Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Diversity? What about Catholicity.

I have seen more and heard more from various Synodical muckity-mucks the importance of Diversity. I have a question. When did Diversity become a value of the LCMS? Now, diversity is real - I'm in Oklahoma at a rural Church - which is quite different from my church in Palo Alto which is different from an inner-city Church in Chicago... and then there are various cultures and all that sort of thing.

But that isn't the focus - our focus has been catholicity (i.e. "universal") - not just that we are diverse - but that we who are many and different are brought together in Christ - that the many grains have been brought together in one loaf, that the many members are part of One Body - Christ's Body.

Our focus used to be catholicity - that even though we are different and scattered all over the world we are joined together in Christ. There is one faith, one baptism, one table. . . so on and so forth. Our goal was trying to express that catholic, that universal nature - that wherever you went and whoever was there, you were still in the same Church.

Now, we want to be different. And what is sad? Diversity focuses on us. Catholicity focuses on Christ.

Then sings my church, the cult that follows me, how great I am, how great I am. And you too, and you, and you, and you, and you.

1 comment:

Mike Baker said...

In talking about baptism, St. Paul says something about neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus.

Good post.