A few days ago, I was walking through the mall and I saw a guy wearing a plain black T-shirt that said, “Stereotypes are a real time saver.” As someone who can easily laugh at his own cultural foibles, my initial response was to smile.
No matter how evolved and righteous we may think we have become, who among us at some point in time hasn’t sought to label another? Stereotyping is part of our DNA. While there are positive stereotypes – for example, we teach small children that policemen are good – all too often we engage in the not-so-kind classification of people. For some of us, it’s skin color, cultural heritage or age, while for others it may be social status, the car that they drive, the length or color of their hair, body piercing, tattoos or sexual orientation. Even our business culture pounds this into our subconscious through not-so-subliminal advertising. “Buy this DVD and You Too Can Have Buns of Steel!” As if people with “buns of steel” are better than the rest of us.
Jesus, being both fully human and fully divine, all too well understood the folly of humanity. He immediately acknowledged the faith of the Roman soldier, a person outside the normal circle of His followers. He remarked to those following him (from Israel), “In no one in Israel have I found such faith.” In other words, “It’s not all about you guys … all people of faith are welcome at my table.” That means everybody!
In these early days of Advent, as we prepare ourselves for His coming, I see this as a well-timed opportunity to mindfully shed negative stereotypes. This is a time when, as people of faith, we should embrace our diversity, knowing that God welcomes all the faithful to His table. It is up to each and every one of us to be the Body of Christ, now and throughout the coming year.
-Rocky Balsamo is a member of the Center for FaithJustice’s Board of Trustees
