People often think religion creates closed minds that see difference in terms of intolerance and division. Yet difference can be enriching and mutually instructive, while religion can be reassuring and ironic at the same time. For example, you may sometimes do God’s will only by denying your own. Discernment is a fruit of obedience, and a gift of genuine solidarity. Choice is empty without it. Second, disagreement is not a barrier to dialogue. On the contrary, it is a test of the willingness to presume on each other’s goodwill and to covet the best for each other. To be charitable is to be deserving of charity oneself. Without difference dialogue would be moot. If you feel the need to conceal what you believe for fear of difference, then dialogue becomes just a show, and agreement an illusion. Indeed, agreement by concealment is intolerance by another name, if truth be told. An important issue in the literature on dialogue is thus often confused by the view that difference is threatening, fanatical, harmful, and negative while uniform agreement is sound, inclusive, and enlightened. If that were true, we would all be condemned to sameness, uniformity, and conformity. Yet even then we would not escape the threat, the intolerance, the feuding and the cursing that disagreement is supposed to cause. In light of intercommunal conflicts, intrafamily feuds, and the truculence that often arise in the same race, household, or national or faith community, we arrive at a pretty pass when we approach the world in defiance of difference, or in a misguided optimism about agreement. People often fight because they want the same thing, or make peace because they embrace difference (pages 5-6).

There is a ton of deep stuff in these two paragraphs to meditate on – like a collection of “The Very Best of Far Side Cartoons.” Like I have done, I encourage you to read it many times and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you.

In the Body of Christ we are radical diversities and immeasurable differences. We have major differences and too-numerous-too-count subtle and secondary differences. Because of them, we have all experienced being on one side or the other of intolerance and division.

First Nations leader Richard Twiss reports on a powerful Urbana conference he was part of in December.

Urbana is the largest missions conference in the world. It is convened every three years in Urbana, IL, on the campus of University of Illinois. It is a ministry of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. This past December, at Urbana 03, 19,000 mostly college aged, people attended.

The message by Ray Aldred, Cree pastor and ministry leader, was one of the most impacting I have ever heard. Likewise, the presence of the Lord that accompanied Mohawk musician, Jonathan Maracle and Broken Walls, as they led an hour of worship, joined by myself and eleven other dancers in full regalia on stage was amazing. (These can be seen and heard at www.urbana.org).

There were 1800 small groups that met every day. Lindsay Olesberg, the Urbana 03 Small Group Manager, sent me the following comments and testimonies of both small group leaders and students, in response to the First Nations presentation at Urbana.

“This was a powerful evening where God gave us an amazing gift through Ray Aldred and Jonathan Maracle. I appreciated the blessing that was given by the Native American community. Thank you for your risk and forgiveness of the church of North America.”

“This is my third Urbana, and there always seems to be one pivotal talk through which God speaks a prophetic word. I believe that Ray Aldred’s preaching was that prophetic word. As an educated white man, I’ve grown up with the lies of power and self–sufficiency. I’ve been taught and trained to view my culture as having everything of value that needs to be shared with all other ‘less fortunate’ people. The Holy Spirit spoke powerfully through Ray and reminded me that I am just as much in need of salvation (conversion) as every other person. Praise God!”

Several white and Asian–American students were struck by the idea of “white man’s gospel.” They said it made sense but that they had never realized that this was happening.

A young man from Minnesota shared that he was from a town that was surrounded by three Native American reservations. He said that racism was prevalent and he had seen misunderstandings, anger, and bitterness prevail between the races in that area. He shared that he was deeply moved by the experience of the Native American worship leader extending a welcome from First Nations people to the rest of the people groups at Urbana.

“I’m a white female staff worker who grew up in Southwestern Colorado, near the Navajo Reservation. I’ve begun to struggle through my own racism, and to understand the magnitude of the genocide committed against Native Americans. It was an inspiration to me as I struggle through racial reconciliation.”

Editor’s Note: The Pneuma Informer (newsletter for Pneuma Foundation, the parent organization for PneumaReview.com) is pleased to share a report from First Nations leader Richard Twiss about a recent ministry trip to Peru.

It’s hard to believe the national Peruvian tour we have been planning and praying over for the past eighteen months is now finished. We could not have imagined the spiritual impact we would make. It was truly remarkable in every respect.

In just nineteen days our Dancing Our Prayer team of eighteen First Nations believers completed a marathon trip to thirteen cities and jungle towns making 70 presentations of Christ and His Kingdom. We give thanks to God for a genuine “loaves and fishes” miracle of increase on this trip. We successfully transported our team around the country via planes, buses, river boats, vans and trains, while providing food and lodging for everyone, renting venues & equipment, printing posters and flyers, all on a miniscule shoe-string budget. The incredible amount of work we accomplished with so little is hard to believe. Please know how deeply grateful I am to each of you who gave financially toward this trip. It was money that was well invested toward reaping a spiritual harvest.

From private meetings with national and local government leaders, to large stadium events, 1370 people made decisions for Christ. More than thirty thousand people were challenged to see the indigenous people of Peru in an entirely different light; not as poor needy Indians who are the mission field, but as co-equal partners in the life work and mission of the church of Jesus Christ in these days of harvest.

For this Peruvian tour, team members came from across North America representing Chiricaulla Apache, Lakota/Sioux, Lipan Apache, Mohawk, Cree, Choctaw, Shoshone, Cherokee, Karuk, and Houma tribes. This diverse team of front-line servants came from various theological backgrounds including, Grace Brethren, Foursquare, Charismatic, and Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada.

The first leg of the tour took place over four days in the capital city of Lima. The team held twenty-three meetings at thirteen locations that were attended by more than 11000 people where several hundred were born-again. Along with the gospel message, a strong challenge on racial reconciliation, was shared throughout the city including two national press conferences, two mayors’ offices, three radio programs, the Peruvian national congress and in five different churches. The second week took place in three jungle regions and the final week in Cusco.

As I reported earlier I had the opportunity to share with the President of the House of Congress of Peru in a specially arranged private meeting, along with his team and several key congressman involved in Indigenous Affairs in Peru. I told him, as I did leaders across the country, that we had come to support the efforts of the Indigenous people of the Peru in their pursuit of dignity, justice and equality in the nation. I said as a spiritual people we recognize the only hope for a better future was a spiritual one. As followers of the Jesus Way we had come all the way to Peru, at God’s leading, to tell them Jesus Christ is the Waymaker for all tribes and nations and only through Christ can God’s destiny for Peru be fulfilled.

Our team was then escorted into the rotunda area where numerous congressman, government leaders and workers gathered, asking for prayer from the team. I said we would dance their prayers for God’s wisdom as they are faced with making many difficult decisions for their people. Mohawk musician, Jonathan Maracle, then sang a drum song as the entire team danced before the Lord.