What is the ideal role of community?
Discussion question for August 7, 2009.
We talked about the difference between individual freedom and community conformity last week. Assuming there are benefits and advantages to living in community, what are they? What should a community (government, church, family, group) take responsibility for? How can this community stay clear from corruption? How does America measure up to this ideal today?
Here’s my summary of our discussion.
It is evident that God created mankind with a desire for community and a sense of belonging. Evidence of this is seen among gangs, for instance. It seems that a loss of family is one of the driving forces for young people to become involved with gang life despite great personal risk. On the positive side, we see the commandments and exhortations in the Bible to “love one another” and other examples of participating in community.
Community living provides an economy of scale not available on an individual level. For instance, a person needs emergency services (fire suppression or EMT) rarely. By combining resources of a community, the professionals that provide that service can be made available at all times of day or night because many people pay a small amount of tax in support – and do so whether they are currently using the services or not. In the insurance field this is called “transfer of risk” from an individual to a group. There are many other ways that economies of scale benefit the group as a whole.
There is a dynamic tension. On the one hand, we are unique individuals, created by God Who protects our personhood with His laws and order. On the other hand, we are designed to operate most effectively in community. So, both individuality and community are most important.
The ideal role of community is expressed in Genesis 11:6 where God observes that the people are a) in unity with each other, b) able to communicate, c) have started a work, and d) made a plan; therefore, nothing is impossible for them. So, when the community has a godly purpose it is a very good and powerful thing. Ostensibly, this describes the church. When the community has an ungodly purpose, it is up to God to frustrate their plans.
A beneficial community is one in which individuals are accepted and work in harmony. The power of community becomes corrupt when it absorbs the individual for the benefit of the group. This is not a godly characteristic.
If we are part of a community (government, for example) that does not have a godly purpose, we are still commanded to be in subjection to our leaders. This does not remove our responsibility first and foremost to God. Like Peter, defending himself in front of the religious leaders of his day, we are to declare that our first obligation is to be obedient to God. We remain in subjection to those in authority over us by accepting the consequences of their laws. Daniel is another example of this. So, civil disobedience is not ruled out entirely, but we may be at risk of torture or being eaten by lions for acting according to our convictions.
When living in community, our Christian heritage means we come with an attitude of giving, not getting. This allows us to maintain our individuality (even celebrate it) rather than sacrifice it for the sake of the group. Likewise, it allows us to influence the group according to our convictions.