What’s a “Samerican”?

“Once, when Jesus brought his disciples into Samaritan territory, he challenged their age-old prejudice. He told them, ‘Open your eyes,’ so they would be able to see a great spiritual harvest among these loathed people.

Later, when framing the socio-geographical extent of their mission, he included Samaria along with Jerusalem, Judea, and the ends of the earth.

“Everything about their history and their theology had predisposed them to see Samaritans in a certain light. Eventually, they learned to love these marginalized people and anyone else to whom they were blinded, including tax collectors and sinners of all sorts.

“Are we modern followers of Jesus any less stubborn when we can’t or won’t value people from other cultures? Alejandro Mandes refers today’s Samaritans as ‘Samericans.’  They don’t look or talk like we do. They have different customs than ours, and they live in neighborhoods we don’t choose to visit. Jesus adamantly challenges us to seeothers as divinely loved image bearers and to ‘open our eyes’ to anyone we judge as unworthy of our consideration and love.

We must also envision the harvest God is bringing to America from other parts of the world. We’re so accustomed to sending missionaries to other countries, God is sending them here, a ready harvest for the gospel. ‘How foolish it is, then, for Christians to sour this opportunity for the gospel by putting up barriers against newcomers!’”

[This is an excerpt from my recently published book called: Missional, Merciful, Worshipful Christians and Their Churches: A Study of Luke Chapter Ten.

I really think you’ll like it. Maybe some of your friends too! It would be ideal for a group Bible study or book club.

All the profits go to YWAM (Youth with a Mission) in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco. My friends there do great work and need the money more than I do to pay their balloon payment by next year or lose their building.

I’m offering it as a “Pay What You Can” eBook. If you can’t pay anything, it’s yours for free. If you can afford $10, $50, $500, or more, go for it. You’ll be helping people help others in a place that needs it bad (or is that “good”?)!

Please give what you can to YWAM SF and let them know you got the book.

Don’t forget to tell your friends!