But Will You Wash the Dishes?

A few months ago, I read a news article concerning a movement among some conservative Christians to turn South Carolina into a modern promised land. Christians from all over the country are urged to emigrate to South Carolina in order to tip the scales of the state further to the right. It sounds like once they have completed their exodus from the other 49 states and driven the democrates out of S.C. they will secede from the union and set up their own country. So far, twenty people have moved there.

This news reminds me of the community living so many of us tried in the early 1970's. We knew that day to day living would be so much easier if we were sharing a house with other Christians. It was going to be our own protestant version of a Catholic monastary without the fancy robes or Latin chanting. Unfortunately, the downfall of many of those community living experiments was dirty dishes. It seemed that everyone wanted to eat, but no one wanted to wash the dishes. Arguments, stessful encounters, and many failed cleaning schedules resulted in strained relationships among Christians who previously really liked each other. Little Fish is going to share a house this fall with several other students. One of my prayers for her is that everyone enjoys washing dishes!

I'm not sure who is going to wash all the dishes in South Carolina, but if my reference to 1970's community living does not disuade anyone, try reading about John Calvin and Geneva. Talk about a failed experiment in Christian community living. If you don't learn from history, you are destined to repeat it. Besides, Jesus commanded Christians to go to the non-Christians, not huddle together with only the Republicans.