Gone
The Disappearance of Community in the Modern American Church
by
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God’s calls to his children are many. There are over 600 laws in the Old Testament. The details of God’s desires for His people are greater and described in more detail than anyone could have imagined if they had set down to describe our relationship with God.
Anyone who has ventured, been coerced, bribed (with ribbons and trophies in youth group) or been forced to travel through the labyrinth that is Leviticus knows the pain of God’s details. For most fourteen year old boys (speaking for myself and those like me), when we begin reading Leviticus we were rather excited and intrigued with the heading above Chapter 1, “The Burnt Offering”.
To begin with it is the first time that we have been made aware that we could use fire “and God said it was good” (our own ecstatic utterance). Not only do we get to go to heaven; we get to burn things on the way. How cool is that?
But by the time we get to verse nine and we are reading about washing innards, any interest and/or majesty of fire has quickly dissipated into the realization that we have been tricked into reading something that no young person was ever meant to read. We weren’t even sure that old people were supposed to read this boring stuff, but they seemed to, so we guessed that is what you did when you got older.
This is why Peter Pan and the lost boys gave us hope that we would follow the second star to the right and never have to open the book of Leviticus again.
Not only did reading all of the Levitical details set us back, when I was a boy all we had was the King James version of the Bible. I’m not talking about the New King James that is toned down a bit to fit more of the modern era. I am talking about the real thing, with all of the thou’s, thy’s and sitteth’s you could handle.
Now don’t get me wrong; there are some parts of the King James Bible that invoke glory and honor. They are reminiscent of days of old. Those words bring comfort and majesty. They invoke a sense of awe and wonder. Plus half the time you were reading you sounded like a pirate so it was pretty cool. But you didn’t really know what you were saying most of the time, so the temporary joy of adding arrrggghhs into the verses wore off rather soon.
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About the Book
We all take on the character and nature of the society we live in. But as Christians, we are to have a different look. More and more in the modern American society, Christians look like everybody else, and when we do try to stand out, we are mocked and ridiculed, and so we draw back in to look like everyone else. God has given us a call to live as a community. To live outside the lines of the world. To be his hands and feet in a troubled world, but not to be just like the world. Too often in our world, Christians curb their ideologies and their faith to be more accepted, so we can create community. But true community is not sacrificing our obedience to God in order to appease the world around us. One of the major reasons for the growth of the first-century church was their need to rely on each other. Their need not for autonomous individualism but for community.
About the Author
B. Michael Snoap has a few academic letters after his name, but the best title he carries is that of husband, father, and friend. Like most people who come from a normal life filled with amazing things, you discover that life is meant to be shared. While academia can be an insightful and challenging world, to be a part of the expertise gained there doesn't really help in developing relationships. It's about obtaining your goal. While relationships can and are built, most often they are based on the subject matter at hand and not the people inside. When you leave the classroom and begin to walk with people in the light of day and the dark of night, you discover that relationships are complicated, messy, and the thing God truly desires for us. I liked academia. I liked clean lines where if you followed the stated rights and responsibilities, you were going to have success. But in the world of community, there are no set guidelines. In the real world, there are no "If I do this, then I will have success with that ..." From friends, family, to my own children, community takes time, community takes effort, and more than anything, true community takes a grace that only the Lord can provide. But I have found if I am willing to commit to God's call to be in relationship with those he has brought into my life, I am a much richer man for following his path.