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Reviewed by Kenneth H. Carter, Jr., Senior Pastor of Providence United Methodist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, and author of Baptism Services, Sermons, and Prayers and A Way of Life in the World. I Was A Stranger: A Christian Theology of Hospitality by Arthur Sutherland Hospitality is a concern that is at the heart of our denominational life: in the words of our communication strategy, “our hearts, our minds and our doors are always open.” In addition, hospitality is a concern for most congregations: we are aware of the negative implications of being cold, aloof and ingrown, while noting the positive value of being warm, friendly and inclusive. Hospitality is both an ideal and a necessity. It is a practice that shapes our congregational care, evangelism and mission efforts. In I Was A Stranger, Arthur Sutherland moves beyond ecclesial practice toward a theological rationale for hospitality, which he defines as follows: “ In the light of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and return, Christian hospitality is the intentional, responsible and caring act of welcoming or visiting, in either public or private places, those who are strangers, enemies or distressed, without regard for reciprocation”. In moving toward a definition of hospitality, Sutherland resists the model of hospitality as entertainment, and also the assumption that gender shapes hospitable practice; he also critiques the fusion of hospitality with reciprocity. Drawing upon prominent biblical teachings, especially Jesus’ parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25, the author locates “the least of these my brothers and sisters” as “anyone, believer or not, who lives in some condition of peril.” He then moves toward an analysis of African-American spirituals as a literature rich in description of a people who are vulnerable, wandering in the wilderness and seeking safety and home. The scriptures and these spirituals share a common rendering of a person (Jesus) and a people who experienced inhospitality and even hostility. Sutherland’s work is helpful in that it is both concise and yet deeply theological, This is not a blueprint for personal, congregational or denominational hospitality (and indeed such resources are valuable). Instead, Sutherland has pondered the intellectual justification for hospitable practice, within the community of faith and beyond it. His grasp of a wide range of preaching and teaching is impressive: Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, feminist theology, Martin Luther King, Jr. Each theological source leads toward a more nuanced understanding of hospitality. While theological reflection does not take the place of action, such action is called forth, corrected and sustained by the tradition of Christian wisdom in response to the stranger, the enemy and the distressed. In the concluding chapter, Sutherland argues that hospitality is the practice by which the church stands or falls. This conviction arises from our following Jesus, who saw the stranger, the hungry and the prisoner, and whose seeing led to compassionate action. This way of life teaches us about the mind of God and the purpose of the church that God calls into being. Why a theological exploration of hospitality? At times we may become weary in our well doing. Action requires a rationale, over the long haul, if it is to be sustained. In addition, the church lives in the midst of an inhospitable culture, and in our moments of weakness we can mirror the hostility that resists or ignores those who are different than us or distressed in body, mind or spirit. Arthur Sutherland has reflected wisely and faithfully on hospitable practice. Let us learn from him, so that we will see Jesus in the last, the least and the lost.
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