Walk by one and the same Rule

"...although the particular congregation be distinct and several bodies, every one a compact and knit city in itself; yet are they all to walk by one and the same Rule, and by all means convenient to have the counsel and help one of another in all needful affairs of the church, as members of one body in the common faith under Christ their only Head." -- Article 47, London Baptist Confession of Faith, 1644

Front porch vs. Back deck

We have gone from a front porch society to a back deck society. When I was a kid it was common to see folks sitting on a front porch happily visiting with one another. Their gathering was visible (and inviting) to all who passed by. Today it is more likely that a group is gathered on a back deck, with a fence blocking them from anyone's view. The front porch suggests community and openness -- come on up and sit a spell. The back deck suggests privacy -- please leave us alone.

This post is not about front porchs being sacroscant or back decks being evil. Rather it's just an observation of how we have changed and what that might say about our thought processes. There is nothing wrong with privacy or back decks, but there is something very good about openness and community that perhaps to a large degree we have lost.