Communitas, Not Community
Chapter 8 covers the last of dimension of Apostolic Genius in Alan Hirsch's book, The Forgotten Ways. He borrows communitas along with another important word, liminality, for this aspect of Apostolic Genius from anthropologist Victor Turner. Turner, who studied various rites of passage among some African people, coined the term liminality "to describe the transition process accompanying a fundamental change of state or social position" (220).
Turner observed that at times people in this liminal stated experienced disorientation, isolation, being humbled and faced real danger. If those going through the rites passed through them, they reentered society at a different level. Therefore, liminality refers to "that situation where people find themselves in an in-between, marginal state in relation to the surrounding society, a place that could involve significant danger and disorientation, but not necessarily so" (220).
Those who experienced the liminality together formed a powerful sense of togetherness and bonding forged by the their need to survive. Hirsch argues that liminality and communitas therefore are the warp and woof of apostolic Christianity which allowed them to thrive in dangerous cultures. In contrast to liminality and communitas Hirsch refers to today's churches as "huddle and cuddle" which protect them from the dangers of the world. Most Western churches, especially middle class ones, focus on safety and security which he argues ultimately leads to death. He writes, "without any real engagement with the "outside world," churches quickly become sheltered artificial environments, ecclesial fish tanks that are safeguarded from the danger and disturbances in the surrounding environment" (230).
As an example of this he notes that in New Zealand 80 percent of young people raised in Christian environments abandon their faith after the first year in college and the number is high for other Western countries as well. "In youth groups," he notes, "we entertain the kids with loud music and games and teach them variations of 'Jesus loves me this I know for the bible tells me so' and then wonder why they can't cope in the more caustic environment of the university. Talk about an artificial environment" (230).
He has a good deal more to say in this chapter, but I found his notion of liminality and communitas as applied to the church intriguing and challenging. I ask myself how this might apply to an upper middleclass church like UCC in Medfield.
This is a great book full of fresh and in many ways compelling ideas that I believe would greatly benefit our own church as we pursue the discipleship path.
Turner observed that at times people in this liminal stated experienced disorientation, isolation, being humbled and faced real danger. If those going through the rites passed through them, they reentered society at a different level. Therefore, liminality refers to "that situation where people find themselves in an in-between, marginal state in relation to the surrounding society, a place that could involve significant danger and disorientation, but not necessarily so" (220).
Those who experienced the liminality together formed a powerful sense of togetherness and bonding forged by the their need to survive. Hirsch argues that liminality and communitas therefore are the warp and woof of apostolic Christianity which allowed them to thrive in dangerous cultures. In contrast to liminality and communitas Hirsch refers to today's churches as "huddle and cuddle" which protect them from the dangers of the world. Most Western churches, especially middle class ones, focus on safety and security which he argues ultimately leads to death. He writes, "without any real engagement with the "outside world," churches quickly become sheltered artificial environments, ecclesial fish tanks that are safeguarded from the danger and disturbances in the surrounding environment" (230).
As an example of this he notes that in New Zealand 80 percent of young people raised in Christian environments abandon their faith after the first year in college and the number is high for other Western countries as well. "In youth groups," he notes, "we entertain the kids with loud music and games and teach them variations of 'Jesus loves me this I know for the bible tells me so' and then wonder why they can't cope in the more caustic environment of the university. Talk about an artificial environment" (230).
He has a good deal more to say in this chapter, but I found his notion of liminality and communitas as applied to the church intriguing and challenging. I ask myself how this might apply to an upper middleclass church like UCC in Medfield.
This is a great book full of fresh and in many ways compelling ideas that I believe would greatly benefit our own church as we pursue the discipleship path.
posted by UCC Medfield at 1:14 PM
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