James says that if you do this, you can’t call yourself a Christian. And it’s not what you think. In fact, you probably are doing it.
The “four letter word” for James is favoritism. In his letter to the Church he is referring to the different treatment of wealthy and poor worshippers. If James were alive today, I am sure that he would have the same thing to say about political parties, styles of worship, levels of education, different styles of dress, and lets not forget country of origin. Lately, it seems to me that the United States struggles with most of these. And as I write this, we are in an election year, so the rhetoric is twice as vicious as it usually is. Race riots seem to occur more often than they did 20 years ago. We seem intent on finding the differences between us and using them like a wedge to ensure that we never come to agreement on anything.
James says (and through James, Jesus says) that you should treat everyone alike. Looking at statistics, there are more republicans than democrats in church pews. That shouldn’t matter at all. everyone gets treated alike. Every opinion voiced by our brothers and sisters has just as much value as your own, and their insights are equal to yours.
Did you graduate with honors, go on to acquire a masters degree, or Phd? That is certainly something to be proud of, and we celebrate that with you. In fact, because of your advanced training, your opinion in your field of study carries extra weight. What it doesn’t do is grant you any special treatment within the body of Christ. There are some whom God seems to prefer receive such treatment: widows, orphans, prisoners, ill or injured, children, those who are very poor.
Since most of us are not in those categories, we should be looking to the needs of others, and not to what makes us different from them.
Oh! How could I forget the primary thing that separates Christians? What church you go to. Some days I think God looks down from heaven and is very sad (or frustrated) by our actions.
More on faith vs. works later….
standing against all prejudice,
PR