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I Was A Stranger: A Christian Theology of Hospitality
Arthur Sutherland places before us our fear of meeting the "other" and the "stranger" in an increasingly global, and frequently dangerous, village. Various social, political, and historical factors have conspired to leave us in a veritable crisis: the decline of hospitality.
Why is this a crisis? Why should we practice hospitality? What is it about Christian theology that compels us to think about hospitality in the first place? Sutherland offers a passionate plea to recover and rediscover hospitality, and to respond to the divine appeal to welcome the stranger.
Therein lies the central concern of the book: that hospitality is not simply the practice of a virtue but is integral to the very nature of Christianity's position toward God, self, and the world--it is at the very center of what it means to be a Christian and to think theologically. He offers a challenging definition of hospitality and calls us to a practice that is the virtue by which the church stands or falls.
Drawing on modern theologians (including Howard Thurman, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Karl Barth, Martin Luther King Jr., and Letty Russell) and considering American slavery, the Holocaust, feminism, and prisons, Sutherland eloquently presents a Christian theology of hospitality.
Why is this a crisis? Why should we practice hospitality? What is it about Christian theology that compels us to think about hospitality in the first place? Sutherland offers a passionate plea to recover and rediscover hospitality, and to respond to the divine appeal to welcome the stranger.
Therein lies the central concern of the book: that hospitality is not simply the practice of a virtue but is integral to the very nature of Christianity's position toward God, self, and the world--it is at the very center of what it means to be a Christian and to think theologically. He offers a challenging definition of hospitality and calls us to a practice that is the virtue by which the church stands or falls.
Drawing on modern theologians (including Howard Thurman, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Karl Barth, Martin Luther King Jr., and Letty Russell) and considering American slavery, the Holocaust, feminism, and prisons, Sutherland eloquently presents a Christian theology of hospitality.
- GenresTheology
100 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2006
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88 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 22, 2025
An especially insightful book in this time of ICE raids, questionable immigration policy, and suspension of crosscultural exchange programs. Sutherland challenges contemporary views of hospitality and comments on what is often lacking in contemporary American evangelism: empathy for the "poor, wayfaring stranger" (as Jesus once was as well) and compassion for the ones on the margin (as Jesus also demonstrated).
Drawing heavily on Karl Barth's theology, Sutherland provides suggestions on how to navigate interactions with people different that oneself: 1) seeing others as "not as a mere object but as a reflection of our own fallen and redeemed humanity" (p. 37), 2) listening to each other and thereby crossing the boundary of relationship, 3) rendering mutual aid, and 4) doing so seriously.
Notable quotes:
Redefining hospitality: "The entire point of hospitality is that Christians are a people in the world and for the world" (p. xvii)
On responsibility for one's neighbors:
"[It] is ultimately the stranger that shows us who we actually are. The stranger is not just an abstract idea; our conduct toward the stranger is the measure of our obedience to the command of God" (p. 28).
Only by active standing by the side of others is my own humanity complete. We are made for community. 'My humanity,' Barth writes, 'depends upon the fact that I am always aware, and my action is determined by the awareness, that I need the assistance of others as a fish needs water'" (p. 38).
The compassion, empathetic ways of Jesus: "It is convicting to me that the Gospel writers used the rare word splagchnizomai to descrime what Jesus felt when he encountered those on the margins (Matthew 20:34, Mark 1:41, Mark 8:2, Luke 7:13). Greek speakers understood the word to mean "to be moved as to one's bowels." We would speak of a "feeling in the gut," but it is difficult to gice an adequate translation of the word. Jesus uses it once in speaking about forgiveness (the parable of the unforgiving servant, Matthew 18:21) and, significantly, twice in parables associated with hospitality (the good Samaritan and the prodigal son). More broadly, the Gospel writers want us to see that Jesus took into himself the pain and "dis-ease" of those on the boarders of life. In this age where feeling another's pain us either a tagline of the trite or mimicry of the mightless, we cannot let compassion become casual" (p. 82)
Rating: 3 stars
Content is interesting, but struggled a bit with the organization of some sections.
