One of the great theological truths of our faith is that we are each one responsible for our own actions. Scripture teaches quite plainly that we will individually answer for our behavior and our attitudes and our heart.
That truth, of course, is both good news and bad news at the same time.
The good news is that God won't hold me accountable for your actions - or hold you accountable for mine.
The bad news is that I have plenty of my own junk to deal with.
And while I am sobered by my own shortcomings and sin, I am sincerely grateful that I won't have to answer for the shortcomings and sins of others. We can all be thankful for that.
The concept is called personal responsibility.
At the same time, we are clearly affected by the behavior of others. While we won't be asked to pay for others' failings, living in community means that every one of us affects every other person in the community. Despite the truth of personal responsibility, our behavior has an impact on everyone around us.
We might want to believe that we are islands, but that is simply not true. Everything that I do affects you. And everything that you do affects me. (In light of that, I was fascinated by the Henry James quote that I heard on Writer's Almanac a few days ago. James said, "Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.") I realize how sentimental that sounds, but that doesn't make it any less true.
Although I started this blog by talking about personal responsibility, the point that I want to make today is just the opposite. We are not only affected by one another - we are also responsible for one another. As part of a community we are responsible for what happens in our community. And any community with a conscience and with character will guard the well being of the community. It is not enough simply to say, "Well, you know how he is," or "That's what she always does," or "That's the way those people always act." As members of a community, we have a sacred responsibility to foster health and wholeness. If we choose not to do that, then we are all responsible for whatever it is that we allow. Not to be overly dramatic, but it is actually possible for a community - by simple inaction - to become inhospitable and unwelcoming . . . or worse.
I could give many examples to illustrate my point today, but I think I'll offer just one.
Our family has lived in northern Michigan for seven and a half years now. We came here captive to God's call, and we said that we would live here as long as God wanted us to. And it is our intention, even now, to be obedient to God's desire for us. We will do whatever he leads us to do.
At the same time, our family feels a deep need to live in a world where grown men don't make obscene gestures to teen-aged girls.
I'm guessing that there are places in the world where that sort of thing doesn't happen. And we will try to find one of those places. If, by chance, we end up in another place where that kind of thing happens, we will move again. I'm pretty sure that there are communities - somewhere - that don't stand for that sort of thing. Honestly, the possibility of living without that sort of harassment is pretty attractive these days. And that's one thing that our family is hoping for - and praying for - right now.
Personal responsibility. It's at the very heart of our faith. And yes, it's great news that we will each one answer for our own behavior - and only for our own behavior.
But it's not quite that simple either.
As members of a community, we are all responsible for what happens in the place that we live. I'm not sure exactly how we should act on our community responsibility - but I do know that it's not enough to pretend that the unbecoming and destructive behavior of others is not our problem.