“Intersectionality” is a concept that has been a popular punching bag of many conservatives, including evangelical Christian ones, in the past year or two. But today, in the midst of a post responding to John MacArthur and co’s statement on social justice, Dr. Joel McDurmon provides an example of the principles of intersectionality right out of the book of Acts:

For example, “intersectionality” in its most general form refers to how different classes of people in society experience power or the lack of it differently, and how belonging to multiple classes can compound that one way or another. That may lead to all kinds of Marxist claptrap about class warfare, etc., but it is not an illegitimate idea altogether. If you were a helpless widow in first century Israel, you would not have judged it illegitimate at all. If you crossed multiple social classes and were, for example, a Greek-speaking widow in the first century church, you may have been the first to recognize you were being overlooked, neglected, left out, and you may have complained about it in those terms. This is exactly what happened (Acts 6:1–7). When faced with just such an example of intersectionality in the early church, the Apostles went the extra mile to make sure the marginalized group was cared for. The church met this intersectional social concern directly and ordained six Greek­-named deacons to serve the Greek speaking widows among their Hebrew society.

Fascinating insight.

-- Response to “The Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel”