Jesus embodied solidarity with others in his life and ministry. Many of his parables shocked listeners because they depicted a kingdom where outsiders and pariahs were accepted and embraced. The inclusive table fellowship Jesus practiced was unconventional to the Jews of that time. You would think that with Jesus proclaiming the spiritual practice of hospitality, the churches that grew up around his teachings would exclude no one. But, as we all know, such was not the case.

Diarmuid O'Murchu, a prolific writer on Christian spirituality, a priest and a missioner, is profiled in Spirituality & Practice's Living Spiritual Teacher Project. In this concise and thought-provoking paperback, he observes:

"Christianity has not taken seriously its foundational blueprint for wholeness, its archetypal sense of oneness that must never exclude or oppress anybody. Our model is the spirituality of liberation incarnated in Jesus as he sought to tear down the walls between insiders and outsiders. One of the walls that is still standing is the patriarchal oppression of women. Another is the dark wall of exclusion meted out to homosexuals."

O'Murchu calls for Christian communities to discern a way forward acknowledging growing evidence for religious pluralism and multiple religious belonging. While many traditionalists see this move as a new brand of Gentile paganism, we agree with O'Murchu when he admits that "we have a long way to go to realize the challenge of the Gospels to translate inclusivity into daily life."