October 05, 2015
Segregation
In stark contrast to the Mennonite
ladies who wore longer dresses in subdued hues and black scarves on their
heads, I wore slacks, a royal purple jacket and no head covering. There was no
doubt I was a visitor and even a few young children sent side glances my way. Two
women, each with a young child, approached me hesitantly. One ask if I lived in
the area and the other asked if she could sit next to me in the pew…but neither
introduced themselves. The worship service was segregated; the men and boys sat
on the right side of the church and the women and girls sat on the left. After
the service a few women stood in close proximity while two of them introduced
themselves, engaged me in conversation about my church visits and invited me to
come back again. However, even as I stood amongst the cordial ladies, their reserve
held a heavy sense of segregation. Paul reminds believers, “I appeal to you,
brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one
another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly
united in mind and thought” (1 Cor 1:10 NIV).
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1 comment:
Gail;
-----Merriam-Webster defines fascism (not capitalized) as: “a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control.” I suppose I somewhat misuse the word, because I don’t see that control needing to be embodied in one soul before the term applies. In fact, I often see many niggardly (a meanly covetous and stingy person) types working together in controlling a mass of people. Some lend power support; some supply brilliant deception and manipulation; others construe the ideas towards which the masses are controlled; and always, just a few or even one is the iconic head for their power’s tangible linkup with the people, kind of a hitching post for the people’s own ideas, any idea of which doesn’t hitch up is chased off.
-----It is the abuse of “…agree with one another…” which causes fascism in the church, and thus divisions of the church into denominations. And I say “abuse” because this scripture interpreted as it reads is the antithesis of fascism; the people can not be abused by what it’s reading means. People are abused by what it’s interpretation means. For fascism is to agree with one, or two, or a few at the most. Everyone who does not agree is chased off at most (used to be burned at the stake,) or just ignored at the least, the rest of the poor souls being shunned, impugned, or derogated by the leaders and all their boot-licking followers.
-----I fell in love with English when I was taught how to dissect and analyze sentences. “That all of you agree with one another” is an adverbial clause limiting Paul’s “…appeal…” to one particular type: an “…agree with one another…” type appeal. We want to rule the Word so much we ignore what it really says for what we want it to say. For if we are agreeing with one another, we are not agreeing with one. Nor are we agreeing with some other, nor another, nor a group of elders, nor a theologian like Calvin, or Luther, or Warren. We’re agreeing with each other. We’re agreeing amongst us. And that does not mean we are voting, either. Democracy is just another way of achieving a fascism sneakily.
-----So what about Heb 13:17? Are these leaders just anyone? To Paul they weren’t. To us they’re successful people, iconic people, people who exude spiritual imagery. To Paul they were spiritual and handled the Word rightly (Titus 1:9.) Successful, iconic people exuding spiritual imagery are not necessarily sure to handle the Word aright unless they hold to it as taught. As taught by whom? Anybody? The leaders? OhBoy! Denominationalism again! Disunity again! Just what Jesus prayed for (John 17:21.) No. As taught by Paul and the Apostles who learned at Jesus feet. There are not many leaders left who really know beans about Rom 14:5 or I Cor 4:6 or Rom 15:1 or I Cor 8:1-3 and how these scriptures impact Heb 13:17. It is difficult for any elder to lead a church fascistically while knowing and obeying these scriptures.
-----So, here you have this glorious little example of Christian fascism shining forth through everything from a dress code, to where to sit, to what not to watch (TV) because the leaders don’t know the whole Word. They just know some Word - but by darned! - they’re the leaders! To their defense, so also nobody else knows the whole Word either. Since we are all partial knowers, and none total knowers, we will know far more amongst us when agreeing with one another than we will know when agreeing with only one or a few. When we do all agree with one another Christ becomes the actual head of the church, like I heard a very wise preacher say, “…why would you want to wait for Jesus to return when He is already here in you.” And if He is here in all of us who believe, why would we each not have something to be agreed with?
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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