Jeremy L. Berg

In a theological essay I published in 2019, I explore how the biblical metaphors of Pentecost and the “One Body” from 1 Corinthians 12 provide a framework for racial and ethnic reconciliation within the modern church. I argue that while secular concepts like the “melting pot” often fail, the Gospel offers a “cauldron of grace” that preserves cultural distinctiveness while dismantling prejudicial barriers.

I wrote my prescient essay on the eve of the racial reckoning sparked by the killing of George Floyd, an African American man, by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020. What I couldn’t have guessed then was that the racial divisions in the United States would spiral downward into the explicit racism, anti-immigration sentiment, and dehumanizing rhetoric now being propagated across the land.

Some six years since writing my manifesto for the church’s embrace of ethnic unity in diversity, churches and pastors are again faced with how to respond and speak faithfully into the situation where extreme immigration enforcement is traumatizing our neighborhoods and immigrant communities in Minneapolis and larger state. Since most people will not take the time to read my long academic essay, I am excited to release today a short video summary for you to consider below as well as a deep dive podcast conversation HERE.

By re-examining Pauline scripture, my essay suggests that ethnic diversity should be viewed as a spiritual gift essential for the health and witness of the global Christian community. I challenge believers to move beyond nationalism and tribalism toward a “most excellent way” (1 Cor. 12:31) defined by suffering in solidarity with marginalized groups. Ultimately, the New Testament Kingdom vision calls for a transition from childish prejudice to a mature, multiethnic ecclesiology that honors all parts of the body equally.