Susan LaffertyThe urban forum. A gathering of the nations. We explore cities together. Examining them from various angles and worldviews.
One particular presentation leads us to unmapped neighborhoods. Unnamed places. In the depths of an urban slum.
Pushing out from the edge of a global city.
Streets and paths. Crossroads. Unmarked. Yet densely populated. With living, breathing communities.
The question lingers through the centuries. Around the world. In religious gatherings. And institutions of learning. City streets. Local hangouts.
And I read it in the Scriptures. The unnamed someone asks Jesus. “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” (Luke 13:23)
Only a few? We hear the concern in our day. Are you saying not everyone goes to heaven? Isn’t that narrow-minded? How can a God of love do that?
The conversation was one we had several times. “People have black hearts,” she would say. “People have rotten hearts.” She used the word that describes rotting fruit. Busuk.