Life Together Under the Word

"Life together under the Word will remain sound and healthy only where it does not form itself into a movement, an order, a society... but rather where it understands itself as being a part of the one, holy, catholic (meaning universal, not Roman Catholicism, my explanation), Christian Church, where it shares actively and passively in the sufferings and struggles of the whole Church. Every principle of selection, every separation connected with it that is not necessitated quite objectively by common work, local conditions, or family connections is of the greatest danger to a Christian community.
When the way of intellectual or spiritual selection is taken, the human element always insinuates itself and robs the fellowship of its spiritual power and its effectiveness for the Church, and drives it into sectarianism."--Dietrich Bonhoeffer (bold, my emphasis)

For those who would seek to only focus on the struggles and sufferings of ONE group of people, but yet try to use the Bible to justify such partiality in concern, I think this quote speaks volumes. People need to see themselves as part of a larger body of believers and then take on the burdens of all believers everywhere, not just ones that look like us or experience the same struggles that we do.

There is much more to that can be said by this quote, but for now, I'll leave it here.