Are you a cog in the wheel or a spoke?

In this link, the theology of the JustPeace organization is discussed. Their primary goal is for reconciliation, restorative justice and restoration within all communities throughout the world. JustPeace is a mediation and conflict transformation center that seeks to restore communities through their theology of restoration. Their theology is based off of a monk named Dorotheos. When approached by other monks of the Abby with the problem of not being able to worship and connect with God, Dorotheos provides a solution that solves not only the problem, but it also restores the community. The problem, as stated in the article, was one of allowing the normal everyday annoyances of others to interfere with worship and connection to God. Dorotheos’ solution pointed to that of a wheel. Consider, he suggests, that the center or hub of the wheel is God, and that the rim represents the people in relation to God. Now consider the spokes to be what connects people to God. There is no way to get closer to God without getting closer to other people. I think that this analogy is a perfect example of why our American churches are in trouble. We have lost sight of this concept and replaced it with a personal trinity model; me, myself and I theology. I think that transformation of our churches can and will occur if we choose to implement Dorotheos’ model and realize the impact of coming together in community to center ourselves on God.