Larry over on his Perspectives blog asks some pointed questions about the role of the church in providing (or better, BEING) the alternative to the following trend that he articulates:

The elevation of the individual to a privileged place in U.S. society has resulted in a cultural and philosophical shift away from community. Even our suburban lifestyles reflect the atomization of nuclear families and the demise of communities. Who in the suburbs sits on the front porch and talks with neighbors as they stroll by on the sidewalk returning from the corner grocery? The very thought is unreal, isn’t it? We sit on decks in back yards that separate us from neighbors and give us privacy. The fronts of suburban homes are for entering and closing out the world, not inviting it in.

All of this leads me to wonder if congregations can be communities that offer inclusivity and affirmation while also reinforcing religious values. If so, how does that community shape the world? If not, why do they exist?Perspectives: Citizenship or Religion: Which comes first?

Indeed, why?  This should be a major operational/mission statement question.  A good book that such questions always brings to mind is Ray Oldenburg’s A Great Good Place as a secular/sociological analysis of the flight to the suburbs without sidewalks and front porches.  THEN we have to ask if the church is drawing us out of this suburban, locked-door, back porch over front porch mode and into a “foyer” that is hosted, encouraged,  and presented as a formative theme by the church?