Douglas Young

Several days ago, I read a review of Kevin Roose’s book The Unlikely Disciple by John Dobbs that so intrigued me that I had to go to Barnes & Noble the next day and get a copy. It’s an amazingly well-written book that captivates the reader in a number of different ways. What’s most intrigued me has been his concessions about stereotypes.

I am not going to go into the nature of Roose’s experiment. You can read John’s review to get the jist of it. Or you can watch the YouTube video below to get an idea about what the book’s about. But I will say that, insofar as I’ve read, Roose reveals an inherent danger in buying into certain traditional stereotypes. Sometimes things aren’t as we might expect, nor as they might seem. That’s the danger in making irrational judgments about people without considering the authenticity of a person. Formulating opinions of people based upon ethnic, gender, socio-economic and religious stereotypes is shallow, lazy and inconsiderate.

Jesus crushed the complex ethnic and religious stereotypes of both Jews and Samaritans by engaging a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well (John 4) and telling a parable of a Samaritan who helped man, presumably a Jew, left for dead (Luke 10:25-37). He sought to change conceptions of how Kingdom people looked at others. Stereotyping disrespects others and leaves us in the dark about the reality of people.

If you are a person who gets no further with people than a silly stereotype, think about what you might be missing! You may miss out on the opportunity of affording one the “good news.” You may miss out on your own personal elucidation concerning people about whom you are misguided. Get to know people deeply. Try to understand where they’re coming from. If we do, we’ll be more effective as salt and light to the world (Matthew 5:13-16).

The Unlikely Disciple

It seems as if there are a lot of things that are in a state of transition. Our country is currently transitioning into the feel of a new president. Someone is transitioning into a new house, job, or both. Some of us are merely transitioning into a new blog interphase. Regardless of who or where we are, transition is a constant force with which all must deal. 

I hope that the switch to Wordpress will help me find some peace with a medium of expression. I also hope that others who are interested in what I have to express will find some constancy in me through this medium. 

Thank you for bearing with me thus far. Please continue to do so as I work out the kinks that are before me!