It takes a village

“I count myself one of the number of those who write as they learn and learn as they write.” ~ John Calvin citing Augustine of Hippo

“A nominal Christian is content with proving the way of salvation by a crucified Redeemer. But the true Christian loves it, delight in it, glories in it, and shudders at the very thought of glorying in anything else…Let all your joys flow from the contemplation of His cross.” ~ Charles Simeon

In 1996, then First Lady Hilary Clinton caused no small stir when she released a book titled “It Takes a Village” which focused on child rearing and the impact, both good and bad, that the entire community has in the development of a child. I will admit I have never read the book and my exposure to it was more through sound bites from the network and cable news talking heads, as well as the righteous indignation of the Conservative right. From what I have observed from either side of the aisle I am not in any hurry to turn over the rearing of my children to people who are in desperate need of their own personal life coach. Even though Senator Clinton and I don’t see eye-to-eye on politics, economics or social issues, I have to say that I am not so sure she was necessarily far off in this pronouncement. Truth be told we likely would differ on the size, breadth and members of the “community” that should be involved in the lives of children, as well as the boundaries of said community. Even though we disagree on the means and the resources that should be applied to raising a child, I can applaud her effort for making people stop and think about how they go about raising their children and drawing focus on their development and welfare.

The title of the book has been attributed to an African proverb but its origin is up for some dispute. The complete proverb is “It takes a village to raise a child” and per Wikipedia “It originated from the Nigerian Igbo culture and proverb "Ora na azu nwa" which means it takes the community/village to raise a child. The Igbo's also name their children "Nwa ora" which means child of the community. It has been in existence in Africa for centuries.” This saying has been found among other African tribes throughout the continent but one could argue that it doesn’t have its origin just in Africa as many ancient societies across many ethnic groups practiced this same type of philosophy. I am not the first to say that globally we have lost a sense of community and looking out for one another. As time passes we grow more and more isolated from one another, and the positive impact that extended families and the local community can have on both child and adult continues to wane.

One of the distinct character traits of Americans is rugged individualism, and that individual nature was part of the aversion to Senator Clinton’s book. We all know what is best for our family and the hint of government involvement in the rearing of our children will make the vast majority of Americans dig their heels in. In the book “Hidden Worldviews” co-authored by Steve Wilkens and Mark L. Sanford they look at various cultural aspects that have subtly infiltrated the church and individualism is first on their list. They state; “individualism…is the belief that the individual is the primary reality and that our understanding of the universe and lifestyle should be centered in oneself.” They further define it by stating “individuals strive for autonomy and self-sufficiency, relying on others only as they contribute to one’s personal pursuits. Family, community and society are, at best, secondary considerations.” How this plays out in the church is that we twist the words of John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address and say “ask not what you can do for your church community; ask what your church and fellow believers do for you.” Wilkens and Sanford point out that individualism is spied in the church when we use the often-heard statements like, “My faith is between God and me,” “My religion is a personal thing,” or “I believe in God. I don’t need to go to church.” They go on to say that individualism can be taken to such an extreme it ceases to have any hint of Christian truth.

I am by nature a contemplative sort and I spend probably too much time in a self-imposed isolation. I enjoy the sanctity of my home, and being a creature of habit I don’t like my routine interrupted. I readily admit this is not a good thing. Recently I have been thinking about friendship and community and how has my faith in Jesus Christ impacted this. My church’s motto is “The Gospel Changes Everything” and I think I only want it to change SOMEthings rather than EVERYthing. But if I believe this wholeheartedly and live it out, then compartmentalizing any area is an affront to the sacrifice of Christ and supreme rudeness (dare I say sin) to my heavenly Father. The reoccurring thought that runs through my mind is if what I demonstrate is no different than what those not part of a Gospel-believing community experience, then why would they want what I have? I write to learn and much of what I post here are simply fingers pointing back at myself rather than meant to hurl accusations against others.

