself was gutted and heavily damaged. But on this visit, hardly any traces of that terrible experience remain. Reparation funds have been well used. The church is beautifully restored and every house in the village has new stucco on the walls and a fresh coat of paint. This is a symbol of Croatia. The war damage is being covered over and everyone is moving on.

The dynamic ministry of our colleagues in Croatia is a bright spot in the re-evangelization of Europe. Outreach is blind to ethnicity, reaching across formerly bitter frontiers. They are opening churches and training pastors. None of them earn a living wage so their time is necessarily divided between ministry and a secular job. One pastor mentioned that he needed to see a church member who lived outside of town but he didn’t have the money to put gas (at around $8 a gallon) in his car to get there. There are times when the lack of sufficient or even basic means is a serious handicap to outreach and ministry. To an American budget the sums seem almost derisory: “If we had $5000, we could buy a building in the town where we want to plant a church.” $5000 would buy a building that could house a growing church? What a concept! But men that only receive $300 a month are clearly more concerned for the continuation of the ministry than their own salary. In such situations, sensitive church partnership can be helpful, effective, and rewarding – a “win-win” situation for everyone.

As with most places we visit, the welcome is gracious and open. The Croatian believers are so pleased that we have come and want to get to know them. They love their country and enjoy introducing us to the good things in it. We sincerely rejoice with them for the great things the Lord is doing here. The invitation is extended well beyond us:  come and see for yourself. You will be all the richer for taking the time to learn more about this charming country and the dedicated Christians serving here.

Similar events, contrasting results

(April 18) I am interpreting this week for a multicultural conference. This morning the delegate from Mozambique was telling me about the catastrophic floods in his country. These floods have persisted for nearly one whole year. Mozambique is located in southeast Africa. It borders the Indian Ocean and its lowlands are one huge delta for all the rivers draining from the mountains in neighboring countries toward the ocean. In years of heavy rain or snowfall in the mountains, added to cyclones and rains in the delta, the whole area floods. He showed me pictures of towns completely flooded. Over 170,000 people are suffering from the waters that don’t recede. Homes are destroyed, workplaces are destroyed, fields cannot be used to grow food, animals die… It is also inevitable that this leads to illnesses and diseases carried by water and mosquitoes. The scale of human suffering is hard to comprehend. The delegate is a pastor and said that they have many churches and church members in the flooded areas that they are trying to help. They send food, clothes, money, and people to help. But, in a country that is already poor and under-developed, it is a never-ending drain on everyone. There is no end in sight.

Then this afternoon I learned of an exceptional storm that hit the Chicago area last night. With the violent thunderstorms and wind, came unimaginable amounts of rain. Whole towns were flooded, expressways shut down as well as local roads. Schools and businesses were closed. In general, normal life activities were interrupted and there was some on-going structural damage. Families and businesses lost flooded items; road were undermined and need repairs.

What struck me in the comparison of these similar events that I learned about today is that in Mozambique the situation has lasted for one year, with no end in sight and the human suffering is incalculable. In the Chicago area, the inconvenience is temporary. Within two or three days at the most, the majority of people will be back to work, schools will reopen, and normality will return rapidly. Some structural damage, both public and private, will take longer to repair, but there are insurance policies, local governments and other means in place that can intervene when such unexpected events happen. There may be complaints about the costs of this – both in repairs and in lost business – but the fabric of society has not been altered by this punctual event. People are generally safe and still have homes and food.

If I were a Christian in Mozambique instead of in the USA, what would it mean to trust the Lord? What would it mean to serve others? What would it mean to show solidarity with my brothers and sisters whose means and places of living have been destroyed? “If one member of the Body suffers, all suffer…” 

So many things that are going on in the Kingdom of God are not reported on a large scale. So many needs, so many events, so many joys and sorrows seem to be unknown within the wider Body. It is only because of personal contact and church-to-church partnerships that ongoing challenges are learned about and shared. Due to a decades-old partnership, Swiss churches involved in missions in Mozambique are following the humanitarian needs of the churches due to the flooding there.

On a wider level, more can surely be done to improve “Kingdom communications” so that more of us are aware of the needs that are present within the Body. It is important to “know”, even if on the practical level there is little that we can “do”. We all need make an effort to live more intentionally and alertly as members of a real, living, functioning Body.

The moving sidewalk

All the big airports have moving sidewalks that help people cover more distance more quickly.  The results of the effort one makes in walking are multiplied so that, with the same number of steps, one arrives at his or her destination more efficiently.  It doesn’t matter if you are heading toward the terminal or toward one of the gates, there is a moving sidewalk to help you get there.

The impression I have after spending time with people in this part of West Africa is that all their sidewalks are moving in the wrong direction.  The progress they can make seems to have little rapport with the effort expended.  No matter how hard they work, they always seem to end up in the same place.  It is as though they are on a sidewalk that is moving them backward at the same rate that they try to move forward.  If they let down their efforts or are sidelined for even a short time, they actually end up behind the place where they started.  The movement of this sidewalk is carrying them in the wrong direction.

The situation in which our local driver finds himself illustrates the presence of this sidewalk that is moving in the wrong direction.  He owns an old Mercedes, which is a solidly built automobile.  It is the tool that permits him to ply his trade and support his family.  When we were here two years ago, he said his goal was to earn enough money to trade this car in and buy a 4x4 vehicle that would be better adapted to the rough roads and underdeveloped dirt tracks of the area.  It would be more comfortable and roomy for paying passengers.  He could count on a better income to support his growing family, pay for schooling for his children, etc.  He had a vision and he was willing to work hard to achieve it.

Two years later we return to the same area and have the same driver.  He is still driving the same very old Mercedes.  But, now it is two years older.  More and more parts on it have rusted and broken.  Instead of putting money aside for a new vehicle, he has to use everything he earns just to keep this one running.  A major factor is that the road to his village hasn’t been worked on for a decade.  Over the past two years small potholes have grown in some places to deep, yard-wide holes that are nearly impassable.  Any vehicle on the road is subjected to constant vibration for a distance of over thirty miles, so breakdowns are frequent.  In our first week here, the old Mercedes had two torn tires and the rusted tailpipe fell off as we were going over a bumpy part of the road.  In spite of his vision and hard work, our driver is gradually being carried backwards by this sidewalk that is moving in the wrong direction.

There appear to be multiple forces conspiring to control the direction and speed of the backward-moving sidewalk:  governmental neglect that refuses to provide a better road, family pressures to use money for immediate expenses rather than save it, the lack of access to education or training that would make it possible for him to have another job or move to somewhere better adapted to what he can do… and I’m sure there are other factors of which I am not aware.  In any case, there seems to be no way for him to get off this continual movement that carries him in the wrong direction.  He runs against it as hard as he can but makes no visible progress.

One of the unjust characteristics of our fallen world seems to be that for those who are already privileged by favorable circumstances, the sidewalks are all going forward, helping them advance more quickly, while the sidewalks surrounding the underprivileged are rigged to keep them locked in their situation, or even to carry them backwards.  If this group of people lose their job, suffer an accident or serious illness, if their home is damaged by fire, flood, or earthquake, the backward movement is suddenly accelerated, diminishing all hope of eventual advancement and change.  If the movement could just stop, maybe then – little by little – they could start advancing, at least at the rate of their own steps.

As I watch, I feel helpless.  I can help a bit by paying fair prices for their goods and services, but is there anything to be done that could actually change the sidewalk’s direction?  Where is the switch????