I had a professor once who always talked about “belly-button theology”. To be honest, I wrote it off at first because it seemed to make childish very serious matters of theology. Thinking and talking about God (‘theology’) should not include belly-buttons, I grumbled. Then, after listening a bit more, it became one of the most profound things I’ve ever learned.
Belly-button theology says that we can learn quite a bit about God simply by thinking about the belly-button. The belly-button is a sign, a bodily symbol that shows that all individuals came from two other individuals. The belly-button is the sign that reminds us that each person came to being through the union of two other beings.
So what does this fact about the belly-button tell us about God? It tells us that things don’t come to life out of isolation. Life is community and community is life. We simply would not be here if it were not for two other people out there in the world (biological mom and dad). This also tells us that life is not at its best when we isolate ourselves. We are created for community.
What is staggering in light of this how modern culture is becoming more and more individualistic and isolated, especially with the development of technology.
Living in Haiti has really shown me how isolated my home culture (America) is. I’ll never forget when I accompanied two Haitian friends on their first visit to the United States. As we drove home from the Jackson, MS airport, I gave them some time just to look around and take in the landscape of the Mississippi.
After about ten minutes, I asked, “So, what do you think?!” In response, my one friend looked at me and said, “I have only one question. Where are all the people?” Having lived in Haiti, I knew exactly what he meant. In Haiti there are always people about. In Haiti, mobs of people line the roadways. Pedestrians, drink and food venders, neighborhood kids playing soccer, etc. There are people out and about as far as the eye can see in Haiti.
This is quite different in the US. I told my friend, “Well, most people get in their cars in the morning, drive to work, then drive home, park their cars in their houses (garage), and do not come out after that.” Now there are certainly places in the US that this doesn’t describe, but this does, in fact, describe most places in the US. The fact is the there is very, very little face-to-face interaction with people. Technology has isolated us. TVs, laptops, cell-phones, iPads, and all sorts of other handheld electronic devices have created a nice comfortable, and thick, shell around us.
God created us for fellowship. God created us for community and community for us. Beautiful, wonderful life is brought forth when people come together and share life. So says the belly-button.
I challenge you to turn off the smart phone and the TV, go next door and invite someone to dinner. Make life happen.
