Integration
There is no real possibility of an integration that is true and meaningful in the total sense unless it is based on the inner integration which God has made possible through the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ.
Defining terms and illustrating with Scripture establish Edith Schaeffer's platform as she delves into the touchy topic of segregation.
Wholeness seems to be a reasonable synonym for what we are striving for, when we are thwarted by complicating factors such as mixed languages, fierce competition, various rivalries, and stilted categories.
And just when we are overwhelmed by weight of the matter, Mrs Schaeffer directs our vision to the proper area of our influence.
The home.
Start with practicing greater sharing within the family. Mealtime is the perfect opportunity.
That is the homemaker's model.
The most real something you can do is within the family unit, as you open it up to others, to a cross-section of ages and peoples, or the gathering together of community life on a small scale.
The Schaeffer's devoted their lives to this principle at L'Abri.
On a very small scale, I hope my home can be a shelter characterized by the art of conversation and peacemaking.
I wondered at first what integration had to do with creative homemaking, but as I read through the chapter, I saw the connection. Integration of ages, races, classes, etc., is best accomplished in our own homes, and what a model we have of it through God's integration of us into His family. You did a great job of distilling the chapter down to its basic essence. I tend to be too wordy. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Barbara!
DeleteI actually had a lot more to say. If those thoughts come together in more than just bullet points, I'll share in an additional post.
Off to read your thoughts ~
Wasn't this a fascinating chapter? I was happy to read that L'Abri was a place of deliberate integration of people, at such a tempestuous time of history, when integration was hard. I admire them for realizing that this was a key to creating the community where the gospel would thrive. Excellent.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love her emphasis on family and home. I do NOT like this chopping up of age groups, never have.
It is funny how times change. When she said integration I did not think race. My son likes to say that Covenant College likes to integrate the word integration everywhere it can :) But I liked the chapter very much because age segregation has always seemed to be ridiculous to me especially when we think about learning and passing down knowledge from one generation to the next.
ReplyDeleteI like that..."On a very small scale, I hope my home can be a shelter characterized by the art of conversation and peacemaking." This sums it all up so well. I have never had an opportunity to do this on a large scale, but I can strive to achieve this on a small scale.
ReplyDelete'wholeness' - yes! All through this chapter I was searching for another word. I think I'll use 'wholeness' rather than 'integration'.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, you've summed it up beautifully and succinctly.