When Hospitality Encounters Fracturing: A New Testament Perspective

When Hospitality Encounters Fracturing: A New Testament Perspective

Joyce WL SUN

There is an idea expressed from time to time in public discourses that when Christians cannot agree on matters of faith, fracturing is normal and even, inevitable.

This essay examines relevant New Testament texts on hospitality and reflects on how Hong Kong churches should recover the tradition of early Christians to overcome distinctions and boundaries so as to maintain themselves as a universal community. It seeks to elucidate the New Testament concept on “hospitality” by discussing (1) early Christians' self-understanding as strangers in society; (2) Jesus Christ as the paradigm to express God's hospitality on earth; (3) Jesus' teachings on hospitality; (4) early Christians' practice of hospitality as reported in Acts; and (5) Paul's teachings on hospitality.

The essay concludes that for the New Testament writers, fracturing is not something normal but should be overcome with best efforts. Since Christians are actually receiving Christ when receiving each other, there is no need for either side to insist on having a common stance before seeking reconciliation. A hospitable community, with members proclaiming the same Christ as Lord, is one that should have the capacity to accommodate different and diverse opinions. In the face of “hospitality”, there is no place for “fracturing”.