One of my cousins was killed by a stray bullet. He was not part of a gang but got caught in the crossfire of gang warfare. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time, in areas where postcodes have a kind of protected status, can be lethal.
The council estates my church serves have similar challenges: one area will be home to some but an exclusion zone to others. One significant factor is an inordinate loyalty to a certain place; when place gives you your ultimate sense of security, you’ll go to surprising lengths to protect it.
For Samaritans in the first century, place was important too. They shared similar heritage to Jewish people (John 4v12) but inordinate loyalties to different places of worship (John 4v20). There were intense conflicts between both groups. In one incident, some Samaritans murdered a Jewish pilgrim, which led to a Jewish mob burning a Samaritan village to the ground.
Lessons from a three-hour church service
It's sometimes said that culture is like a river. To fully appreciate its flow, you need to get in it. …