Latter-day Satyagraha

For [the Lord] doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile. (2 Nephi 26: 33)

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In the process of receiving revelation upon which he crafted Doctrine and Covenants 164, Prophet-President Veazey of the Community of Christ explains in his most recent councel to the Church: “After I thoroughly explored many passages [in the Holy Scriptures], the Holy Spirit focused my attention on Galatians 3:27–29:

As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.

While I studied this passage, the Spirit helped me see much broader dimensions of God’s grace working through Christ to transform human relationships in a divided world. As a result, I have an even-greater testimony than before of the power of the gospel of Christ to birth a new creation among those who dare to live its message in sacred community. Prophet Veazey then elaborates in the following verses of Section 164, as related to 2 Nephi 26: 33 and Galatians 3: 27-29:

5 It is imperative to understand that when you are truly baptized into Christ you become part of a new creation. By taking on the life and mind of Christ, you increasingly view yourselves and others from a changed perspective. Former ways of defining people by economic status, social class, sex, gender, or ethnicity no longer are primary. Through the gospel of Christ a new community of tolerance, reconciliation, unity in diversity, and love is being born as a visible sign of the coming reign of God.

6 a. As revealed in Christ, God, the Creator of all, ultimately is concerned about behaviors and relationships that uphold the worth and giftedness of all people and that protect the most vulnerable. Such relationships are to be rooted in the principles of Christ-like love, mutual respect, responsibility, justice, covenant, and faithfulness, against which there is no law.

b. If the church more fully will understand and consistently apply these principles, questions arising about responsible human sexuality; gender identities, roles, and relationships; marriage; and other issues may be resolved according to God’s divine purposes.

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Nephi’s theology of a God that invites all to come unto him, for all to learn from him and to build an inclusive community with him, is well reflected in the concluding chapters of Nephi’s second book. Indeed, in certain verses you can hear resonate Nephi’s understanding of God’s unconditional love for his children given to all on an equal footing – a love that no matter what you have done in the past and no matter who you are in this life, you are among those invited to be reconciled unto God and fellowshipped by your brother and sister in the faith:

24. He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.

25. Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay: but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price.

26. Behold, hath he commanded any that they should depart out of the synagogues, or out of the houses of worship? Behold, I say unto you, Nay.

27. Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath given it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance.

28. Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden.

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In a report on a theological consultation on the issue of Just and Inclusive Communities, members of the Ecumenical movement came to the following conclusions:

One other challenge in discussions has been the area of Christology. It was felt that the dominant Christologies in our churches often contribute to the exclusion of the socially disempowered sections. It was felt that it is important to formulate Christologies based on concrete experiences of exclusion, emphasising the broken Jesus on the cross and the Christ who articulates and integrates the broken creation in the resurrection. This may include using language which speaks of a Jesus, the sinless and incarnated son of God, who takes upon himself the identities of those who are exploited and excluded, such as those with disabilities, of colour, of despised caste identities, of the marginalised Indigenous Peoples, abused women and children, the aged, those of different sexual orientation, etc., in order to expose the life-denying tendencies of certain cultures and structures that govern human relationships.

Such a pluralistic understanding of Christ enables the church – the body of Christ to be an inclusive community. The body of Christ suffers and longs for restitution and healing of the creation with childbirth pains because of the multiform ways that people exclude one another. (Romans 8:18-25). Jesus is the truest image of an inclusive God (Col. 1. 15-20).