The reemergence of ethnic hostilities in the former U.S.S.R. and Yugoslavia after a century of state indoctrination, tribal rivalries in Africa, inter-caste tensions in India, racial hostilities in the Middle East, and ethnic isolationism of China and Japan remind us that ethnicity is very much alive today. It provides many people with their basic sense of community identity, and defines their enemies. The social glue that holds them together are the bonds of origin, marriage and descent.
Ethnic groups take many forms.
Single groups sharing a common territory, culture and language are tribes. We will look at three areas of particular concern. People like to join their own ethnic churches, but the Gospel declares that in Christ the old ethnic walls are broken down. Some encourage us to plant separate churches in each ethnic community. People, they say, should not have to give up ethnic loyalties in order to become Christians.