This week we take a closer look at “Still Tribal,” one of the chapters and concepts in Jared Scholz’s newly released book titled, “From Sandbox to Museum.”
Humans gain the majority of their personal identity based on the group they want to be a part of. Is this a forever truth? We believe so. Look at the difference in these statements when someone is asked if they want a cigarette:
- No, thank you.
- No, I don’t smoke.
- That’s not something we do.
The last statement leans into the fact that the person belongs to a group and whoever “we” is, we don’t do that. What I do and who I am is contingent on whose I am and the group I am a part of.
When people come into God’s family it takes time for them learn how to be a part of the group. They tend to see themselves as outsiders. Therefore we must step towards them and intentionally help them to connect and belong. If we don’t there are people who label themselves as deconstructionists that have no faith in Jesus who are willing to draw them in. Many people have left one group with dogma and celebrity leaders and ended up in another group with dogma and celebrity leaders.
Jared longs for people to know “We love you. We are here for you. We are in this with you together. You can belong here before you believe here.”
Two things we can do that facilitate this are:
- Celebrate and model questions.
- Reframe what belonging to Christ means and what belonging to God’s family means.
We want people to quickly know they are loved and say, “This is my people!”
Whether you are deconstructing or are wanting to disciple others who are on that journey, I encourage you to get a copy of the book this week!
