sjdean on the blog

I used to think that one of the greatest evils, was homogenisation. I could sense that we were being homogenised in society to think the same, act the same, look and talk the same through laws and even human rights. If someone had a different view to the left, then you're a bigot. Quite frankly, I like the fact that we're all different, with different skills. I like going to different parts of the world and experiencing a different culture. We are one body, with different functions. Wouldn't things be boring if we were all the same! However, as a Christian, I am beginning to sense that a bigger problem, is fragmentation. There is the attitude often given, that you don't need to go to Church to be a Christian and you certainly don't need to be there every Sunday. You can be the salt and light where you are. There are alternative services during the week, so why is Sunday so important? Are you separate from the body if you don't go to Church on a Sunday? I...

One of the most intriguing things that has grasped my attention recently in my Christian faith, is the concept and important of Community. As a single person, it gives me a unique experience into the struggles people can have, and without my singleness, I would not have found other voice who feel lonely and isolated yet welcomed and accepted by their Church. My bible study and reading over the years has given me a model of Christian living that is rich in community, showing itself in fellowship, support, care and love for on another, in strong bonds of friendship that should be some of the closest we have in our lives. We have a relationship with God through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are reconciled to him, therefore, as I've said a few times before, we should be reconciled to each other. We are interconnected as one body, there is neither Jew nor Gentile, we are the same in Christ, no division, no barriers. If one of us hurts, we all hurt! As Jesus said, a new command...

I was going to label this post, "Equality", but how about All Inclusiveness instead. I've been reading this week on Feminism jargon from the likes of Emma Watson and something about Iceland and equal rights. There's a lot going on there, but there's still something that rubs me up the wrong way. In the name of equality, we ascribe labels to groups and talk about what they do and do not have and what we must do to get that group equality. But then we splinter this group even further when part of that group doesn't agree with the nuances of the other part of the group. It's quite amusing as a man seeing a group of women bickering amongst themselves about how feminism should work and calling each other names! It's actually not amusing at all, it's quite sad. At Church, it sometimes saddens me when I hear about all the different groups and activities for the different sections of community, There are groups targeted for children, for families...