If you study the 1^st Century Christian church this embodiment of a caring and interconnected community is what set them apart from the rest of society and put the world on notice that they were not just some other empty religion being trotted out to add to the pantheon of gods. In Acts 2:42-47 Luke provides a glimpse into the community of the 1^st Century church. In verses 46 and 47 he talks about one of the characteristics of true revival as being a desire to spend time in worship as a unified body of believers. And in Acts 4:32-37 they gave of what they had for the mutual benefit of one another. Time and society has changed and the political and economic landscape is far different today, so I am not so focused on the financial benevolence that they shared. But one thing we can share is spiritual encouragement and how God is working in our lives as a means to revive the members of our Christian community. That is truly a priceless commodity that will bring dividends in this life and the next.

I often wonder if the modern Christian has collectively allowed and accepted a certain level of superficiality creep into our church and in our personal walk with Christ. We can all admit to a certain lack of soberness and seriousness about living out of faith on a daily basis. Please don’t get me wrong; I am interested in your children and grandchildren and the funny things they say and do. I am interested in your take on what is going on in society and the political landscape. Where you went and what you may have seen can be very entertaining. I enjoy second-guessing the coaching decisions, play calling and outcome of various professional games, the merits of the DH and the nuances of the West Coast offense. I love to laugh and I have been accused of having a sense of humor. But what I am truly interested in, encouraged by and excited about is what God is doing in your life. How has the Gospel changed you and how is it continuing to change you? How has both the mundane and the amazing taught you a timeless truth about God and the Gospel? What passage of scripture has made an impact on you this week and how did that strengthen or change you? What Christian or non-Christian books are you reading and what spiritual lesson did that reading drive home to you? How did a particular song or movie bring the greatness of God into view for you? I really want to know, and I want my Christian community to share these things to help me raise my children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. What conversations we gravitate towards and avoid can reveal where we have fixed our hearts. That is a sobering thought.

I do not want to give the wrong impression and have you think I am ambivalent about Aunt Millie and her pending gall bladder surgery or that I do not want to hear your sorrow over a co-worker or relative with cancer. There are things that we should share with one another and be concerned about. I do want to bear the burdens of my fellow Christians, and rejoice when you rejoice and weep with those that weep (Roman 12:15.) But we cannot let it just stop there. I am also not advocating a forced or manufactured spirituality or pietistic discussion to be seen of men. But we cannot live our lives simply giving lip service to I Corinthians 10:31. We are members of a great community with a great heritage and we are commanded to edify the saints. It takes a village to build up a Christian. We are God’s children and we need to foster a community that is focused on bringing honor and glory to God in everything we say and do.

I love spending time with new believers because the Gospel is so rich and new to them that they are like a child that finds something new and amazing in things we often take for granted. The sad truth for anyone that has been a follower of Christ for any length of time is that familiarity breeds contempt. We become comfortably numb or even bored with the beauty of life in Christ. This is tragedy of epic proportions. We forget that the author of Hebrews charges us to continually offer up a sacrifice of praise or let the fruit of our lips acknowledge His name. The verse that follows in Hebrews 13:16 is what we should all be doing; do good, forget not and communicate! I admit at times it can feel awkward to start a spiritual conversation because we are typically worried about either sounding sanctimonious or worse yet, making ourselves vulnerable to others by admitting our shortcomings. If we are motivated by bringing honor and praise to God and showing gratitude for how He is working in our life eventually that feeling will pass. Who knows, maybe it will be contagious and your friends and acquaintances will jump in and share their heart. Even if they don’t you can never know how or when your encouragement, exhortation or testimony will later bear fruit in their lives.

