Dear Christians, let’s not talk about finding our ‘tribe’

I can’t recall when I first heard a Christian use the expression: “I’ve found my tribe” or “This is my tribe” but I do remember that it jarred a little bit. Now, a few years down the line, I still don’t think it’s a helpful term. Don’t get me wrong, I love feeling as though I belong – and I certainly do feel more at home with some people than others. But I’ve come to think that the idea of a Christian tribe is an oxymoron – those ideas just don’t go together. 

One tribe

Being a Christian doesn’t mean we no longer have the cultural markers that place us in one group or another, but it does mean that our identity in Christ unites us with all other believers in one family. The Church is one tribe that holds together all the earthly tribes as brothers and sisters. This is the radical message of the gospel that Jesus preaches and Paul comes back to again and again in his letters. 

The difficulty with the term ‘tribe’ is that it’s associated with tribalism. This word can just suggest loyalty to a group in the sense of belonging to something, but the Cambridge Dictionary also defines it as: “a very strong feeling of loyalty to a political or social group, so that you support them whatever they do”. That’s worrying. We aren’t called to be loyal to other human beings regardless of what they do. A tribal leader might call their tribe to that kind of loyalty, but we should be wary of any Christian leader who demands allegiance in that way. 

Agree to disagree

We need to be discerning in our response to what we see and hear other Christians do and say and, if we see something is wrong – especially in a leader – we need to call it out. Even if it is nothing terribly serious and we simply disagree over something, we should also be allowed to say so. Expressing disagreement respectfully and gently, if only to understand one another better, is a healthy process. We don’t want to be part of a tribe that surpresses open discussion or insists we agree on everything with no nuance or questioning. 

Paul warned believers to keep well away from divisive people

Tribalism can also mean that loyalty to one group necessitates separation from others. Tribes have boundaries, and crossing those boundaries is not always acceptable. And yet the gospel says all boundaries are broken down in Jesus. Paul communicates a radical vision for a “new humanity” in which the old hostilities between Jew and Gentile were ended once for all at the cross: “[Christ’s] purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit” (Ephesians 2:15-18).

It shouldn’t surprise us that God wants this for his children. The Old Testament celebrates unity: “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” says Psalm 133:1. 

True unity

Jesus goes further, clearly connecting the unity of believers to the mission of the Church “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one – I in them and you in me – so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:20-23).

 Lesslie Newbigin, a missionary to India, was captivated by the centrality of Church unity for the sake of mission. Writing in A Faith for This One World? (SCM Press), he argued that the disunity of the Church is “a contradiction of its proper nature and a public abdication of its right to preach the gospel to all nations”. 

Thankfully, Newbigin didn’t believe that meant we all had to think the same. His vision for unity is “not in essence an intellectual agreement about doctrine: it is a total mutual reconciliation which is the result of being born anew by the Spirit. It is a unity of mutual love given by God.” Paul added that division was deeply sinful and warned believers to keep well away from divisive people (Romans 16:17-18; Titus 3:10). 

Recently, I’ve been hearing of more and more groups of Christians – from all denominations – meeting together to pray, serve the poor and bless one another. This is surely unprecedented in the history of the worldwide Church, in which, tragically, Christians have even been known to persecute and destroy one another. 

It seems to me that this coming together is a true work of the Holy Spirit, breaking down the boundaries and barriers that keep us apart and bringing peace and reconciliation. May this happen more and more as we learn that in God’s eyes, whatever tribe we belong to, we’re all one family. And may this be behind our message of peace with God through Christ to the world.