By Jim Tune
Gordon Allport was an American psychologist and early groups theorist with a knack for broadly conceptualizing important behavioral topics including religion and prejudice. Allport is said to have used the following conversation to show how group segregation leads to bad attitudes toward the other group.
“See that man over there?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I hate him.”
“But you don”t even know him.”
“That”s why I hate him.”
Allport believed that homogeneity is never harmless. He introduced contact theory as a way of bringing groups together in order to reduce prejudice. The idea is if separation of one group creates inaccurate perceptions of other groups, direct contact between members of different groups will reverse those inaccurate perceptions and emotions. When crosscultural contact is made between two different groups, information that flies in the face of inaccurate perceptions and negative emotions disarms stereotypes and eliminates fear. In the end, people discover that their negative beliefs about the other group are overgeneralized and untrue. Without contact, our stereotypes and misgivings remain unchallenged and even take on lives of their own.
Crosscultural contact has worked wonders to help break down stubborn divisions between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, blacks and whites in post-apartheid South Africa, and white and black students in U.S. schools.
One recent study showed teachers who had previously interacted with an HIV-positive individual had positive attitudes toward teaching children with HIV more than teachers who hadn”t previously interacted with an HIV-positive individual.
As sociologist Michael Emerson discovered, many American Christians do not believe pursuit of crosscultural unity is particularly relevant to the faith that is expressed in their pulpits and home group meetings. As a result, they are perfectly content with homogeneous church groups.
Our culture is asking the church for bread””help and healing from racism and a painful past of segregation. Will we offer them a stone instead? Will we share the gospel with others but fail to share our lives with them? Will we ask them to love God but fail to truly serve and love them as ourselves?
Loving unity sets us apart in a world where jealousy, hatred, and misunderstanding characterize many relationships. Can we proclaim the gospel message without loving our neighbor as ourself? The two things are critically related. They are like hydrogen and oxygen, which must combine to produce water. Let”s understand, when we live the gospel, it”s an opportunity to share our lives as well.
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