RECLAIMING THE IMAGO DEI THROUGH THE TURBULENT SEAS OF COVID-19 AND WHITE PRIVILEGE

BANGKOK FORUM PAPER | ENTRY 4 OF 4

What would our participation in the missio dei look like (or change) if we embrace wholeheartedly the concept of inherent dignity and respect for each human being?

This assertion is miles away from simple rejection of modernity in favor of post-modernity’s (or post post-modernity's) dismantling of anything centric or specifically western-led systems. As I alluded earlier, pursuing union with God is not an individualistic journey. We were created by the “community” of (the triune) God. In other words, we are created not only to belong to ourselves as individuals but to one another. That is ontologically embedded in our creation account.

There is a big difference between personalism and individualism. Personalism recognizes the inherent dignity of the person and not the individual self. Borrowing words from Thomas Merton, this recognition of inherent dignity requires respecting “the unique and inalienable value of the other person, as well as one’s own, for a respect that is centered only on one’s individual self to the exclusion of others proves itself to be fraudulent.” Personalism allows oneself to see oneself as well as others with compassionate and generous eyes. This posture of compassion toward oneself and others is a crucial foundation for all our missio dei efforts.

So how do we move forward in our participation in missio dei? In short, a new missio dei model would have to have as its origin imago dei. It would certainly not start from the Great Commission, which is to highlight the several selected verses in the New Testament. It would not even start with the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 12). We must go all the way back to the creation account. Additionally, the fact that we are created in God’s image and likeness means that we are created by Love (which is the curt conclusion of Apostle John). No wonder Jesus summarized the Old Testament into the commandment of loving God, loving oneself, and loving our neighbors. Jesus’ “neighbor” would even include our enemies. Thus we are created by Love, for Love, and to Love. Love is an ontological concept. Love is a culmination of why God exists and why we exist and why the entire creation exists. Love is both our identity and the final vision of our human and cosmic destination.

Love integrates who God is, who we are (and who we are becoming), and what this world needs to become. God’s kingdom coming on this earth articulates that vision of love immersing into every single fabric of reality. To be sure, for love to be love, it has to show itself in action. When we say God “touched” us or we experienced God, what we are saying is that we have experienced unconditional love, grace, and mercy. As such, we can begin to envision this circle of unconditional love touching, impacting, and ultimately transforming all (every human soul, all peoples and societies and structures, as well as all of God’s creation) on this earth.

Personally speaking, I’ve noticed that my motivation for missions has progressed from obedience to pursuing the glory of God to love in the last 36 years. It is certainly not wrong to serve God out of obedience or pursuit of the glory of God. However, love unites God, myself, and others. Who I am and who I am becoming is excluded when I operate out of obedience and the glory of God motives. What we are told is that we must “die” to ourselves and surrender in order to serve God, which is not wrong, but incomplete. Love explains and answers my life’s trajectory from its origin to final destination. From this perspective and motive of love, our participation in missio dei has to be subservient to the Great Commandment. Love is the final and ultimate barometer for why and how we engage in missions.

Love trumps strategy and effectiveness. Love rejects any effort that is stemming out of our need to control and to preserve our elitism. Love truthfully creates a fair field of collaborative play among all (churches, other spiritual communities, agencies, and nationalities) who are involved in missio dei as we each are faithfully pursuing to become Love (that is unconditional). True collaboration is possible as fellow pilgrims on this journey of becoming Love and a deep and profound sense of solidarity finally would find its place of belonging. Who we are and who we are all becoming dictates what and how we do. In other words, our human doings are natural by products of our human beings. Naturally, I hope how we mobilize, recruit, train, and deploy our workers reflects this new missio dei model.

Finally, I dream of a new “order” (community of people beyond any one religious stream) where people’s recovery and discovery of inherent dignity of their soul is taken with utter importance. Naturally, discovering one’s unrepeatable unique inherent dignity and identity is never an isolated individual journey. It can only be done in an intentional community where safety, generosity, and freedom are viscerally and continually experienced. The cultivation of our beings experienced in intentional communities are a true testament of God’s Kingdom coming on this earth and a good gift (good news) to this world where people(s) do not have to become like me (or us) to be accepted and to flourish.