(continuing from part 1 where we considered the Biblical case for unity in diversity)

               Having established the critical foundation of pursuing unity in diversity according to Biblical principles, we develop the practice of gathering by looking at several general settings where these principles should be applied.  Head knowledge of general principles does not guarantee Godly fruit any more than peering into a mirror to see truth about oneself, yet walking away without changing one’s behavior (James 1:23-24). Instead, wisdom arises from repeated correct application of the principles to real life with respect to the specific situations encountered.  The out-workings of gathering in unity and diversity with a common purpose as described in the prior essay will obviously look different in different settings.  Comparing how different groups carry out such gatherings should help to better understand the common principles they share.  We will start by considering the gathering of otherwise familialy unrelated individuals around common interests or goals. The reasons for these gatherings will be surveyed before looking at the principles which encourage unity in diversity among these groups.  The special type of gathering of the Christian church will be considered before expanding out into somewhat more figurative gathering of communities, states, and nations.  After these general examples of gatherings which we can in some measure choose, we return to the most basic of gatherings which we don’t fully choose, that of family.  At the conclusion, we can hope to possess greater wisdom in how to practice gathering for good purposes.

               Besides the natural bonds of family ties, interests or shared goals of an endless variety may bring people together with their commonalities overcoming other differences of geography, race, religions, and more.  The strength of what is shared overcomes what is not shared, creating unity out of the diversity.  With the wide ranges of purposes which may bring diverse people together, varying approximations towards a Godly practice of gathering are reached. Before considering the gathered church as a special case, we look at other common purpose driven gatherings.  These demonstrate varying degrees of goodness in their gathering depending primarily on the purposes.  Along the spectrum, gatherings around common purposes may focus on a simple interest like a book club or a common service goal like serving the homeless or even a common policy stance in the broader community like pro-life or a common activity like some sport.  Each form of organized and ongoing gathering into clubs, teams, organizations, serves some shared purpose.  In each group. They share a set of goals that may be good or bad or somewhere in between.  Given the extremely wide variety of how these groups gather, only generalizations can be made here.   

               With these generalizations regarding purpose in mind, truly good gatherings will also aim to carry out these goals without intentionally harming individuals within the group for the sake of the broader group. Unity in diversity requires this practice of mutual benefit.  While the gathering does not have to offer equal benefits for all involved, all who strive for the shared purpose should agree that they share some degree of benefit in terms of the purpose and practice of the gathering.  Therefore, the gathering for a shared purpose should attend not only to striving for a good purpose, but also carrying out in ways which minimize detriment to the individuals within the group.  We do not want to be a part of a gathering which has a good purpose yet generally harms its members, thus favoring diversity over unity.  Neither is God pleased with such a practice of gathering. 

               We first look at how practices aimed at unity in diversity and mutual benefit work out in a church family.  Similar dynamics play out as within a physical family described at the end, but the church family ties are more malleable and more dissolvable similar to the gatherings of unrelated individuals to be described next.  People leave churches for good and for bad reasons with less impact on permanent ties.  They may still connect with individuals from the church, but not the church as a whole.  At times a departure may produce a full break with the individuals of the church.  Today’s mobility for work means many departures from the church, which typically hinder long term ties from forming.  Yet, short of geographical changes, there is an intention of God for the gathering of a church body to maintain integrity over time.  The members are known as brothers and sisters in Christ (Matthew 12:48-50).  The Bible provides instructions on how one is to behave towards the other (I Corinthians 11, love your neighbor, forgive trespasses, the Ten Commandments, and more).  Over time, bonds should form which the participants should not want to break, and affection builds which may surpass familial affections.  If one’s literal family is not Christian, there will be more eternal or spiritual commonality with the Christian brother or sister than with the family member. Unity of common faith will grow out of the diversity. 

