Rome vs self vs Caesar

"A true self is a self under command. Thus I suggest that attention to the biblical processes of the self is crucial if we are to find [an] alternative to the increasingly dysfunctional and destructive modes of autonomy (without self-abandonment) and conformity (without self-assertion) that are so powerful all around us."

----- Walter Brueggeman, The Covenanted Self

The associate pastor on Sunday discussed the idea of a distinctive lifestyle that we as Christians are called to live out and demonstrate in our culture. The above quote which he referenced made me think of the discussions on self-differentiation that I had in SP501 last fall.

The pastor referred back to the nation of Israel, which was "authorized" by the Torah (the law of Moses) to live a life wholly distinct from the world around it, but at the same time without being detached from the world around it. Israel, he said, through the Torah, was summoned away from both the coerciveness of Pharaoh and the self-indulgence of Canaan.

In much the same way, the early church was authorized by Jesus (and Paul) to live a life free from the coerciveness of Caesar and the self-indulgence of Rome. It was supposed to resist bowing the knee to Caesar in matters of moral authority and faith, but at the same time not use that religious freedom as a license for obstruction in civil matters or laxity in moral matters.

I think we have the same challenge today. We have pressure to conform to the expectations of the society around us, whether it's complying with the current version of political correctness, or supporting through our taxes programs that we find morally repugnant, in order to preserve societal harmony.

At the same time we are encouraged to "do our own thing", "find our own truth", and "be all we want to be", as if the people around us don't matter, and we can somehow be free from moral responsibility toward our neighbor.

Self-differentiation, in the church or as an individual, means that you hold the principles of autonomy and conformity in tension. You balance them. You consider yourself as free from coercion, while being careful to not needlessly give offense. You hold your ground when need be, and you also yield when need be.

Balance: it's hard to come by. Self-differentiation, as a person or as a community, is hard work. But it's also what God calls us to. We (I!) shouldn't avoid the effort it takes to live it out.