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A community is known and knows itself by means of a boundary. This boundary is
at once a matter of place, personal choice, politics, and even spirit. It is about
belonging: you simply know that you belong, and others know that you belong too.
Yet, belonging has changed and is changing. In the not too distant past belonging
was built on a foundational unity: there was a commonality of place, of social and
economic circumstances, of struggles, of aspirations, and, of course, of religious
faith. There was, if you like, a form of stability, which, although not always positive,
automatically fostered community in that it reflected significant unity: everyone
was together in the same boat! This foundational unity that was at the heart of
community is, however, no longer to be had. Rather than beginning with such unity,
we now begin with diversity. And this can be quite disconcerting, especially when
older practices and understandings no longer function for us as they did in former
times. ...
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