Emerging Africa

Was Scripture ever meant to be interpreted alone? Was it ever meant to be read in isolation?

Morality is about mission. It is less about the philosophical or social importance of having some kind of guiding framework for life in community. It is about understanding our humanity. It is about getting to grips with what it means to be human; what it means to relate to one another and what informs and shapes that relating.

But our interest in fleshing out what it means to relate to each other is not only for our own sake. The manner in which we relate to each other is not, and cannot, be restricted to members of our own community. Even if, at the end of the day, we conclude that our moral framework, shaped and informed by Jesus’ death and resurrection, does not apply to those outside the community of faith, the way we relate to each other is ultimately an expression of who God is, and therefore has to do with all humanity – without distinction. Our relating to each other as a reflection of God’s character is always for the benefit of those within and without the community.

I've been mulling over a few rather vexing questions related to the Lord's Supper. I'd like to share one them with y'all:Is the Lord’s Supper restricted to believers or can non-Christians participate in this sacrament?

Perhaps one of the most striking parallels between the ministry of Jesus and Paul’s ministry is their attempt to protest against restrictive table fellowship. Jesus protested against the restrictiveness of Pharisaic table fellowship as is evidenced in Luke 14:12-24 and Matthew 22:1-10.

Paul on the other hand protested against a practise of table fellowship that was too much focused on, or defined by, issues relating to “clean and unclean” (Rom. 14:14, 20). Of course, Paul’s confrontation with Peter (Acts 15) presents us with the core of the issue as encapsulated in the question: Who constitutes the People of God? This question, again and again, surfaces within Paul’s letters.