What Is Community?

Man simply does not live by radio, automobiles, and refrigerators alone, but by the whole unpurchasable world beyond the market, the world of dignity, beauty, poetry, grace, chivalry, love, and friendship, the world of community, variety of life, freedom, and fullness of personality. Circumstances which debar man from such a life or make it difficult for him stand irrevocably convicted, for they destroy the essence of his nature.
—Wilhelm Röpke, A Humane Economy

The word community is heard frequently on campus, but do we really know what it means? Popular culture promotes a loose sense of abstract togetherness, promising that the mass-advertised life will lead to happiness. Yet, as persons made in the image and likeness of God, aren’t we meant for a society that respects and reflects our unique dignity? Thus, in higher education, does our community prepare students for lives of consumption, or do we foster a genuine environment of human flourishing?

The German Insight

Wilhelm Röpke was a German economist who worked to rebuild the postwar economy of his homeland in the 1940s and ’50s. Through his research, Röpke identified a problem with modern society that he termed enmassment. He argued that a culture of mass consumption, a society obsessed with material goods and standards, would quickly undermine man’s essential dignity and value. It creates a fragmented individualism, a people who “hunger for integration” but “allay this hunger by means of the intoxicating thrills and crowds of mass society.” Told to follow popular trends and buy life-as-advertised, we pass over the glory of existence for a rat race of goods.

Yet, rather than pessimistic moping, Röpke urged a rediscovery of genuine community as the answer to this modern dilemma. He described a “natural order” in which “people’s lives would have solid foundations” and in which “genuine communities, from the family upward, would form a background of moral support for the individual; people would have roots and would not be adrift in life without anchor.” While borderline idealist, Röpke’s thesis was grounded in a conviction that modernity was unraveling and that the time for renewal had come.

Bringing It Home

Keep in mind, Röpke wrote his tome in 1958, well before iThings and 140-character lifestyles. Today his philosophy appears ever more relevant, however, especially for students—as informed citizens and future leaders.

We often speak of community with a “global perspective,” employing adjectives such as belonging and inclusive—but what does that mean? Beyond mere hospitality, Röpke calls us to conscientious awareness of each person’s essential dignity. Rather than focusing on career preparation and sustainability (wonderful as they are), a true community must be founded upon the pursuit of love, freedom, and Truth for all.

Moreover, this renewed sense of community takes on a special dimension within the context of religious schools. Christ said that where two or more are gathered in His name, He will be in their midst. As a Christian community, then, our primary concern is to make Christ present to our neighbor, to bring His light to the guy down the hall or the gal in chem class. In the final assessment, this will by far be our most marketable and remarkable quality.