Kršćanski identitet u otvorenosti drugima i drukčijima
CHRISTIAN IDENTITY IN OPENNESS TO THE OTHERS AND THE DIFFERENT

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this paper is to point to the specific source of Christian identity that allows for authentic proclamation of the mighty deeds of God. This source is the person of Jesus Christ who as a true man lived his life for others. It is this reality of the »me and you« relationship that should be the source of Christian identity and the way Christians relate to the others and the different. The Christian identity today is in crisis because Christian communities are generally taking a defensive position toward the challenges of the modern world and thereby extinguish the natural openness of the Christ’s Gospel to the burdened world. In the paper, the author tries to portray the paradigm of the early Christian community as it is presented in the Book of Acts 2:1-13. In this biblical text, the early Christian community based their relationship toward others on their identity that stemmed from their relationship with the living Christ. This is evident in the following characteristics of the early Christian community: first of all they are waiting for the power from the high – the Holy Spirit; understanding the need for this power unites them – they are gathered together; when they are filled with the expected power of the Holy Spirit they are equipped for the ministry of proclaiming the mighty deeds of God; equipped this way, they are serving the others and the different – all nations under the heaven; they are open to the specific identities of others – but in this openness they are not losing their own identity; they are not preoccupied with themselves but with proclaiming God; and finally, the proclamation of God remains an invitation open to everyone, without coercion. A community that lives such an authentic Christian identity becomes God’s instrument in the world through which God expresses his hospitality to every person on earth.

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