I’ve been thinking about the systems and structures that reflect the coming together of people and the activities we engage in.  In a post-modern world, (and there is research to suggest that Canada is even more post-modern than Europe), one of the first things to be challenged are the established systems and structures that have defined how we come together, how we make decisions, what “truths” we will uphold and how we will uphold them.  I’ve put “truths” in quotes because another challenge by post-modernism is to seriously examine what we have held to be true, and to be open to the possibility we might be wrong – this is a good challenge worthy of our attention.

Perhaps the most obvious systems crumbling beneath our feet are those related to economics and finances.  As the financial world deteriorates around us, it would seem the only thing true is that we were desperately wrong.

But the question of systems and structures must move beyond faceless entities and ways of doing things.  They are always about people – how we come together, how we stay together, and what we do while together.   Systems and structures are established, upheld or broken down by people with names and faces.  They are the framework of our strategy for doing life together – they are  a means of due process.

And much to the chagrin of those who want to throw out what has been and not have systems and structures at all, we can reject the established ways all we want, but it is naive to think we can live without something in their place…the reality is we will establish new systems and structures to come together that will be just as susceptible to corruption, contempt and at times, cold advancement of personal gain and agenda.  This becomes more insidious when we do these things all in the guise of protecting unity and community; of exercising trust; of respecting leadership. 

Peterson, in his book Christ Plays in 10,000 Places, writes about how the norm is not for us to escape the systems that have violated these things but for us to merely move up the ladder, so that if we were once oppressed, should we be freed from that, we will quickly become oppressors…such has been the case in every sphere of man, including family, government, business, and…sadly…church. 

It is in this last sphere that I most struggle.  God’s people are called to a different system…a different structure, to be purged of the ways of the world and to learn God’s ways, his kingdom orientation that has no comparison in this world, and that cannot be measured by any tools or standards of this world.  Yet churches, our ways of gathering and being together, too often don’t look a whole lot different than anything else around us.

I’ve been reading the book of Lamentations this week, struck by the raw reality of suffering described in its pages, a reality that remains for millions today.  At the root of it all was the failure – the sin – of the leaders; the priests and the prophets.  They were deeply imbedded in systems and structures that worked for them, that paralleled what was happening in the world around them (sadly, they were incredibly culturally relevant), and that they propagated as good for the people.  Any challenge to what they were doing was tenaciously rejected as an assault on unity, community, leadership, trust, obedience – things dear to many people’s hearts and thus causing many to shrink back from protesting.  This only served to make things worse, and to deepen the gap between the powers that be and the people subject to them – the very people who could also provide the necessary accountability designed to prevent such a course.  It also served to set the stage for increasing violations both in number and in depth against “due process” – the things God had put in place to prevent such violation.

I came to a point this week of thinking systems and structures need to be the servant of unity, trust etc.,  not the master of these things.  In other words, we follow due process to provide an environment for, and to protect, unity and community and trust.  Too often we deviate from due process and we  appeal to unity and community and trust to make that deviation okay – after all, we trust each other right?  I have come to realize that as soon as I pull the “trust me” card, I have perpetuated a system that is more about protecting my leadership and my decisions than it is about protecting unity and trust – and that puts me in the camp of the priests and prophets of Lamentations, imposing upon others, creating an environment where suffering can begin to have its way.  I also then deny the witness of a kingdom where it is done much differently – not just another kingdom, but a better, completely other kingdom and in so doing, deny God himself.