{"id":26143,"date":"2025-11-21T09:53:52","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T14:53:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=26143"},"modified":"2025-11-21T09:59:24","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T14:59:24","slug":"recognizing-our-biases-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=26143","title":{"rendered":"Recognizing Our Biases"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Matt Maher - Bigger Table (Official Lyric Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QpK_nrPrRG8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Overcoming a Fear of the Other<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Friday, November 21, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The more we bump into the folks who are so-called \u201cother,\u201d the more we are stretched and the more we<\/strong> <strong>are pulled out of bias<\/strong>. <strong>We have new truths<\/strong>, because we have tangible evidence of the beautiful, powerful creativity of our God who made all of this diversity for us to enjoy. &nbsp;<br>\u2014Jacqui Lewis,&nbsp;<em>Learning How to See<\/em>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Brian McLaren writes that Jesus\u2019 model of acceptance, inclusion, and love for \u201cthe other\u201d can help us overcome and heal our biases, particularly \u201ccontact bias.\u201d&nbsp;<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When I don\u2019t have intense and sustained personal contact with \u201cthe other,\u201d my prejudices and false assumptions go unchallenged<\/strong>. Think of the child who is told by people he trusts that people of another race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, or class are dirty and dangerous.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can immediately see the self-reinforcing cycle: those people are dirty or dangerous, so I will distrust and avoid them, which means I will never have sustained and respectful interactive contact with them, which means I will never discover that they are actually wonderful people to be around.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In this way, the prejudice cycle spins on, <\/strong>unchallenged across generations. As prejudice persists, it becomes embedded in cultures and institutions, creating systems of racism and hatred, marginalizing groups who are stigmatized, dehumanized, scapegoated, exploited, oppressed, or even killed. [1]&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I especially love the way Jesus challenges contact bias. Jesus reached out to the other at the table and put the other in the spotlight by giving the other a voice. On page after page of the Gospels, Jesus doesn\u2019t dominate the other, or avoid the other\u2026. Instead, <strong>he incarnates into the other, joins the other in solidarity,<\/strong> <strong>protects the other, listens to the other, serves the other, and even lays down his life for the other\u2026.<\/strong> In each case, he moves victims of scapegoating and exclusion from the margins to center stage so their voices are heard. [2]&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis leads what she describes as a \u201cmulti-everything\u201d congregation in New York City. She views inclusion as central to the gospel call to love:<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The one we follow into mission and ministry\u2014Jesus the Christ\u2014was an avowed boundary crosser,<\/strong> a reformer of the religious and secular culture of his time. We are in good company when we lead the way on radical inclusion of those different from ourselves. In some contexts that might mean a black church reaching out to Korean neighbors, a Latino congregation starting a ministry to immigrant families from <strong>North Africa, or a Chinese church hosting an afterschool program for African American junior high students\u2026. We believe the commitment to inclusion and diversity is a high calling, issued to all who count themselves as Christians, no matter what our ethnicity or cultur<\/strong>e. [3]&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>_______________________________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>John Chaffee 5 On Friday<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" src=\"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-500x500.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26144\" srcset=\"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-500x500.png 500w, http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-300x300.png 300w, http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-150x150.png 150w, http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-768x768.png 768w, http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-1536x1536.png 1536w, http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-2048x2048.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>For a while now, I have been fascinated by church doors as symbols of hope and safety. &nbsp;Here is one I came across in the past two weeks.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>John Chaffee<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1.<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8220;If you label me, you negate me.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8211;&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/S%C3%B8ren_Kierkegaard\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Soren Kierkegaard, Danish Philosopher<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The human person is far too complex to summarize under any title. &nbsp;<strong>To be labeled anything is a broa<\/strong>d <strong>stroke that eliminates the nuances, feelings, stances, and paradoxes of what it me<\/strong>ans to be human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s take a moment and think about all the standard titles we use today&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Republican<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Democrat<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Libertarian<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Believer<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Atheist<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Agnostic<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Scientist<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Professor<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Park Ranger<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Father<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mother<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Child<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Homeless<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rich<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Poor<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The list can go on and on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At best, our labels only name one dimension of what it means to be who we are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>It is for this reason that names are better than labels.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2.<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8220;Christ was never in a hurry.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8211;&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mary_Slessor\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Mary Slessor, Missionary to Nigeria<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This one is quite a punch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I admit to often thinking about the next thing while in the present. I am also prone to focusing on the next week or month at the expense of the now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Modernity tells us that efficiency is one of the highest goals: to get things done as quickly as possible at a quality that is either &#8220;good enough&#8221; or &#8220;perfect.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All of this contributes to a culture that hyperfocus&#8217;s on hurry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But Christ was never in a hurry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>According to our records, Jesus walked almost everywhere.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>So, at best, God was content to go 2.5 miles per hour.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Also, if the universe is 13.8 billion years old, that means God took God&#8217;s time to get to us.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Yep.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This God is not in a hurry.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3.<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8220;Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone\u2014we find it with [one] another. We do not discover the secret of our lives merely by study and calculation in our own safe and isolated meditations. The meaning of life has to be revealed to us in love,&nbsp;<\/strong><em><strong>by the one we love.<\/strong><\/em><strong>&#8220;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8211;&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/merton.org\/chrono.aspx#links\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thomas Merton, Trappist Monk<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a head-oriented person, love has been too much of a theory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That is not to say that I was not loved, but that over time, my head got the better of my heart. <strong>Frankly, my life experiences encouraged me to distrust love while at the same time<\/strong> <strong>wanting it on my terms.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Love is dangerous. &nbsp;It requires a vulnerability that exposes our weaknesses and insecurities.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Theories are never dangerous. &nbsp;They require nothing of us than to play with them in our imaginations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So when I came across this quote from Merton in No Man is an Island, I had to accept that I was too independent and isolated. &nbsp;<strong>No one is made whole or human by standing at a safe distance from love. <\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>Myself included.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Love is our true destiny, our true identity, and it makes us whole again.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4.<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8220;Justice is what love looks like in public.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8211;&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cornelwest.com\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Dr. Cornel West, American Theologian<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I reject the notion that faith should not be political. &nbsp;I do, however, reject the idea that it should be bipartisan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If God cared that humanity created a healthy household and economy (<em>oikonomia<\/em>), we likely should pay more attention to making certain justice&nbsp;<em>happens<\/em>&nbsp;in the public arena as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5.<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8220;Good souls many will one day be horrified at the things they now believe of God.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8211;&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.worksofmacdonald.com\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>George MacDonald, Scottish Preacher<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This past week, I met with a couple in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.johnchaffee.com\/spiritual-direction\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">spiritual direction<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was a lovely time, and I consider doing those sessions a privilege.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>One of the things we said is that we are relatively okay with people converting to Christianity. However, we are not OK with people having &#8220;micro-conversions&#8221; within Christianity. We don&#8217;t always validate it when people &#8220;fine-tune&#8221; their understanding of faith or change a stance within the faith.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Apostles Creed is an important document or statement of faith, not only because it is one of the earliest formulations of the faith, but also because of its brevity. &nbsp;There is a lot left out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This leads me to think that there are a whole number of stances, positions, or opinions that are up for debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>And so, thank goodness, we can constantly improve our understanding of this mystery we call &#8220;God&#8221; throughout our lives.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overcoming a Fear of the Other Friday, November 21, 2025 The more we bump into the folks who are so-called \u201cother,\u201d the more we are stretched and the more we are pulled out of bias. We have new truths, because we have tangible evidence of the beautiful, powerful creativity of our God who made all [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26143"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26143"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26143\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26146,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26143\/revisions\/26146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}