Peter has a vision about eating unclean animals, and he wrestles with what it means. Then he realizes: 'God does not show favoritism. In every nation, anyone who fears him and does what is right is accepted by him.' This is foundational. The good news isn't just for Jews. It's for everyone.
I grew up in a denomination that preached universally, but the leadership was all white men. We took the gospel to every nation, but the power stayed in one ethnic group's hands. I spent my twenties in full-time ministry, and the cognitive dissonance finally broke me. We claimed God shows no favoritism, but we structured our church to favor certain people.
I left pastoral ministry three years ago. I'm reckoning with how the gospel got tangled up with my culture's values. But verses like this give me hope. Peter had to struggle with his prejudices. It didn't come naturally. God literally had to hit him over the head with a vision. But he changed. He went to Cornelius's house. He ate with a Gentile. He became a bridge-builder.
That's the work ahead for the American church: actually believing that God shows no favoritism, and restructuring our power. It's harder than saying it. But it's possible. Peter proves it.
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