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The Many and the Few

Is faith primarily a communal or individual thing? Throughout recent history we would have answered that faith is primarily an individual concern. Though all Christians recognize in some form or fashion a call to gather together, we have treated faith as a primarily private and personal affair.

This has led to a very consumeristic version of Christianity. People shop around at different churches like they would test drive cars. They compare features and accessories to see which one fits their "needs" and preferences. This individualistic faith means that everyone's opinions and views on God and the Bible count equally, no matter how outlandish the view.

While I think we have often erred on the side of individuality far too often and too strongly over the years, the solution is not to overreact and err on the side of community. If faith is only a communal thing, then there are no unique gifts or insights that can be offered by individuals. There is only what the tradition and institution says and that inevitably will stagnate.

In Scripture the Christian faith is always simultaneously a deeply individual and deeply communal relationship with Christ. It is individual because things like conscience are important. Individuals face judgment for their own deeds and words as is stated many times. It is communal because Jesus has called a people to minister to the world. A Christian really isn't a Christian unless they are connected to and a part of the Body.

We have to learn to navigate this dual reality. We are not called to lose our individuality in the community of Christ. We are also not called to base our entire faith on our individual whims and preferences. We are called to be fully formed persons who willingly and joyfully make ourselves a part of a tightly knit community of fellow believers. This isn't some mere social obligation that we can just leave behind whenever we choose. This community is to be our new family, just as dear and important as our own blood.

The community thrives when its individual members are all strong in their faith and growing to be more and more like Christ. Individual Christians grow strongest and encounter Christ most fully when they are bound up in a thriving community. 

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