Deinstitutionalizing God by Dionne Yvette Brown

Author:Dionne Yvette Brown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: DIONNE YVETTE BROWN
Published: 2022-02-16T00:00:00+00:00

7

INSTITUTIONAL INVESTMENTS

The finest qualities of our nature, like the bloom on fruits,

can be preserved only by the most delicate handling.

Walt Whitman

The preceding events led me to wonder how evil is so prevalent in a space that is supposed to be holy. Being a management consultant by profession, I think a lot about the church as an institution rather than the symbolic body of Christ. How did we get where we are? What do we truly espouse? What role am I playing in it all?

The early church came to be defined in sociological terms as a cult. Cults have gotten a bad rap due to events that have taken place in some extreme forms. However, the church was indeed a cult during the first few centuries of existence. Its formation revolved around a charismatic leader with fixed boundaries, rigid teaching, and communal living. That fits the modern definition perfectly.

Adherence to Jesus’ teachings and a firm belief in his resurrection were the criteria for membership. The social isolation of leaving families of origin and even established societies made membership more cultish. Converts changed their entire identity for another. Jews left—if they had not already been expelled from—the synagogue. Others likewise abandoned their established religions and social circles to wholly adapt to the requirements of this new sect.

The early church was all about social control, as is almost every community of faith. Social control is essential for maintaining boundaries and financing the operation. It was true then and even more so now. Reading much of the New Testament presents an “us versus them” duality. The first-generation church lived under grave threat of persecution and heresy and thus went to great lengths to protect their boundaries.

Some believers like to think they are persecuted for their faith today, but blood is seldom shed in modern American society for the sake of what one believes. Just because you are ostracized does not equate with persecution. Maybe it is because you are unbearable. Consider that. The first converts were slaughtered simply for professing Jesus as Lord. Therefore, they had to take measures to protect one another while still discipling the world. A lot was at stake to maintain the movement and the integrity of its teachings.

Institutions by nature are rigid, controlling, and soulless. They are all about conformity to their norms and preservation of their existence. Some examples are government agencies, universities, corporations, and large charitable organizations. Max Weber held that “bureaucracy, the rational spirit’s organizational manifestation, was so efficient and powerful a means of controlling men and women that, once established, the momentum of bureaucratization was irreversible.”22 Hence, so many well-intentioned organizations have drifted away from their original purpose, far beyond the point of no return.

We have a saying in management consulting: Activity does not always equal productivity. In other words, just because an entity is doing something does not mean they are working toward their stated mission or goals. Busy is often the enemy of the good. Just because they are actively engaged does not mean they are doing the right things—even according to their own standards.

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