"The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand. The walls between the countries with the most and those with the east cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes, natives and immigrants, Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down." -- Barack Obama, speaking in Berlin
"Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all." -- Paul, to the Colossians
"For Jesus himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility." -- Paul, to the Ephesisans
Paul's clearly plagiarised Obama there.
ReplyDeletelol!
ReplyDeletewhat strikes me is that paul didn't just want to break down the walls, but he wanted to move beyond that to a state of peace. and he suggested a means of doing so. breaking down walls is great -- it's deconstruction at its most essential. but then you have to build something in its place. the removal of walls doesn't create relationship. it may be the beginning of it, but relationship requires construction. it's work. and it helps to have a plan for that -- a means of creating the peace.