So, there are many times that a congregation refers to itself as a “family”. I have then heard people concerned about this labeling because it limits the way that a new person can join in. I see the concern with this. Though, one could also say that you join the body of Christ through baptism – God’s adoption of humanity into God’s family.
The other day, we were talking about inter-denominational conversation. Michael Hunn from <>Holy Comforter<> compared it to a family reunion – all the different denominations are still part of the Christian faith. I find that this is an interesting comparison. With the “family reunion”, different denominations can gather together and ask questions like, “How have you been since we last saw each other? What new and exciting things have been going on in life?” An attitude could stem from, “We are all part of the same family, but we all live that out a little differently.”
One of the most interesting comments revolved around the idea of how different this would look from UN-type discussions. We wouldn’t be looking for concordats – “agreements which have been negotiated and watered down to which we cannot agree but which we can sign” (paraphrased-ish). Which I thought was pretty funny – and pretty accurate.
What are thoughts on this comparison? Benefits to using it? Drawbacks?
Posted by Heather Voss at January 20, 2004 11:55 AM