An Invisible Line

Travelling between North and South Dakota does not reveal drastic differences in lifestyle. In fact, not very much is different in terms of culture or customs. In contrast, the differences between North and South Korea would be drastic. Distinctions between Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland are somewhere in between (although no where near as severe as North/South Korea). For starters, Northern Ireland is a part of the UK and the Republic is not. I won’t go into the politics because I don’t entirely understand it all myself, but this distinction effects the way of life across the border.

After only one visit to the North, the difference in economy was notable. The cars on the roads and in the car parks were generally more expensive brands, models, and/or year. The shopping centers were bustling with people and no one was worried about heating their homes. The greatest difference I would like to note is in the evangelical population. The lunch we attended after the service of a church in the north had more people than if all the members of two local churches in the Republic came together. Contrary to popular belief, the Republic of Ireland only has about 1.5% Evangelical Christians. Over 90% of the population claim Christianity as their religion [Operation World], but especially in recent years, ritual, guilt, and social norms have taken precedence over true relationships with Christ.

It is sad to see how desperately lost so many people are. The fact that there are massive congregations just an invisible line away makes me think about how many lost people I ignore across my own invisible borders. I don’t know how to resolve the issues that lie between people of each nation nor do I have a right to say how things should change, but as a member of the body of Christ, I will say that there is a need for unity within the church in this nation and across borders. Junior used the story of the four friends who brought the paralyzed man to Jesus through the roof to illustrate the church [Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-25] . We must come together with the common goal of bringing people to Jesus. We must work together just as the friends carried the man and walked together. There will be obstacles that come in our way, but faith in the power of God will prevail. It can be uncomfortable to step outside of our Christian bubbles and see that there is world outside our doorsteps that still needs the love of Christ, but it must be done. After all, Jesus came to heal the sick, not the healthy [Matthew 9:11-13].

Taste of Ireland: The typical way to take a cup of tea is black tea with a lot of milk (seriously it’s like they are having tea with their milk) and some sugar. Don’t forget the bikkies!