community...

for the past year or so, maybe more, the word community has been on my brain. maybe "idea of" is a better prefix. i just feel like, due to everything america has become (politically, economically, and otherwise), has made people have a strong desire for close knit community with fellow believers, and fellow citizens. i think maybe the ol' "american way" has come to bite us in the butt, in a way. our city planning with residential suburbian homes, complete with "privacy fenced" backyards, and places of work 15 miles (or about 3.30 cents depending on what you drive) away, have given us a sort of independence that satisfies one part of our hearts, yet leaves another depraved. advancements in technology have exponentially distanced us from our colleagues, neighbors, etc., but that's not really what i'm getting at. i feel like this call to community that has been pulling at us is from the deepest place in our hearts.

below i copied an excerpt from Lanctatius' Divine Institutiones to which i replied. this was a portion of a paper i wrote last may that i chose to cut from the final draft. basically, Lanctatius describes our being created in the image of God as the body of believers acting humanely towards one another in a community; the image of God is community. He further states that having community and treating each other humanely is an act of worship. i think that is the reason we long for it...

anyway, here it is.

LACTANTIUS
I have spoken about what is due to God; now I shall speak about what is due to other people, although what is due to people still equally relates to God, since humanity is the image of God (homo dei simulacrum est). The first duty of justice concerns God and binds us to him; the second concerns humanity. The name of the first is religion; the name of the second is mercy or humanity. Religion is a characteristic of the righteous and those who worship God…God made us naked and fragile in order to teach us wisdom. In particular he gave us this affection of piety in order that we might protect our fellow human beings, love them, cherish them, defend them against all dangers and give them help. The strongest bond that unites us is humanity. Anyone who breaks it is a criminal and a parricide. …The bond that unites our souls is therefore stronger than that which unites our bodies. So Lucretius does not err when he declares: Finally, we are all the offspring of heavenly seed. To everyone that same one is Father. …We must therefore show humanity if we want to deserve the name of human beings. And showing humanity means loving our fellow human beings because they are human beings, just as we are ourselves.

Lanctatius has a very interesting outlook on this concept of the image of God. He explains that humanity is the image of God, not just our appearance as individuals, but also our humanity all together. Lanctatius begins stating that, “Religion is a characteristic of the righteous and those who worship God…God made us naked and fragile in order to teach us wisdom. In particular, he gave us this affection of piety in order that we might protect our fellow human beings, love them, cherish them, and defend them against all dangers and give them help. The strongest bond which unites us is humanity.” This is a gorgeous statement because it brings all glory back to God. His statement about religion being a characteristic of those who worship God sets up his next depiction of God making us naked and fragile in order to teach us wisdom. Lanctatius is saying here that those who follow God and from whom worship overflows do so in the light of God. In other words, the sense of self-awareness (awareness of our own brokenness) that comes from an honest relationship with the Father humbles us, or, as Lanctatius puts it, makes us realize our nakedness and fragility. It is only in this state of humility that we are open to the wisdom found in God’s leading hand. From this gracefully bestowed wisdom, or Christian perspective, we yearn to, “protect our fellow human beings, love them, cherish them, defend them against all dangers and give them help,” not only as simple acts of stewardship towards our brethren, but more so as acts of worship to God. It is here that the fruits of the Spirit overflow from us to our brothers and sisters. Looking back at Genesis 1:26, the author quotes God as saying, “…let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." Lanctatius emphasizes the work of God in us, in particular the fruits of the Spirit, as what sets us above all other creatures of the earth and it is here that God’s “likeness,” is found. This is what Lanctatius defines as “humanity.” He states, “We must therefore show humanity if we want to deserve the name of human beings.” An interdependent cycle of God’s wisdom and glory is seen in the process, which seemingly encompasses much of the life of the Christian. Religion inevitably flows out from an inner relationship with God, which leads to worship, which leads to humility, which leads to stewardship, which allows the Spirit to work through us, which separates us from all other creatures and also completes our blessing of the ‘likeness,’ of God.