Radical Hospitality begins with how persons in a congregation relate to one another in Christian love and then radiates out to how newcomers are welcomed and finally to how the congregation reaches beyond itself as ambassadors of reconciliation to their community and the next generation. As followers of one who easily and gladly welcomed women, children, tax collectors, lepers, prostitutes, Samaritans, Zealots, and indeed, people of all sorts into his fellowship how can we not do likewise? As Paul said, God reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting our sins against us. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. (II Corinthians 5:18-20)