Southern Christianity

There are so many subtle cultural differences between the Northeast and "The South." We moved from Philadelphia, PA to Hendersonville, TN when I was in 8th grade, and I had whiplash. When my new middle school showed us "Gone with the Wind," I remember thinking that it explained SO MUCH.

One of the starkest differences between the cultures is the role of the church. In Philly and Boston (my college years), most people did not attend church. So if you went to church, it was generally because you were really interested. Once there, you needed to form deep friendships to help you live out your beliefs in the secular world that surrounded you. We participated in a strong Bible church -- the only one in our town.

Then there's Nashville, "the buckle of the Bible belt," with more Christian churches per capita than anywhere else. As if this weren't enough, there are countless parachurch organizations from "Side by Side" to "Community Bible Study" to "Christian Leadership Concepts." Most people attend church and many are active in multiple ministries. There are many reasons this saturation can be good: teaching people about Christianity, encouraging morality, providing safe community centers, driving compassion and philanthropy, etc. I do see that.

But lately, I've also been bumping up against two unintended consequences of TN's religious culture.

1) Isolation
It is easy to become isolated among like-minded conservatives. Christian church. Christian school. Christian study. Christian newspaper. Christian sports. Christian neighbors. Christian employer. Christian music. You name it, there's a Christian version available. Some of this is comfortable, encouraging, and enriching. Too much of it can warp your sense of reality and lead to disillusionment or worse. I pray that we can find a healthy balance for our family.

2) Fragmentation
There are so many great churches, Bible studies, and ministries, that people can pick and choose from among them, or bounce around between them. We've had an unusually consistent community of friends through our Sunday school for several years, but gradually it has become more and more dispersed among the various studies, classes, and activities available. I am thankful that there are options so people can participate who otherwise might not. But just today I was reminded that the more I spread my time among different groups of people, the easier it is to make lots of acquaintances and few deep friendships. I want to reach out to diverse groups. But I also want to make sure we see some people enough to share life with them. Here again is a place that I have to pray for balance.

Sometimes that prayer is all that's called for. But the past month has also shown Josh and I that sometimes we should be proactive. The hard part is identifying those moments. We have opportunities to influence the direction of our small group, Sunday school, church, etc, but it can be scary knowing how to use that influence. Please pray that we would have wisdom to know where God is calling us to serve, how, and with whom.