In church life sometimes we think of people in two categories: insiders and outsiders, aka 'members' and 'non-members'. That's useful language. There's something about joining a church that is a special moment of commitment. It signifies identification with the congregation and a commitment to share in the ministry and mission of the congregation in the community. I'm not down on church membership.
However, a good question is whether 'church membership' is really the dividing point between people? Well, of course it's a dividing point. The question is, should it be? Is joining a church and becoming a member the best way to represent the kingdom of God? Is it the best representation of what happened in Jesus' day?
When I think of church membership, I think of an organization, an institution to which I contribute and from which I expect to receive, and in relationship to, I have rights. None of that really feels like the kind of stuff Jesus did. He was interested in relationships. And, thus, people were members of the Jesus movement, they were related to him, connected to him, and one another by the common journey they shared.
You can play with this chart to get a sense of the extreme interconnectedness of people in the Bible. This feels more like the kind of church relationships I have experienced rather than whether I was a member or not.
Check it out. Enjoy.
2 comments:
The radial nature of this is fantastic. Unlike traditional genealogical diagrams, which go in one direction and are based on a patriarchal model, with all kinds of conditional markings for marriage, adoption, and divorce, this one goes in all directions from a single point because it is generated from relationships, which are immutable. As an adoptive Mom, I can tell you that genealogy means much less than our culture thinks it does. But relationships, in this case, rooted in a primary relationship with Jesus Christ, are fundamental components of our lives. To heck with DNA! It's what you do with it, the networks you form, the love you give, and the lives you share.
And I'm glad the center point isn't Kevin Bacon.
For some reason I was focused on poor Rufus who was all the way off on the left-hand side. I had a stuffed animal named Rufus when I was a little boy. I think he was a dog. I gave him a haircut one day when I was bored. The felt never grew back.
Post a Comment