Let’s begin by recognizing my personal bias. I think there’s a big difference between a free-association society and a covenant community.
- You’re born into one, whether you like it or not, but you make pledges and promises for membership in the other.
- In one you’re a member whether you contribute or not; in the other your participation is a membership requirement.
- One is yours no matter how you live; the other requires common culture, heroes, language, values and vision.
- In one membership has its privileges; in the other membership also includes duty and obligation.
- One gives a vote to anyone in the society, whether they share its culture, heroes, language, values and vision or not; the other limits votes to those who choose to accept responsibility for the future of the community.
When it comes to electing representatives, voting on budgets, strategies, buildings or the Vision of what could be - when you consider the future of your “community” (whether that’s a club, team, company, labor union, city, nation, denomination or local church) - whom do you want voting?
Every society whether modern or ancient (as reflected by this picture of me standing at The Treasury in long-dead Petra) is free-association or covenant. I suppose we could go off on a tangent about "coerced" societies, as would result when Attila the Hun overran a tribe and made slaves of everyone he allowed to live, but that's a topic for some other time. This post is about the challenge of shaping our future, and who we expect to step forward to bring it.
Many express strong opinions about what someone else should do. Some people are critical of others' attempts. Several folks offer counsel, whether it's helpful or not. But when it comes right down to it, who is entrusted to vote on your future?
What’s fair?
Micah 6:8a - But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just.
Did you go inside? Was the holy grail there? Was there lions?
Posted by: eric | March 01, 2012 at 02:39 AM