Over the past two years, I have struggled to discern what a “theology from below” looks like in a wealthy, small, Midwest town.

About a year and a half ago, my wife and I returned from a year in Kenya and started a graduate program in a small town in Ohio. The transition was a bit rough. From a fast-paced urban environment with open wounds of economic injustices, political strife, and authentic community to a neatly packaged campus with Georgian-styled buildings, brick streets, and extreme individualism. My initial reaction was one of disgust, followed by anger, and then apathy. I could not discern what a “theology from below” looks like in a community like this one, and wondered if the pain of in Nairobi and other urban centers was anywhere to be found in a place like this.

A few weeks ago, I joined members of our church community in hosting a community dinner for all members of the community. It was an interesting mix of people…from well-published professors and residents of the area’s largest mobile home park to local immigrants and graduate students bumming a free meal, and it was the most eclectic gathering of people that I have seen here. I learned of a new version of the town after meeting Sue, a single mom who works for the university dining services, lives in the local trailer park, and works her tail off to make ends meet for her two children.
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Jeff’s post on the roots of the divisions that are ever so apparent at this time in Kenya has prompted me to share further questions we have been wrestling with over the past few weeks as we sit with friends from various ethnic communities here in Nairobi.

The questions that have been keeping me awake at night sit at a different tier—not one that asks how and why divisions were formed in the first place, but why and to what extent do people identify with those divisions now. This is a tricky area for me to maneuver in, as the community that I come from sits at the top of the totem pole (a white American male). It requires attention to how I advocate for power in the midst of division.

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I ask that you join the people of Kenya in recognizing Sunday, January 6 as an International Day of Prayer for this nation.

We as CTM-Nairobi staff, the Ochiengs and Zylstras, are safe and well. From the roof of Gideon and Mwix Ochieng’s home, however, we can see the devastating damage in Kibera (Africa’s largest slum). Within minutes of the announcement of election results, several fires were started nearby, followed by gunshots, massive explosions, screaming and wailing. I have experienced seeing something on the news, and developing an immunity to it, but this pain is real and it is impacting real people.

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