What happens when you’re on the team but everyone hopes the ball never comes your way? In this episode, Eric shares his experience of being “bumped up” to his brother’s baseball team, where he wore the uniform but never truly belonged. This personal story opens a deeper exploration of the difference between performative inclusion and authentic community.

Discover why simply bringing diverse people into proximity isn’t enough to create genuine belonging. Through insights from Paul’s body metaphor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s “Life Together,” and the Trinity’s model of unity-in-diversity, learn how communities can move beyond both performative inclusion and rigid meritocracy to recognize each person’s unique contribution as essential.

This episode challenges both inclusion without contribution and contribution-based exclusion, offering a vision where communities don’t just tolerate differences but celebrate and develop them. Whether in workplaces, churches, or neighborhoods, these principles illuminate how we can create spaces where everyone isn’t just included, but truly indispensable.

Join Eric as he continues Season 2’s examination of what it means to build communities that embody “the better” rather than just talking about it.

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