Building Community through Hospitality: Insights from Ethiopia for America's Loneliness Epidemic
Ebook
Loneliness plagues the West, and members of American Protestant churches are not immune. This book examines potential causes for the loneliness epidemic and considers biblical teaching and insights from a non-Western context--specifically Ethiopia--in search of antidotes and an alternative way of living that can lead to a greater sense of community and belonging for the generations to come.
Ethiopia is a country known for its hospitality and has been deeply influenced by both Judaism and Christianity for many centuries, making it a fascinating example of what the ancient biblical practice of hospitality can look like in the present day. Based on a presupposition of the interconnected interdependence of all of life, the Ethiopian way of building community through hospitality goes beyond inviting friends to dinner on a weekend. It is a lifestyle of valuing connection with God and with others as his image bearers. Learning from this perspective has great potential to help American Christians cultivate connectedness and belonging in their congregations and wider communities.
“The global church has so much to teach the Western church about living out the gospel in daily life. In this work, Jessica Udall ably shows how the biblical hospitality practiced by Ethiopian Christians can help Western Christians and Westerners in general overcome our loneliness epidemic. I highly recommend this refreshing study.”
—Edward L. Smither, professor of intercultural studies and history of global Christianity, Columbia International University
“Jessie Udall’s excellent ethnographic study, Building Community through Hospitality, gives voice to the Ethiopian church in providing a strong corrective to the hyper-individualism of the Western church. It focuses on the lost art of hospitality and what the Ethiopian church can teach the West about this. I highly recommend this book for Christians in the West to gain a Global South perspective on what the biblical concept of hospitality really entails.”
—David Cashin, professor emeritus of intercultural studies, Columbia International University
“Jessica Udall’s study, Building Community through Hospitality, prompts us to reflect on the impact of our hospitality in building a community for God’s kingdom. I realized that Ethiopian and American cultures have distinct perspectives and practices regarding biblical hospitality as I read through the pages. Udall’s firsthand experience living in both cultures gives her valuable insight into hospitality in each culture. This research profoundly touches your life; it is wise and challenging for our generation.”
—Yonathan Zeamanuel, country director, SIL Ethiopia
- Title: Building Community through Hospitality: Insights from Ethiopia for America's Loneliness Epidemic
- Author: Jessica A. Udall
- Publisher: Pickwick Publications
- Print Publication Date: 2024
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666782578, 9781666782561, 1666782564, 9781666782554, 1666782556, 1666782572
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666782578
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-06-12T20:40:16Z
Jessica A. Udall is professor of intercultural studies at Evangelical Theological College in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and adjunct professor of intercultural studies at Columbia International University in Columbia, South Carolina. She has been involved in cross-cultural ministry in Ethiopia and among immigrants in the United States. She is the author of Loving the Stranger: Welcoming Immigrants in the Name of Jesus.