Yoder: Binding and Loosing

In the first chapter of Body Politics, Yoder deals with one of the most important aspects of Christianity: forgiveness and reconciliation. I have heard this topic preached on multiple times, and each time I try and imagine what the Church would be like if this was actually put into practice. On page 5, Yoder says "We can pursue reconciling confrontation because we trust one another and because we asked to be placed under this kind of loving guidance." This sentence is what stood out most to me in the entire chapter. We asked to be placed in this type of community. If we all looked at this type of confrontation as something we asked to be a part of, I think the members of the Church would react a lot differently when confronted. Although, it is also very hard to confront someone and not make it sound like you aren't trying to punish them. This whole idea of reconciling confrontation is completely fascinating to me. While I'm not sure I've ever witnessed or experienced anything like this, if taken to heart this simple act can burn bridges. Yoder says it himself when he states, "Conflict is socially useful; it forces us to attend to new data from new perspectives"(8). Through true reconciling confrontation, the body of Christ can grow and unite in a way that the world sees us as something different.