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Just Hospitality: God's Welcome in a World of Difference
In this, her last book, theologian Letty Russell redefines the commonly held notion of hospitality as she challenges her readers to consider what it means to welcome the stranger. In doing so, she implores persons of faith to join the struggles for justice.
Rather than an act of limited, charitable welcome, Russell maintains that true hospitality is a process that requires partnership with the “other” in our divided world. The goal is “just hospitality,” that is, hospitality with justice.
Russell draws on feminist and postcolonial thinking to show how we are colonized and colonizing, each of us bearing the marks of the history that formed us. With an insightful analysis of the power dynamics that stem from our differences and a constructive theological theory of difference itself, Russell proposes concrete strategies to create a more just practice of hospitality.
With careful attention, she writes, we can build a network of hospitality that is truthful about our mistakes and inequities, yet determined to resist the contradictions that drive us apart. This kind of genuine solidarity requires us to cast off oppression and domination in order to truly welcome the stranger. Russell’s lasting message is a highly practical theology for both the academy and the church. The book contains questions for study and reflection.
Rather than an act of limited, charitable welcome, Russell maintains that true hospitality is a process that requires partnership with the “other” in our divided world. The goal is “just hospitality,” that is, hospitality with justice.
Russell draws on feminist and postcolonial thinking to show how we are colonized and colonizing, each of us bearing the marks of the history that formed us. With an insightful analysis of the power dynamics that stem from our differences and a constructive theological theory of difference itself, Russell proposes concrete strategies to create a more just practice of hospitality.
With careful attention, she writes, we can build a network of hospitality that is truthful about our mistakes and inequities, yet determined to resist the contradictions that drive us apart. This kind of genuine solidarity requires us to cast off oppression and domination in order to truly welcome the stranger. Russell’s lasting message is a highly practical theology for both the academy and the church. The book contains questions for study and reflection.
- GenresTheologyNonfiction
160 pages, Paperback
First published April 2, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 17, 2017
I love this book! It was a gift from two folks in our church in Guilford--one of whom was Letty's spouse. Though the book is several years old, it speaks to our time prophetically, calling us to live out God's "just hospitality" in ways that redefine what it means to be community. Read it. Read it, Read it.
August 7, 2018
The focus of this book is on the meaning of hospitality as it is presented in the Bible, as compared to the modern idea of hospitality as coffee hour after worship and “terminal niceness”. (p 80) It moves between how things tend to be done (currently) and how they are supposed to be done.
Chapter 1 introduces us to Letty and her early path toward ordination, accompanied by reflection on the positive and negative aspects of ordination. Ordination provides power and enables one to work within the existing social structure. That power also creates an imbalance. Many church members view the minister’s role as “taking care of the flock”, when it is equipping the flock (p. 15).
As faith leaders, we must be very careful to remember that hospitality means welcoming the stranger, not keeping those on the inside happy. Welcoming means giving of ourselves and enabling people to achieve what they need, not giving them what we think they need. (Ch 2)
The discussion on Election as God’s offer of love and a desire to be loved in return was new and interesting to me. (p 48) Over and over election starts as an offer for survival and service but becomes election for security and superiority. In the Bible (and life) election is confused with privilege, unity with uniformity (p 67) and hospitality with terminal niceness (p 80). They seem to have in common our unrelenting ability to make everything self-centered rather than other-centered and to rank everything in our minds from best (us) to worst (them).
Chapter 3 beautifully describes the abundance of gifts present in our diversity. In the tower of Babel and Pentecost, “we see that unity comes, not through building a tower of domination or uniformity, but through communication.” (p 59) “The Spirit…breaks open structures that confine and separate people…” (p 61) Building community out of difference, as she describes it, is the impossible possibility.
Chapter 4 looks at how to frame and reframe points of view. Finally, the justice in hospitality is found in enabling people to care for themselves in the long run, in addition to caring for them in the short run. As defining characteristics of just hospitality, she lists: clarity of mission, reexamination of Bible and traditions, alliance of partnership and power and the goal of justice.
If you are searching for a better way to share the Word and the Way of Christ while respecting and valuing diversity, you will find this book insightful.
Chapter 1 introduces us to Letty and her early path toward ordination, accompanied by reflection on the positive and negative aspects of ordination. Ordination provides power and enables one to work within the existing social structure. That power also creates an imbalance. Many church members view the minister’s role as “taking care of the flock”, when it is equipping the flock (p. 15).
As faith leaders, we must be very careful to remember that hospitality means welcoming the stranger, not keeping those on the inside happy. Welcoming means giving of ourselves and enabling people to achieve what they need, not giving them what we think they need. (Ch 2)
The discussion on Election as God’s offer of love and a desire to be loved in return was new and interesting to me. (p 48) Over and over election starts as an offer for survival and service but becomes election for security and superiority. In the Bible (and life) election is confused with privilege, unity with uniformity (p 67) and hospitality with terminal niceness (p 80). They seem to have in common our unrelenting ability to make everything self-centered rather than other-centered and to rank everything in our minds from best (us) to worst (them).
Chapter 3 beautifully describes the abundance of gifts present in our diversity. In the tower of Babel and Pentecost, “we see that unity comes, not through building a tower of domination or uniformity, but through communication.” (p 59) “The Spirit…breaks open structures that confine and separate people…” (p 61) Building community out of difference, as she describes it, is the impossible possibility.
Chapter 4 looks at how to frame and reframe points of view. Finally, the justice in hospitality is found in enabling people to care for themselves in the long run, in addition to caring for them in the short run. As defining characteristics of just hospitality, she lists: clarity of mission, reexamination of Bible and traditions, alliance of partnership and power and the goal of justice.
If you are searching for a better way to share the Word and the Way of Christ while respecting and valuing diversity, you will find this book insightful.
September 10, 2024
3.5 stars. Random book I found at the library. Not an “easy” read—it’s very academic. But def some great principles in there. I def don’t agree with all her theology but I still think it’s valuable. Pub in 2009, so of course a lot has changed since then.
November 2, 2014
This has been a tremendously helpful book to read. Dr. Russell's premise of developing a lens of hospitality (rather than otherness) is such a practical resource. This book has informed recent Bible studies I've led around topics of diversity, welcome, power and privilege. I love her premises that in Christ, unity is a given. In Christ, difference is a given. In Christ, hospitality is a given. In Christ, unity is an impossible possibility. So grateful for this resource!
April 17, 2015
An interesting primer on the hospitality theology of the late Letty Russell, assembled from her lectures, notes, and other publications by her students. I am hoping that some of her other works expand on the ideas briefly drawn here. Nevertheless, it's a good place to start with ruminations about how to overcome the "isms" (racism, sexism, ageism, ablism) and xenophobia that scar our Church as well as our culture.
June 29, 2013
Not being a theology student, I had a hard time finding the academic context for this book although her explanations of postcolonial feminist theology helped. Still I was able to glean some excellent arguments and some practical applications although it wasn't what I had expected.
May 4, 2010
I absolutely loved this book. I agree with almost everything Russell has to say and hope that more church leaders might implement the kind of theology she writes about.
Every person who works in the church should read this book!
Every person who works in the church should read this book!
August 14, 2014
Beautifully written book that challenges each of us to develop a theology of hospitality in our lives and our churches. This is a gem for pastors and theologically-minded people looking at ways of reframing mission, service, welcome, and community in churches.
April 22, 2010
I love this book. It's brilliant! I read it first in the fall of 2009 and recently re-read it for another class (Spring 2010). I imagine I will return to it many times in the years to come.
December 23, 2015
Well written and currently relevant.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews