Cult: Etymology: French & Latin; French culte, from Latin cultus - "care, adoration," from colere "to cultivate"
1: formal religious veneration : worship 2: a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also: its body of adherents
Our little family lives just down the bike path from Cameron Station, a master-planned, neo-traditional development complete with its own main street, pre-school, farmer's market, large park and town hall where residents can vote and conduct other basic public business. Cameron Station has all the typical high points of "quality of life" - walkability, security, outdoor recreation opportunities, and so on.
Yet there's one thing I find missing as I stroll or drive around the community, making the place feel at best, lacking something, at worst, contrived. Cameron Station is missing a House of Worship.
Developments like Cameron Station are popping up all over the country, and I find this trend enormously positive. Make no mistake -- the "New Urbanist", neo-traditional community style generally produces very desirable places to live and work. Stapleton, Lowry and Belmar in Denver, Dawley Farm Village and Northern Lights Community in South Dakota, serve as examples. But the neo-traditional style is lacking a significant component of traditional communities: religion -- and by "religion", I refer to its original meaning, derived from and related to the word "relationship" (with God).
I realize the need for developers to turn a profit. They wouldn't be in the business if they couldn't earn a living. But the trend to eliminate the religious element from considerations of urban planning/development only contributes to the general spiritual corrosion in so many communities (for a series of wonderful examples, choose almost any country in Western Europe, where developers are in the business of converting unused Houses of Prayer to one-bedroom condos and dance clubs).
Cities across the U.S. are trying to attract the so-called "Creative Class" -- Young, single professionals working in IT, education, graphic design, writing, filmmaking, architecture, and so on. Like most ideas, this one has an element of truth: The new economy demands a healthy dose of Creative Class occupations in any locale that wants to advance, or even survive. This trend naturally leads to urban planning and development for singles: condos, edgy art districts, and uber-hip restaurants. What is left behind? Churches, schools and parks are ignored -- in other words, the things that often bind a family to a specific place are almost disregarded entirely.
So what happens to these hip-locales? Young, talented folks move in -- and promptly leave after a few years (maximum) when they are ready to settle down with a family. The "community" produced is temporary, transient and superficial. Joel Kotkin, urbanist guru, addresses this topic in his recent op-ed "The Rise of Family-Friendly Cities." It's worth a quick read.
I know, many of you are saying: BC is changing his tune now that he has a family. And many of you are absolutely correct, and let me make it clear that I have moved a full five times in the last five years. But hey, this isn't politics -- I reserve the right to change my mind.
BC
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1 comment:
Oh, what the heck, I’ll be the devil’s advocate, just for the fun of it…
While I agree that purposely eliminating church buildings from new developments probably isn't the best practice, I have to dissent for a moment and give two examples of why this isn't such a big deal:
1. Emmaus Road Community (Boulder, CO) - A group of people doing "church" primarily out of their homes. They recognize that the gathering of a body of believers is an important, but not the most important, aspect of a believer's life. "Church" is lived out in every day people's lives. Their "All Gatherings" occur a couple times a month at various locations (sometimes churches) across the city. In this context, a "House of Worship" is intentionally not a focal point and for this group of Christians, it's producing anything but spiritual corrosion (even though it's in Boulder, but that's another topic).
2. Imago Dei Community (Portland, OR) - A couple thousand people that meet weekly at a local high school. They have purposely not launched a "building campaign" with the intention of ministering to the school and local community. In an interview with Steve Brown in November, Imago pastor Rick McKinley commented (paraphrasing), "Hey, if we (Imago Dei) don't have a building, I guess all we have left is... well... God! ...and a bunch of people." Hmm. Novel concept. Let's not build a multi-million dollar facility... which Rick feels puts a burden, or yoke, on the next generation, tying them to a physical building (with maintenance, operations costs, etc.) and not allowing them to be free to pursue what God might have them do in their lifetime. The local high school benefits, too. Imago needs a new sound system for their services on Sunday? They purchase it and donate it to the school. Pretty good deal, from both parties perspectives.
Lastly, I can’t disagree with your post too much. The church which I currently belong to just opened up a new worship facility/addition back in April ’07. One difference it has from most other church building projects… it’s paid for. For three years (before and during construction) God laid it on people’s hearts to give (not more than He asked, and not less) to ensure the building was completely funded. The beautiful part is not the building itself (it is a nice facility), but the fact that the Body there understands that the building is simply a tool... provided to reach people. It’s about intersecting people and God. And it’s working…
By the way, who said you couldn’t change your mind in politics?
MR. RUSSERT: So you did--you did change.
GOV. ROMNEY: Oh, Tim, if you're looking for someone who's never changed any positions on any policies, then I'm not your guy. I, I do learn from experience. If you want someone who doesn't learn from experience, who stubbornly takes a, a position on, on a particular act and says, "Well, I'm never changing my view based on what I've learned," that, that doesn't make sense to me.
(Gov. Romney on the Employment Nondiscrimination Act – Interview with MSNBC’s Tim Russert - December 16, 2007)
BC - You must be “learning” a thing or two as a family man :) Can't wait to see you all at Christmas.
-tkc
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