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Paradoxical Point II
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CHRISTAINITY REBORN
FAITH OF COMMUNITY THE USES OF THE WORD
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FAITH OF
COMMUNITY
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. . . There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:26-8
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For you are all sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.....
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For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them Matt 18:20
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The Christian Church began as small groups of believers, closely knit, living in major cosmopolitan cities, and these groups were essential to its survival. The wealthier of the "brothers" and "sisters" frequently served as benefactors for the entire group, providing it with a meeting place and sustenance. The community was open to all who chose to be baptized, regardless of their sex, race, or background. It was only through the mutual love and committment of its members that Christianity was able to withstand the relentless persecution at the hands of the Roman government which occurred over the first three hundred or so years after the death of Jesus. It was within community that Christ's message reached its fruition.
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Community is as necessary to our spiritual well-being today as it was then, perhaps even more so. Other forces seek to pull us apart which are far more subtle, but possibly just as strong, as the threat of torture and death at the hands of an authoritarian government. The movement of culture has pushed more and more toward individualism, starting with the ideas of Locke and Condorcet, of Emerson and Thoreau, and this has resulted not only in increased individual freedoms and liberty, but also in increasing isolation. We celebrate this emphasis on self, on self-sufficiency and independence in America today; and, in America, we most feel our separateness. In the past fifty years, the geographically mobile nuclear family and, more recently, the single-parent home, has drawn us away from our kin, our neighbors, and our friends. There is no "village" to raise the child, and the global village of the Internet contains within it no sense of committment nor physical sharing whatsoever (just sign-off if you don't want to hear what they have to say). Community is defined in more and more shallow terms, and we hang on tightly to our individualism, our self, in a vain substitution.
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It is only in community that we can be whole. The quest for "self-actualization" and "self-fulfillment" is entirely empty. Only in community can the Golden Rule be fulfilled. Outside of community, everyone else becomes "the Other," and the creation of an I-Thou relationship becomes impossible. It is within the I-Thou relationship, even in a community of two, that true Christian love is actualized. Love must be shared in order to be real, and God is in the sharing. It must be shared freely, equally, and unconditionally, that is, prior to any act of judgment. While loving self is implicit in "loving our neighbor as ourselves," individualism in and of itself is not compatible with Christian love since within it lies pride, selfishness, and self-seeking, though none of these can keep us from God's love and grace.
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We must voluntarily reverse the trend toward individualism by being willing to abdicate some of our individual rights, which is not to say we must submit, or that political liberties be rescinded. To force this transformation, to restrict liberty, is to invite a return of authoritarian government or of racial or gender-based domination. (This would be an atavistic step of the evolutionary machine.) To submit to a system which persecutes others is not an act of Christian love, not only because it fails to protect the persecuted (whom it tends to unite), but also because it excludes those in power from community. It is impossible to be in a position of domination and be in an I-Thou relationship with the subordinate (except perhaps in a consensual "D/s" relationship, which is a complex matter). In exposing injustice, we enlighten the persecutor, especially those who unwittingly participate in the persecution, and welcome them into community. Protest which is not done in anger is an invitation, and passive resistance can bring together the oppressor and the oppressed. There are always sheep who are lost so far from home, however, wandering so far from the light of God, that they can never be retrieved. For them, we should pray for God's mercy.
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All this leaves unanswered the question of what, exactly, constitutes acts of Christian love. What is just? Where do we find the path of God's will? How do we chose between the well-being of one versus another? What is just in terms of evolution is whatever benefits those who have or seek power, either physical, political, financial, or rhetorical. The Christian denies and rebukes this justice once he has recognized it, and recognizing it is no small task, then must answer the question for himself. Where do we look? Do we rely solely on the Word, on divine inspiration, on reason?
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