There’s a radical difference between tribal and missionary mindsets. The highest value of the tribal-minded is self-protection. Since these people feel safest around those just like them, they ask, “How can I protect myself from those who are different?” They intentionally surround themselves with those who think the way they think, like the things they like, and despise the things they despise.
We all seek out sameness, as John Seel notes: “We cope by settling into our safe intellectual cliques—our favorite blog, cable channel, or e-zine—where our own views are reinforced and applauded. Without really trying, we can easily lose sight of the wider horizon and fail to listen to those who do not think as we do.”
As a result, tribally minded people live with a sense of superiority, looking down on those who are unlike them. This is the “fashionable” posture of our culture.
In contrast, the highest aim of mission-minded people is not self-protection but self-sacrifice. Mission-minded people exist not primarily for themselves but for others. They’re willing to set aside personal preferences in service to those with different preferences. They’re willing to be inconvenienced, discomforted, and spent for the well-being of others.
....This difference between mission-mindedness and tribal-mindedness is illustrated well in a note I received recently from my good friend Mike about a recent conversation he had with his wife, Nicole:
Nicole and I were in downtown Fort Lauderdale today. As we were leaving, we passed a park. It was a really nice park, but there was a whole group of homeless people hanging out there. I commented to Nicole that, as nice as the park was, I wouldn’t be able to just walk the kids through the park if we lived down there. Her response to me stung. She said, “Yes you would. You’d just have to go into the park for a different reason. You could go in and pass out bag lunches.” Then she said, “Christians need to remember that, given God’s mission, they exist for the city; the city doesn’t exist for them.” Ouch!
Nicole understands rightly the gospel’s demand for this unfashionable mindset, because the gospel is the story of God sacrificing himself for others.
-----Nicole's statement is a great reminder of our role as Christians in the world. We are to serve the city. The city doesn't serve me. I am a living sacrifice for those around me.
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