SVS had a great post last month about why he left the church. This caused me to reflect on why I value the church and have stuck with it, instead of leaving it behind.
here’s my idea of a church: community. like, a real one.
not a surface level “how are you alice, how are the kids?” but more of a fully-realized group idenity. here it’s not a “you must believe ABC to be in our group” as monolithic indenity is a myth.
the church should be a place of articulation: a place that enables us to think how ideologies empowers people, enabling them to make some intelligibility of their socio-economic, class location, social position and cultural influence. namely, the church exists to show you the water in which you swim and offer a non-duelistic way of thinking and compromising with one another.
this would mean that this linkage is not altogether necessary, determinded, absolute or essential for all time… in fact, once this full community is established the church would cease to be as it would become the community at large.
i may be showing my Jungian and Congregationalist bias here, but that’s where i’m at on this issue.
1 comment:
Hey I got Tomlinson in your fantasy league - I will be able to run with the best of the best this year...although the rest of my team is a little weaker.
I agree with your church piece - on being a place of developing and taking it into society (maybe changing the society in the process). This is also how I view community/society and personal responsibility.
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