Insiders and Outsiders

Intro:

In the year 1944 C.S. Lewis gave a talk to young college students at the University of London. In his address Lewis discussed the universal desire among people to be included. To be in the in crowd. He called it the inner ring. He said this, “I believe that in all men’s lives at certain periods, and in many men’s lives at all periods between infancy and extreme old age, one of the most dominant elements is the desire to be inside the local ring and the terror of being left outside.”

We have an existential desire to feel included. We see this in kids. To be left out is often the worst thing that can happen to a child. As they grow older into their teen years the lunch room is where this desire is on full display. Everyone wants to sit at the cool table. They want to be included in the inner ring of teens that seem to matter.

Were you ever a new kid at a school? The dread of being left out. Eating alone. Not fitting in. Maybe you went through your school years never fitting in. Always feeling like an outsider. That can have an enormous impact on your life.

Left unchecked this feeling of being outside can become apart of your identity. You are an outsider. You don’t fit in that’s who you are. Until that is you find a group of people who also don’t fit in and you form an inner ring of people who don’t fit in.

We want to be included. We have to be included. We join clubs, slave away at our jobs, even join churches for the sole purpose of wanting to be included. Wanting to be on the inside.

This, and I might step on some toes here, is what makes conspecery theories so attractive. We want to feel like we are in the know. Everyone else may see the world one way but only those on the inside really know whats going on. Often ones belief in the craziest conspeciary theory out there comes from a desire to be included into the inner ring of knowledge.

And it’s no different in churches. I remember years ago before I was ever on staff at the church I was going for a walk in mason city and another member of the church who has since moved on stopped me and asked me some questions about some things happening in the church.

I had no idea what the person was talking about which confused them and so they asked. “Aren’t you apart of the inner circle. Don’t you know everything that is happening at the church?”

We crave to be in the inner circle. I’m sure that when that person said that to me the thought went through my mind, “I wish I was apart of the inner circle.I wish I did know everything that happened in the church.”

It doesn’t matter how big or small an organization may be there will always be an inner circle and those outside will always crave being included.