Following Jesus in a Culture of Fear - Chapter 5

Here, in the 5th chapter of Following Jesus in a Culture of Fear by Scott Bader-Sayer, the role of community in developing courage and overcoming fear is addressed.

He begins by noting that in our times, the culture of fear and the culture of disconnection are very much related. More and more people suffer from loneliness, and are truly very alone in the world. Much business can be done electronically, more people work from home, with the rate people move around our communities have less stability... it all adds up to greater fear.

To combat fear, we need to develop courage. Courage is, in his definition, "the capacity to do right and good in the face of fear." (67) Courage doesn't dismiss fear, it perseveres in spite of it. This is much different than recklessness, which mimics courage but doesn't have the sister virtues of prudence and humility.

So what role can/should community have in developing courage? First, he asserts that courage, like other virtues, is best learned by having it modeled. It's just not the same on paper - he likens it to sheet music vs. a symphony actually performing. In a well functioning community, courage (and other virtues) will be being sought and lived, and a living community is reinforced by the stories of the communities of the dead (tradition). For example, the lives of the martyrs can help sustain a church community by modeling faithfulness.

Another role the community plays is by providing a space in which one can be vulnerable and confess their fears in anticipation of support rather than judgment. Often our churches don't have this reputation, which is tragic. We need a place to name our fear. "Fear grows strongest when we allow it to fester as a 'wordless darkness'. Words not only help us understand our fear but, more importantly, make it possible to share fear. To speak our fear to another is to begin to loosen the grip that fear has on us. To make fear take form in speech is to name it as something that can be confronted, not confronted alone but in the community of those willing to speak their fears aloud and thus begin to subdue them." (71)

He draws on the early church portrayed in Acts as an example of courageous community, especially as they shared risks and resources. Alone, resources feel much more scarce, and fear can drive us to spend more time protecting ourselves. After all, if I get sick, who will help me? Or what if my car breaks down? Fear seems much more manageable when we know that there are people who will support us both with prayer and material help. This flies in the face of the Western elevation of the autonomous self.

I wouldn't advocate an attempt to go back in time and recreate this exact scenario, but I wonder how we could implement some of the principles into our current context in a better way. Any ideas?

I'd also be curious to hear what anyone thinks about online communities. Most of you on my blog are connected to me solely electronically. Geographically we are very distant. Could we be called community? Can an online community be expected to take on any of these characteristics? Should it?

Next week: Narrative and Providence