Jumpstarter 7 of 10

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Question 7

Colossians 3:10–11 is quoted to emphasize “neither Greek nor Jew…slave nor free,” and “Christ is all and in all”; where do you see modern Christianity quietly rebuilding the dividing wall with new labels (party, class, ethnicity, nation, ideology), and what would it cost your community to refuse those labels as primary?

Another way to ask: Where do Christians today rebuild walls by treating labels like party, class, ethnicity, nation, or ideology as most important, and what would your church lose or risk by refusing to do that?

Direct Answer Dean’s teaching suggests the “dividing wall” gets rebuilt whenever Christians treat partisan or national labels as the main identity and express allegiance by hostility—refusing those labels would cost social comfort and the sense of belonging those tribes provide.

Support from Transcript:

He quotes Colossians 3:10–11: believers are renewed into a “new man” where there is “neither Greek nor Jew…slave nor free. But Christ is all and in all.”
He says this truth “broke down my national and political walls,” implying those walls can return if those identities become primary again.
He confesses his past “partisan-type spirit,” where loyalty was shown “by hating my opponents.”
He says when there was “nothing genuine to give allegiance to,” it became easiest “to despise everything that didn't agree with me.”
He admits the pull is strong because he had “a strong need for acceptance and belonging,” which modern labels can satisfy cheaply.

Discussion Follow-ups What labels are safest to use in your church to decide who is trustworthy? If your community refused those labels, what friendships, reputations, or platforms might be threatened?

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