Tribalism comes in many forms and isn’t always a bad thing.  I was at a high school football game last night and watched two football teams and two marching bands perform.  All of these groups are examples of tribes formed for common purpose – to perform music and to win games.  With respect and sportsmanship, friendly competition can be a lot of fun.  The Star Spangled Banner sounds great when played by a group, and football can’t be played alone.  But when winning at all costs, an “Us vs. Them” tribalism, takes over, it can be a serious problem.  Athletes and musicians can become bitter, rival cliques, and players on the field can play dirty.  Different tribes stop treating other tribes as people made in God’s image.

The post below from late 2021 tells the story of Jesus’ love for the Jewish tax collector Zacchaeus, where, Jesus was proclaiming a new paradigm, where there is no “Us versus Sinners”, but in His death and resurrection He created a church that is “Him for Them”, and then “Us for Them.”

It is an example of how following Jesus requires overcoming bitter political and religious tribalism with the love of Christ, and one of my favorite posts.

I hope you’ll take the time to read it!

(Estimated reading time 10 minutes)

Found! A Man in Need of an Ally