Koinonia Farm

I've been putting off writing this blog because I'm not really sure what to say. My first impressions were not changed that much after my stay. Koinonia was started in 1942 by Clarence Jordan. He was a man who grew up in privilege, graduated from college with a degree in agriculture and went on to get a PhD in new Testament Greek. He was troubled by the prejudice and segregation of his time. He wanted to use his degree in agriculture to help poor farmers improve their situation. He used his Greek knowledge to make some translations of the bible called Cotton Patch Gospels. He also wanted to improve race relations. He used the example of early Christians in the book of Acts as his blueprint. He wanted everyone to share with each other and not consider anything their own. He and his wife and another couple bought a large farm in an impoverished part of Georgia. He was considered a harmless kook at first. He paid the farm help the same pay whether they were black or white, that didn't sit well with many. Then the civil rights movement got going and Koinonia was seen as a problem. They were shot at and there were some fires and businesses that traded with them were boycotted and burned. Koinonia persevered and started selling their products mail order. Clarence Jordan will probably never get the recognition he deserves, he remained at Koinonia until his death in 1969. Since then Koinonia has gone through many changes, with the last change trying to return more to it's roots. They are trying to make the farm more environmentally friendly. They share work and resources, and seem to get along pretty well. They are a community whose main goal is to promote peace. I don't think that is a bad goal, but I got the sense that they were content to live a simple life, just think nice thoughts and live a peaceful relaxed life. My main problem is I see that as somewhat lazy. Now here in Irvine I am confronted with this community thats main goal seems to be to live the good life. Everything is clean and new and in order. You don't see any cars older than 10 years every yard is well cared for, everyone is busy and in a hurry. I'm starting to feel like the writer of Ecclesiastics, "vanity, vanity, rich and poor, industrious or lazy, the same fate comes to all"(my paraphrase). I know the people here are too caught up in unimportant things, that was driven home at Legoland yesterday. I watched a woman get on a ride with her son and go on the entire ride and get off while on her cellphone. I think my problem is I can identify more with these Californians than the Koinonians. I really want to say that their simple life is wrong, but I can't. I don't want to live that way, I really like all my things. I have to do some more thinking on this, later though, I have to go play with my grand kids now. Let me leave you with this quote that I wish I had never found.

"When an honestly mistaken man is confronted with the truth, he must either cease being mistaken, or stop being honest". Author unknown