Who Is My Neighbor?
By Sam Rodriguez
The greatest mosaic in existence is the kingdom of God. Diversity and multiethnicity is not an attempt to incorporate politically correct ideas into the church, but rather a manifestation of the love of God toward all of His children. Thus, all congregations and ministries have a moral and biblical impetus to constantly reflect on the query presented in Luke 10: “Who is my neighbor?” The question in itself does not, according to Scripture, limit the responder to identify his surrounding community. Rather, it exposes the identity of those to whom we will minister, restore, renew, heal, and love.
Who is my neighbor? This query introduced in the Parable of the Good Samaritan exemplifies the debate in the heart of the ethnic church and the primary challenge to the evangelical body at large. As we continue to thread the Hispanic-American Pentecostal narrative, we find ourselves negotiating a historical juxtaposition between preserving our cultures and building His kingdom. After 100 years of exponential growth in the Latino church, Hispanic pastors find themselves struggling to define a new missiological baseline. Here is the primary question in the Latino church: Do we exist to preserve an ethnocentric ideology, or do we focus on intentionally building the kingdom of God?
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