Drawing heavily on Karl Barth's theology, Sutherland provides suggestions on how to navigate interactions with people different that oneself: 1) seeing others as "not as a mere object but as a reflection of our own fallen and redeemed humanity" (p. 37), 2) listening to each other and thereby crossing the boundary of relationship, 3) rendering mutual aid, and 4) doing so seriously.
Notable quotes:
Redefining hospitality: "The entire point of hospitality is that Christians are a people in the world and for the world" (p. xvii)
On responsibility for one's neighbors:
"[It] is ultimately the stranger that shows us who we actually are. The stranger is not just an abstract idea; our conduct toward the stranger is the measure of our obedience to the command of God" (p. 28).
Only by active standing by the side of others is my own humanity complete. We are made for community. 'My humanity,' Barth writes, 'depends upon the fact that I am always aware, and my action is determined by the awareness, that I need the assistance of others as a fish needs water'" (p. 38).
The compassion, empathetic ways of Jesus: "It is convicting to me that the Gospel writers used the rare word splagchnizomai to descrime what Jesus felt when he encountered those on the margins (Matthew 20:34, Mark 1:41, Mark 8:2, Luke 7:13). Greek speakers understood the word to mean "to be moved as to one's bowels." We would speak of a "feeling in the gut," but it is difficult to gice an adequate translation of the word. Jesus uses it once in speaking about forgiveness (the parable of the unforgiving servant, Matthew 18:21) and, significantly, twice in parables associated with hospitality (the good Samaritan and the prodigal son). More broadly, the Gospel writers want us to see that Jesus took into himself the pain and "dis-ease" of those on the boarders of life. In this age where feeling another's pain us either a tagline of the trite or mimicry of the mightless, we cannot let compassion become casual" (p. 82)
Rating: 3 stars
Content is interesting, but struggled a bit with the organization of some sections.
January 23, 2023
In a time of political strife and strains in social interaction due to the pandemic, a Christian theology of hospitality could be the key to the Christian religion's role in re-binding society (cf. the Latin root of "religion" is "religare" - to tie, to bind). Put differently, whereas friendships are put under increasing strain under today's politics, friendships are nevertheless built upon hospitality. Although I may not agree with a friend (or a former friend's) politics, I ought to nonetheless be grateful for their friendship and hospitality.
The book is also valuable in bringing in voices of those who have advocated for the oppressed (e.g., Martin Luther King, Jr.) and those affected by injustices throughout history (e.g., the Holocaust). To paraphrase one of the comments on the backcover, Sutherland brings together a unique set of authors to make its argument. The book makes for an interesting read, although it might seem somewhat unorthodox in its approach.
In response to another review, the book is laid out according to the actions listed by Jesus in Matthew 25 (e.g., being a stranger, being in prison, etc.), with an aesthetic and thematic approach to its discussion.
The book is also valuable in bringing in voices of those who have advocated for the oppressed (e.g., Martin Luther King, Jr.) and those affected by injustices throughout history (e.g., the Holocaust). To paraphrase one of the comments on the backcover, Sutherland brings together a unique set of authors to make its argument. The book makes for an interesting read, although it might seem somewhat unorthodox in its approach.
In response to another review, the book is laid out according to the actions listed by Jesus in Matthew 25 (e.g., being a stranger, being in prison, etc.), with an aesthetic and thematic approach to its discussion.
July 10, 2021
The first and final chapters were worthwhile. I struggled to follow the organization and each section’s relevance to hospitality in the other chapters.
April 30, 2024
For me this was a hard read. It rambled and the different sections were not as connected as I would have liked. The introduction and last chapter were the meat of the book to me.
October 4, 2007
Sutherland's position that hospitality is the foundation upon which the church stands or falls is fascinating and engaging. This book is short, but Sutherland makes quick work of pulling you in and making you again think about the relationship you have with the strangers/neighbors you interact with each day. He uses racial issues as well as feminist approaches to stories in the New Testament and gives some cool insight into both. Currently, society seems to be evolving into such that you live around more people, but interact with them less and that causes a problem with the relationship and perceptions we have of others, both domestically and internationally. At the very least this book is a success in making me think more about the people around me, but I think that it has done more for me than just that.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews