Since I stumbled upon your site, I have enjoyed reading your thoughts. I particularly enjoyed your recent post on Americans being strongly influenced by Indians. Back to this post…

Since I like to think and have been actively in institutions for my entire life, the idea that institutions distort the truth and try to survive and thrive for itself really resonates with me. I have actually thought essentially that thought before as well. When I look at institutions like businesses, we are pounded with “truths” about their products and how things will be either good or better for us if we use their products or services.

I believe that institutions such as churches also have fallen into that trap. There is a set structure that the church has (pastors, deacons, elders, teachers, and the general masses that are learners or non-contributing), and many churches strive to keep the structure. (I am talking about “lower-case c” churches meaning individual collections of people belonging and not the Church of Jesus’ kingdom [although many people of the people in churches are in the Church]). Members typically try and work up the structure but do not typically want to change the structure. And having too many educated and not enough uneducated would force there to be a change in structure; there would not be the pyramid of control and education. This is beneficial for maintaining cohesion, but also hurts a lot of people.

I have seen a very different paradigm that I liked: Jesus’. He worked to instill Himself (God) into a group of people who would do the same. He wanted all of those willing to be able to have the close communion and understanding with God. He chose to start by developing a few well and let them work to do the same. There was little structure to it beyond that, and even the masses still had access to the Top, but just as deep as they wanted and were able to go (the crowds that followed Him). This “institution” is what I would say as a good one in that it goes for the greatest good to all and not just the greatest good to the institution. I believe that there are other good institutions out there, but that they are few are far between comparatively.