               Moving to a wider scope of those gathered into a formal or informal local community, such gatherings will look and operate quite different than within a church body.  In the community setting, much more diversity will exist in terms of worldviews and lifestyles.  In such communities, one will find it easier to leave the gathering by simply moving and have less direct interaction with others as there are more participants who do not regularly, if ever, meet together.  One’s actual physical interaction is limited to a few within the community.  Still there are inherent Biblical expectations and accountabilities as for the church gatherings.  Love your neighbor still applies.  Love your enemy still applies.  Forgiveness of the repentant still applies.  The Ten Commandments still apply.  In addition to these basic relational expectations, some further mutual agreements arise from the community’s gathering.  Informally, cultural expectations of etiquette and communication develop.  Formally, communities agree upon local laws for their bordered area of residence.  While the unity of a community may be less intense and deep than a church family, unity must prevail over diversity if the community is to endure and to prosper. 

               In these settings, the purposes of the wider community will be broader than within a family or church and thus may be in less agreement with the values of individuals within that community.  Therefore, more potential for conflict arises as individual values are pitted against group values or individual values are pitted against one another.  To deal with these conflicts, the community will have more formal means of reconciling differences through courts and the like, yet the basics of conflict resolution from less formal groups will still apply.  In all of this, there will still exist a goal of a limited unity in a broader diversity working in some measure of cooperation together. For this to work the gathered must follow the designer’s design.

               As we consider even larger groups such as states or nations, much more diversity and inevitable lack of physical interaction arise in which some dependence on cultural norms continue but more formal laws and regulations are needed.  Such formal laws are needed even more where cultural norms are shared less strongly or where greater diversity leads to greater conflict.  Some sufficient force must maintain unity in spite of the greater diversity.  Under these circumstances, the state or nation must share a purpose and share at least some values.  A nation of all differences will likely not stand solely on sheer commonality of geography (Matthew 12:25).  Some enduring common cultural values must be shared.   For perpetuation of such a gathered state, an enculturation is required in which sufficient values are shared by the majority such that the unity of the gathered does not depend solely on the formal laws of the ruling government.  While the formal laws of a nation may make temporarily or permanently leaving its boundaries more difficult, formal laws will only bind outward compliance of behavior but not the inward consent of one’s conscience.  A unity working within diversity is still needed such that the diversity does not drive apart the unity of the gathered even at this scope of gathering. 

               Returning now to a smaller setting of family gathering, it will look different than with non-family gatherings.  We must acknowledge a connection with family that cannot fully be broken away from, a unity we are born into only choosing such unity in the case of marriage.  We see explicit accountabilities commanded within family relationships as we read the Bible including children to parents (Exodus 20:12, Ephesians 6:2-3), parents to children (I Timothy 5:8, Deuteronomy 11:19), and between relatives (I Timothy 5:8).  While these responsibilities to family do not overtake the calling of submission to our Creator, there exists a connection between family members gathered in which time has tied life and memories tightly together.  Interactions between family members have deep echoes as one cannot influence one family member without indirectly impacting on others in the family.  The participants in a family gathering must recognize their accountability to God’s design for family interactions as they have duties which they cannot simply ignore, neglect or deny. These bonds of family should be strengthened intentionally rather than ignored or misused.

               In each of these settings, there are not only good purposes, but also good or bad practices of gathering.  Unity must overcome the diversity of a gathering’s individuals through applying the simple principles found in the Bible.  As mentioned, loving one’s neighbor, following the 10 commandments prohibitions, and pursuing unity are needed.  Other essays over time will press further into these areas, sometime focusing on one setting or another and different aspects of specific gatherings.  Some essays will challenge current ways of gathering and some will try to point towards higher ideals of gathering. All are intended to point towards God’s intent and our accountability to Him.  Therefore, allis meant to bring us closer to what is not only a “should” but a goal of what is truly best for us as individuals and as groups.  We are currently headed in the wrong direction in today’s society and need some redirection.  We need to stop and look at the map given to us and reorient ourselves so we can move in a far better direction. 

Next in the series, True Governing of the Gathered