so, this particular passage really struck me and i was compelled to reprint it here. i hope the publisher is ok with that (and i hope they appreciate that i'm actually using correct capitalization).
E Pluribus Unum
E pluribus unum--out of many, one. This motto represents the
American desire to be a society in which people from the whole world can come
and participate. At first, it only referred to the original thirteen
colonies, but over time we have come to recognize that the United States is a
nation created from the nations. Community in America begins with
understanding that we are many--native and immigrant, French, Italian, Germany,
Spanish, and so on--and while the story of how we came to be on these shores is
different, we can be one. E pluribus unum appears on the Great
Seal of the United States and on much of our money, and it represents our quest
and question when it comes to community in our culture.
It's a laudable goal, but how do you make many into one? The answer
depends on your metaphor. The image we have in mind for community is
vital, not just for our country, but for church as well, for our culture will
guide our pursuit toward being one in Christ.
The melting pot was (and still is for many) a guiding metaphor for making
one out of many. It is the idea that when a potential new citizen arrives,
he or she assimilates into a common culture that brings unity. The hope is
that whatever we let go of will more than be returned in the land of
opportunity. Many gladly melt into this "great crucible" for the benefits
it affords. Others wonder if the cost is too high as they simmer in teh
stew and give way to a new culture. Some who find the melting process
difficult can't quite liquefy and become the sludge at the bottom of the
pot. Ultimately, the melting pot is more about the one than the
many--which is why many opt for the salad bowl as a more fitting metaphor.
In a salad, lettuce remains lettuce and tomatoes remain tomatoes. The
salad bowl seeks to move beyond the melting pot by drawing attention to the need
for individuality. The salad dressing becomes teh key--representing that
which keeps everything together. But what is teh dressing? What is
that one common thing that holds us all together? Some have said it is
democracy, which is a pretty good answer for a country but a bad answer for a
church. How united in Christ can we be if everything comes down to
votes? I win, you lose--and vice versa. A good attempt, but it's
more about the many than the one.
We must be careful not to fall into the pitfalls of either of these
metaphors while at the same time recognizing that e pluribus unum is
compatible with the gospel's call to community. While both metaphores have
strengths, the cost of their weakness is too high. We desperately need a
new way of thinking about community in America. A fresh paradigm that will
help bring about unity among churches and within local bodies of
believers. A way of being "I" and "we"--so we don't reduce our definition
of community to "being in a small group." What is community? Is it
having significant relationships with others? Is it the people who live in
your same geographic space? I believe it's all that and so much
more.
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