I'm FOR Em'!
"I order the club sandwich all the time, but I'm not even a member, man. I don't know how I get away with it. How'd it start anyway? I like my sandwiches with three pieces of bread. So do I! Well let's form a club then. Alright, but we need more stipulations. Yes we do; instead of cutting the sandwich once, let's cut it again. Yes, four triangles, and we will position them into a circle. In the middle we will dump chips. Or potato salad. Okay. I got a question for ya, how do you feel about frilly toothpicks? I'm for 'em! Well this club is formed; spread the word on menus nationwide. I like my sandwiches with alfalfa sprouts. Well then you're not in the club!" -Mitch Hedberg
This is, I think, one of my favorite jokes of all time. You almost have to see Mitch telling the joke to get the full ridiculousness of it. (Language in the original telling is a little salty. I just wanted to make that warning before you watch it in front of little ones.) I was listening to Richard Rohr give an interview this morning and I instantly thought of this joke. Richard Rohr talks about these 7 traits of new orthodoxy. One of the traits is Ecumenism. Ecumenism is any effort aimed at the unity of Christians throughout the world. Most often, it specifically means the visible unity of Christian churches in some form. What Richard Rohr says that Christ signaled for the church was that the unity of the church was partly reliant on buying into the reality of Christ being the final and sufficient scapegoat. The way that communities unite around the expulsion of a scapegoat will not and cannot exist within the Christian community, or by the Christian community towards the world. We must unite around what we ARE and not what we are not. I think this is why the Mitch Helberg joke works so well. Humor in general does a fantastic job of exposing the ugly truth of the way we often see the world, and we are left laughing to keep from crying. He is talking about the formation of a club and the ridiculous particularities of the club. We like frilly toothpicks and four triangles surrounding chips but the punch line shines a light on the broken way we think. As soon as we have decided what we are "for" we begin the work of what we are against.
What we are "for" is enough
I would argue that our churches are formed and then divided much more often by what we are against than what we are for. There are somewhere north of 30,000 Christian denominations worldwide. That's 30,000 different distinctions of people saying that I am so against what you are for that I can't worship with you. We recently were driving through Grand Rapids and my son said "man, there are so many churches here. There's like a church on every block." And, he's right. The Christian parallel of the Mitch Helberg joke might be: I believe that the greatest command is love. First the love of God and then secondly, like the first, the love of neighbor. I like to take communion or eucharist. I believe we are called to serve the least of these. I believe that this love of God and of neighbor is for the sake of this world. Me too! Well this church is formed, alert people world wide. "I like to play guitar while I worship". Well you're not in the club then!
I think it sounds insane but that is literally how divisions happen. We will decide on everything and I mean everything but one little thing and somehow that isn't enough.
The power of scapegoating
The reality and the thing that leaders became aware of is that there is a power in naming and blaming. We see it in the media every day on both sides of the political debate. It is no longer enough to say what you stand for. Now, you strengthen your followers commitment to "the cause" by stating how your position differs from the "other". Violence, death, poverty, struggle, theft and despair have been given a face by naming a scapegoat. Our fears are placed on the helpless face of a refugee. Our failing middle class is either blamed on the people asking for a fair living wage or from the 1%. What we are seeing unfold in front of our eyes is that the louder you speak and the more you employ a reckless abandon when it comes to your hate speech, the more energized your followers become. But this is how hate groups get new members. This is how unfair incarcerations rates start. This is how wars pop up all over this world. This is also, unfortunately, how there are more than 30,000 denominations in existence. Richard Rohr, who is himself a Franciscan priest, points to the decline in the Catholic church that started to appear in the 1960's as evidence of the power of scapegoating. It is no coincidence that the second Vatican council, or Vatican II took place in 1959. Pre Vatican II it was the belief of the leadership of the Catholic church that Protestants were lesser Christians, if Christians at all. They were at least something to be pitied, expelled from among the "real" believers. There was a strength in that for the Catholic church. They were the elite and people like to be a part of the elite. As soon as the leadership of the Catholic church agreed, at Vatican II, that Protestants were brother and sister in Christ, the numbers started to decline. It seems that Protestants have taken up the same method of scapegoating to strengthen and increase their numbers.
What are we really for?
I suggest making a list of the beliefs and passions that the love of God has you inextricably tied to. Try thinking of the other as you make this list. I pray that list is very very short. I also pray that it includes general ideas like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self control and not so many particulars like, order of service, worship style and how to take communion. What I hope we will find is that the way we are bound by what we have in common, is enough. Let's stop dividing over things like alfalfa sprouts on club sandwiches.