The Inner Ring

C. S. Lewis suggests that an inner circle, by itself, is a neutral concept. It is something that occurs quite naturally. It is formed because of limits of time, space, interest, and a myriad of other factors. An inner ring is something that occurs when people have any commonality and build bonds over these similarities.

But an inner ring is easily corrupted. “The Inner Ring,” says Lewis, “is most skilful in making a man who is not yet a very bad man do very bad things.” You see, the inner ring wields a certain power. It is a great influencer and encourager. I think it quite unlikely that people can escape being changed by the inner circle that they are a part of. An inner ring that has any hope of longevity is one that shares a common purpose. If one is to remain in such a ring, eventually one must make tiny steps towards the mission of the group.

That is precisely what the Church is, of course. It is a loose conglomeration of people whose shared desire to follow in the footsteps of their saviour binds them together. These are people who share a mission. They form a ring because they have a certain understanding, a belief in how the world is supposed to be. They support, encourage, and admonish each other. By staying as a tight community, this body performs a sort of symbiosis. None remain in this Church very long without being challenged, perhaps “over a drink, or a cup of coffee, disguised as triviality, and sandwiched between two jokes” to do something out of the ordinary, for the purpose of the organization. It could be a subtle hint to help out in the nursery. “And then, if you are drawn in, next week it will be something a little further from the rules...”

This gradual change gathers force, and is unstoppable if one is truly devoted to the Inner Ring’s mission. For how can one deny the will of a body that seeks the same goals that you do? Of course, if you realize the Church’s mission wasn’t quite for you, then the constant challenge that the Church holds itself to may not be your thing. You may find that, in following their goal, the inner ring has moved quite away from where you were content to stay. You will probably find that you don’t mind and go searching for a more comfortable inner ring.

But this particular inner ring is always in danger of exclusion. It has very high expectations of itself and its members. It expects its mission to be not a part of the member’s life, but the member’s very reason to be. Because of high expectations, there is a danger that this Inner Ring will require total devotion to the mission before a person may join. It may set up walls, casting a judging eye on those who have only a small interest in following Christ’s mission. It may attempt to preserve a purity in its members.

Fortunately, such exclusion is ridiculous when we consider the Church. For its members, who follow Christ, are keenly aware that they have done nothing to deserve entrance into the Church. They too, came to the Church because of the joy they saw inside. Instead they will reach out with compassion to anyone, even the very ugliest, understanding that it is only in the Inner Ring of the Church that a person can join them in their slow but steady steps towards Christ’s Kingdom.

In short, the Church should be easy to get into, but challenging to keep up with.