We have not been called to isolation and the Gospel is not meant to be lived out in a vacuum. Wilkins and Sanford state it quite eloquently when examining Paul’s words in Romans 12; “Our examination of life should not just be an individual endeavor but needs to occur within the context of a community.” What are we collectively doing to build up and edify the saints? How are we “raising” both young and old in our Christian community? Will we be marked by soberness or superficiality? It takes a village…

“So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” ~ Romans 14:19

“But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” ~ I Thessalonians 5:8-11

You ain't from around here

“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” ~ Psalm 133:1

“Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” ~ Romans 14:4

One of the benefits of my rural northern up bringing is that it wasn’t vastly different from country living in the south. Even though my lack of a southern accent is a dead give away that I am not a “native” of the Carolinas, I am just as comfortable with “country folk” as I am with “city folk.” To be honest, country folk are less stressful to hang out with for the simple fact that they tend to be more genuine, (not trying to impress), don’t put up a facade, and they don’t seem to care what I drive, where I live or who I know. They seem more interested in am I friendly, honest, respectful and welcoming; more interested in my inside character than my externals. That is not always the case and there are some very gregarious “city folk” that share this trait, but that seems to be the exception rather than the rule in my personal experience.

It is not much different in Christian or church circles. We tend to be sized up by where we went to school, (or where we send our kids), what Bible translation we prefer, what label we claim, (not designer labels but “religious” labels), what we wear, what side of the tracks we come from, what personal “standards” we adhere to, or what Christian leader or demagogue we follow. My own children experienced this in the past when their own church youth group had four circles; Christian school A, Christian school B, home schoolers and public school kids. I guess they were just following the examples set by their parents.

As an aside; it is one of my warped pleasures to introduce myself to someone “known” within a specific subculture in local circles. I am out of the loop for the most part of the identity of the local who’s-who and “intelligentsia”, and it is priceless to see the look on their face when I ask them their name. You can see the surprised look when you don’t know they are doctor so-and-so, associated with such-and-such an institution or hold some “lofty” position in their group. It is priceless…

The Apostle Paul faced the same type of sectarian tendencies in the 1st Century church and even then the early believers would choose sides or form their cliques. There were fierce loyalties to men in the church at Corinth. Some were saying they were followers of Paul, or followers of Peter, of Apollos (an eloquent and gifted speaker), and even some claimed to have a special relationship to Christ. They felt that they had a higher view of Christ and that the other three groups were neglecting something that they had received by way of special knowledge or revelation.

Paul repeatedly preached about unity in the local church; unity based on doctrine and not on externals or associations. In 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 Paul warns against shallow sentimentalism, superficial harmony and disunity and he declares that the source of unity is God’s Word and His Word alone. John MacArthur states that it is; “…the standard of truth on which true unity rests.” MacArthur goes on to state; “No human leader, not even an apostle should be given the loyalty that belongs only to the Lord. Such elevation of leaders only leads to contention, disputes, and a divided church. Christ is not divided and neither is His body, the church.” Paul’s true view and how little he mattered in the grand scheme of things is on display in verses 13 and 14, and he is very self-deprecating.

Where do we really derive our identity? What do we consciously or unconsciously think sets us apart from our fellow believers? If we agree on doctrine and we have been justified freely by His grace do we view ourselves or our subculture as “more justified”? Are we guilty of the sin that because our subculture is more separated or set apart we have license to judge all others who don’t have as high of a view of God as we think we do? Do we so strongly disagree with someone over a non-doctrinal issue that we demonize them rather than look for evidence of grace in their lives?

Recently my Pastor started a series on Matthew 5 which is known as the Sermon on the Mount, and he mentioned one of the wrong views of Jesus Christ’s most famous sermon. He mentioned that some people view this sermon as preaching about an “optional elitism” which he explained as the misconception that there are two types of Christians; the regular/average believer (nominal in our local vernacular) and the elite or extraordinary ones. These are those that think that living out the Sermon on the Mount makes them “higher life Christians”, but they miss the point that Christ’s words apply to us all.

We need to echo the words of Peter in Acts 10; “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” If someone, anyone has humbled themselves and accepted the free gift of grace that brings salvation they ARE from around here. If they have been purchased by the blood of the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world they have been pardoned by God, so why can’t I do the same?

“Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” ~ Romans 14:10-11

Living out all of Romans 14 in real life is not as easy as we think…

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” ~ Ephesians 4:1-6