[This post is an assigned response to Dr. Paul Metzger’s
article, Gated
Communities and the Visible/Invisible Church. It may, or may not be,
helpful to read his post first.]
Dr. Metzger uses the metaphor of “gated communities” two
ways. First he uses it for the
divisions and “Keep out” signs we put up in our lives and especially in our
churches. There was a church growth principle popular in the 1980s-90s call the
Homogeneous Unit Principle. This taught that the fastest way to grow a church
was with people of the same race, class, education, interests, etc. The problem
with this principle is that it works because it makes use of our natural worldly
responses and has led many to keep using it. It is comfortable. It is safe. It
keeps those without the gate code out. Who knows what might happen if we let
everybody in… it might lead to the zombie apocalypse! OK so that last part was
hyperbole.
We are not called to back up, circle the wagons, and hold
the fort just because we are no longer in charge of the cultural forces around
us. Instead of going all Elijah (1 Kings 19:14,18) and thinking we are the last
true Jesus-followers on earth. If we take time to look and listen we will see
God at work in some pretty amazing ways. This is not a call to compromise for
as Dr. Metzger repeatedly states, “When
engaging our culture, we must always go through our convictions, never around
them, and never stopping short at them.” It seems to me that by not
engaging we are stopping short of being truly biblical, fully orthodox, and faithful
followers of Jesus.
Brickell Key from north. Photo by Marc Averette |
The real problem with this gated community approach is that
it is not Jesus’ way. His approach in the incarnation—God coming to the world
in the flesh—was what we would call “downwardly mobile”. He came to minister
to, spend time with, and suffered a brutal death to save everyone who would
come. How willing are our churches to follow his example?
The second way he
uses gated community metaphor for the invisible church that doesn’t engage the
world around it. This happens two ways. Some people think that they can be
Christians without functioning in community as the church. And some churches
think they can be Christian inside their safe little spiritual compound without
being a part of the larger culture and community. This may seem safe
considering the things that go on “out there” but it is also an act of
disobedience to Jesus’ command to go, preach, and disciple the whole world.
Don't Back Up! |
So what gates have we placed in the way of those who God is
calling to himself? What prevents us from gathering in unity as the visible Church?
Metzger suggests that,
"Perhaps some churches exclude people of other
ethnicities, economic brackets, those with “disabilities,” the elderly or young
or singles, the vibrant or dying, or those with different worship styles,
personality types, hobbies, IQ’s, and political perspectives."
But Jesus came to make us one, where all our gifts serve the
unity of the congregation and all the “giftedness’s” of the local expressions
of the Church contribute to the one Church, the visible body of Christ on
earth. And I hate to break it to the gate-keepers and the spiritual HOA people,
but the Church can’t be contained within your walls. Come out and join it in
the great mission of God. It is risky and sometimes messy, but it smells like heaven.
Not only do we need to come out and collaborate with the wider church to engage the world but we also need to open the gates to welcome others inside to share life with us. It is wonderful to hear that many churches today are working towards a more
multi-ethnic ministry model that better represents the church as it will be
when Christ returns.
And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.” (Rev. 5:9-10)
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.” (Rev. 5:9-10)
But there is a barrier that is still up in many areas and it
is primarily socio-economic, as I wrote in my last post Poor Praise Indeed. Honestly, how welcome do the poor of our community feel to come
not just to get help but to fully participate in our gatherings? I am disturbed afresh by Jesus' parable
in Luke 16:19-31 of the rich man who let a poor sick man named Lazarus die un-served
and un-welcomed at his gate. I don’t want to minimize the efforts we make to go to minister to
the poor—both foreign and domestic—but do we let the poor minister to us… and
worship with us in our churches? Or have we settled for something less in a
gated community?
In next week’s post, entitled Moving Day, I will bring
this section on unity to a conclusion before taking up the next topic—Diplomacy.
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