When I was doing my degree I did a lot of work on the concept of "the other"

In the most simple terms, I looked at the boundaries we draw around those consuming and interacting with the stuff we create, and who is implicitly excluded, and "othered" by being outside that boundary

I've been thinking about how this concept of "the other", and those implicit boundaries we draw through language and behaviour relate to what we do in faith spaces - and, for Christian churches, that often boils down to who we pray "for" and who we pray "with".

Often, when a church prays for people struggling with something like homelessness, there is an assumption that the people in the congregation don't struggle with those things. There's an implicit "us" and "them" which excludes, and can often make people feel ashamed or unwelcome.

Who are we praying "for", and who are we praying "with"?

Because if you find yourself always praying "for" a group of people, and never "with" them - there's a reason for that. And it's something we should all be deeply conscious of.