Addressing the question of identity

‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’ Gal 3:28

‘Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ’

 Phil 3:8

When addressing issues of identity it is good to remember that in Christ we are a new creation (2 Cor 5:17). Therefore whilst it is good to celebrate the good in other cultures as well as the good in our own culture (see Phil 4:8) we need to recognise that we have, as Christians, been grafted into a new culture - that of the kingdom of God. Furthermore when celebrating other cultures, in U/S pupils will need to be reminded that all cultures are fallen and some very much so, and sadly this fall will extend to the activities of the church on earth.

As a consequence the aim of our teaching about other cultures is to reassure pupils that their culture is appropriately valued and that they are included in the school community, whilst also pointing them to the important truth that in Christ Jesus we are all one. This will therefore require a nuanced approach that does not either underestimate the significance of culture nor does it over emphasise its importance to the detriment of Christian unity.