Standards

In its recruiting efforts, the U.S. Marine Corps deliberately invokes some of the most demanding standards in the world. It touts the resulting solidarity and exclusivity of those who manage to measure up. You’ve probably heard their slogan: “The few. The proud. The Marines.” Other services sometimes have to struggle to achieve their recruitment goals. The Marines consistently meet or exceed theirs. And almost uniformly, current and former Marines are fiercely proud of their service. “Once a Marine, always a Marine.”

It’s sometimes said that the same is true for religions.

According to some academic research, the more demanding a religion’s standards are, the more attractive it can be to potential converts. In Darwinian terms, a group’s high standards can give the group have an extra advantage in the selection process. See generally, for example, some of the work of sociologist Rodney Stark, such as The Rise of Christianity
and One True God.

Regrettably, much of mainline Christianity has de-emphasized standards. Many denominations choose instead to emphasize their belief in God’s universal love. That’s a laudable belief, and something to hope for. But it may not be ideally suited for attracting converts. “If God loves everyone, he won’t care if I sleep in on Sunday morning.”

“Orthodox” Episcopalians and Anglicans tend to be more concerned about standards. Many of their standards are misguided. But you still have to admire them for insisting on standards in the first place.

I would love to see the non-orthodox factions of the church put a fierce emphasis on two standards in particular:

• a relentless commitment to seeking and embracing the truth about God, his creation, and his desires, taking nothing for granted, no matter what the truth turns out to be (paraphrasing the Rev. Dr. Barbara Brown Taylor); and

• an equally relentless commitment to those less fortunate than ourselves, to help them help themselves to better their own lives.
  

Say, this sounds very familiar … yes, that’s right: it’s the Great Commandment.