Episode 7: The Body
INTERVIEW WITH DR. LAYTON FRIESEN
Discussion Questions
Layton stresses the importance of Christ as the head of this body and that the kidney or pinky finger don’t have value outside of the body. It’s unlikely that Layton is saying that people have no value outside of the church or outside of Christ. What do you think he does mean with that statement?
Layton goes on to say that when they are part of the body, each part becomes really crucial—that every part has a purpose and any appearance of one being more significant than another is an illusion. However, this seems to be a persistent illusion. How does the centrality of Jesus in a biblical congregation, as Layton says, help us see through the illusion that some parts are more significant than others, or prevent the illusion from forming at all?
In Babel we see a human attempt at being a community and Layton makes the statement that God is very worried about this form of community—this form of human success. Why would this kind of community be worrying to God? (Genesis 11:1-9)
If unity by itself is not something God wants, then how do we think about human communities in our neighbourhoods and other secular places where we work for unity? Places where we compromise on many details in order to achieve a common goal? Or is Layton only saying that to try to be a church community without centring in the head does not work? How do we ensure that we are centring in the head and not just gotten good at applying principles of compromise, respect or active listening to create our community?