Changing the Changeable 1/13/08
The first time I ever bought a book for myself was in Albuquerque, NM, at the Waldenbooks shop in the Coronado Mall. It was a fairly small shop as the mall was an older one and the size of the bookstore allowed only for a narrow central aisle perpendicularly flanked by short rows of bookshelves, with the outside aisles comprised of browsing space for the bookshelves that covered the walls. Anytime our family went to the mall, I would often spend my time here as my mother and sister shopped at the department stores. As I grew, I found that the selection at Waldenbooks fairly matched mine, with the science-fiction, gaming, history, and science sections all clustered together at the back. I even looked for bookstores like this one in Washington DC and Southern California (the extent of my Marine Corps career). Upon my return to New Mexico, I found that with all of the changes in the city, my little bookstore was still the same. Even as other, larger stores grew more prominent in the city, with locations adjacent to the places I frequented (church, school, movie theaters, etc), my favorite was still Waldenbooks.
Then Coronado Mall underwent its newest renovation, including a brand new two-story Barnes and Noble (complete with Starbucks Coffee shop). And my beloved little Waldenbooks found themselves unable to renew their lease (part of the agreement Coronado made with B&N). I was infuriated, feeling like something underhanded had transpired, and I stopped going to Coronado Mall. Eventually, I did finally return (as Coronado had far more stores in it than its nearest competitor), and even started going to the Barnes and Noble. While I had lost that little bookstore I had grown up with, the new store had far more selections to choose from (and did I mention the coffee…). As I was in school during this time (finishing my degree in business), I was able to reconcile the events transpiring with theory I had been studying.
There are a few unbreakable laws in this universe: the Law of Gravity, the Law of Large Numbers (the reason the House always wins, in the end), and the Law of Supply and Demand — Waldenbooks was simply on the wrong side of this law. No matter the nostalgia or comfort I felt towards Waldenbooks, Coronado Mall could not pass up the foot-traffic that the larger store with its more spacious floor-plan and its integral coffee shop could offer. Coronado could also not change the fact that the deal only made sense for B&N if its relationship was an exclusive one, meaning that the other bookstores needed to go. The revenues from the one giant bookseller more than offset the loss of the very small ones, and that floor-space was now available for other stores that might offer higher returns than that of the small bookstores. It was not a communist plot, nor was it a strike at my cherished past. It was simply change – otherwise known as growth. This lesson is not confined to malls and bookstores. Governments, businesses, and institutions all have learned to respect this law.
Churches, too, need to mind this law. People think that just because Jesus satisfies perfectly, that his church naturally does as well. But even though the Bible (like its author) does not change, the church does in certain ways. For instance, at one time the common language was Latin (hence the Latin Vulgate was the common-tongue bible); now, would you like your services to be run only in Latin? I would not! At one time, churches did not allow different races to commingle; most of us today would be appalled at such an environment. At one time the most conservative garb worn today would have been heretically scandalous. All of these things changed; the first changed naturally as people spoke in different languages (albeit churches were slow to comply), the second changed as people took hold of the spirit of love as shown in the Bible (yes, Christians were at the forefront of the abolition movement), and the third changed as the fashion world moved on (for better or worse). But the important thing is that they changed.
This ability to change the changeable is inherent in the Law of Supply and Demand. As the fashions and culture of the 1950’s advanced inexorably through the 2000’s, the church had to comply or lose its identity (churches that kept up thrived, those that did not languished). I am not talking about changing the message of truth in the Scriptures, but simply being who we are as people. Many in the church want to retain the “small church” atmosphere as opposed to losing themselves as a “mega-church”; fine, as long as you think it is all right to tell visitors to “leave, there’s no room for you here.” Wait, I thought the mission Jesus gave us was to bring his message to the world. If the body is to grow bigger, its clothing will have to accommodate it (if you need a bigger building, get one). Many in the church feel certain things are “unholy” in the “sanctuary”. Fine, but what about bathrooms? I believe what is done in there is far less holy than might be done near a sink or refrigerator. These things are changeable because they are meaningless. Change the changeable, so that God’s unchangeable qualities of love, forgiveness, and righteousness can be shown to those who are greatly demanding his inexhaustible supply.
-Charles Peterson