Traditionally, church membership has been contingent on

1) Believing correctly

2) Behaving correctly

3) Belonging to the community

But what happens if we invert this process:

1) Belonging unconditionally, where love and grace are the key drivers.

2) Behaving differently due to the symbiosis of being with those committed to love.

3) Reflecting on the transformation, thus creating a theology and belief based on reality rather than theory.

How we use if we use the 3 B’s changes their meaning according to their sequence. Hence

1) Believe –> 2) behave –> 3) belong means
Prescribe (theology tells us what we ought to think and do) –> conform (accept the prescription) –> exclude (via membership)

but

1) Belong –> 2) behave –> 3) believe means include (unconditional love) –> transform (by being accepted in the orbit of grace) –> reflect (theology reports what has actually happened).