Do You Belong in Their Burrow?

 by Reba Collins

This past weekend I was visiting the zoo with my son’s Cub Scout troop, and I spotted this sign. My first reaction was “Eeewww!” Then, I thought, naked mole-rats aren’t the only species that behave this way. Some churches do, too!

Luckily, you can spot a naked mole-rat church before you burrow too deeply with them. These are the churches where everyone believes a certain way, acts a certain way, dresses a certain way, worships a certain way, and avoids anyone who isn’t one of them.

If you happen to encounter this church type by accident, turn around and leave the group immediately before you are rejected. Don’t worry about hurting their feelings. They don’t care. If you are not part of their colony, then you are not wanted.

Some mole-rat churches, though, are not easily recognized. You have to dig a little deeper with them before you can smell the rats or discover the moles. And it may not be the whole church. There may be just a few groups or individuals who have created their own burrows. But they are dug in deep. Like the naked mole-rat, they are: “well-adapted to their underground existence … eyes are quite small, and their visual acuity is poor ... highly adept at moving underground … can move backward as fast as they can move forward.”

Mole-rat people and groups eventually will surface. You’ll be able to spot them because they are territorial, political, and destructive. They reject anyone they perceive to not be from their colony – including the pastors! And they usually stink up the place!

Because most churches have naked mole-rate burrows, you need to ask yourself: “Are one or two stinky encounters enough to keep me away?” Take your time in answering this question. Your decision will depend largely on discovering how representative those few are of the entire church community. 

A good church choice will never be a perfect choice; it involves too many imperfect people. But, a good church choice doesn’t mean you have to roll around in other people’s crap just to be accepted.