What is "othering"?

The ‘other’ is a philosophical term that appears in ethics and other strands of social sciences. It is to identify – consciously or subconsciously – an ‘other’ person or group in terms of their difference to the ‘self’. Simply put, it is how we might treat or respond to people who are different to ourselves or how we see ourselves. This can ultimately lead to the dehumanisation and demonisation of a person or a people group. It’s not just recognising the other but depriving that difference of its humanity.

Unfortunately, in our fallen world we adopt the act of othering far too often. In our misrepresentations of the political refugee as a scapegoat and illegal immigrant, they are othered. In our generalisation of all investment bankers as greedy and heartless, they are othered. And yes, after the heartbreaking penalty loss, in the Euro 2020 final, the three England players – Rashford, Sancho and Saka – were othered on social media, including despicable tweets using racial hate abuse.

The uncomfortable challenge to followers of Jesus

In our fallen world we are influenced to tackle forms of discrimination and prejudice by deflecting the issues onto others. We can name, shame and blame everyone else but fail to notice our own acts of othering in the process.

There is a high calling on a follower of Jesus to complete obedience. We cannot worship Him while loving only some neighbours. In Matthew 7, Jesus describes this very issue: “How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye”. How much more gentle, discerning, and just would our work to remove other people’s specks be if we first acknowledged our own imperfections as planks? We all fall short of God’s glory and can only point others in the direction of righteousness when we recognise the mercy we need ourselves.

But a community united under the mercy of Jesus can present a different story of human flourishing that goes beyond the lines of social difference. The challenge to us, as members of the body of Christ, is to recognise our own need for mercy, that we need help to lay down our prejudices towards the other and befriend those different to us.

It is time we all asked the difficult and uncomfortable questions of who we might be othering. Where in our church might we be falling into a limited understanding of grace? The person belonging to a different political party should be someone you gladly invite into your home. An ethnic minority leader is not your diversity token but your teacher and spiritual leader. The young person struggling to engage with your content is not unruly but someone with an ability to have a rich relationship with God.

We should educate, engage and participate in action to eradicate forms of discrimination from our society. But this work can only be done first and foremost from our knees, bowing and crying out before our heavenly father, saying “Lord, do this work in me first.” To acknowledge and restore dignity to the other is to first repent of the ugliness taking place in our own hearts.

Source: Evangelical Alliance, Emma Sowden (adapted)

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