I had a great conversation with J. the other day that got me thinking about structure, systems and rules of engagement in general. It seems to me that humans are not too keen on rules and structures. The odd thing about this observation is that it belies that myriad of differing and varyingly complex systems of rules and structures in places all over the world. Nevertheless I think that the only reason we put systems in place is out of a deep sense of self-preservation and a fear of chaos (both admirably legitimate concerns which I whole-heartedly share).
Still…despite this it seems our nature is to resist systems, to push the envelope of structures or to take the role of iconoclast and shatter them utterly. We tend toward the chaotic. The universe is moving toward entropy and we have a tendancy in this direction as well. I don’t say it is a good thing but an observation I have had.
In terms of society this manifests itself in anti-social behaviour, anti-establishment behaviour. Once again – I am not speaking of the right movement of people against systems and structures that perpetuate injustice rather I speak of the general desire to buck any system, just or unjust, because it limits a person in some way.
Cultural History moves in waves or cycles and there have been times of high adherance to structure (Victorian Age) and times of intense opposition to it (the Romantic era and the current post-modern).
Since culture is the inescapable water we swim in it should be no surprise that these movements impact pretty much every aspect of our existence – including (or especially) the church. In the church I see it manifested as a general desire to move a way from a rigid structure of systematic theology, rules, formats and formulas, styles of worship, prayer etc. To be sure God in His transcednance can not be systematized, boxed, packaged and programmed for our use. Of course over-structuring can also lead to legalism and this is NEVER a good thing.
In defense of the removal of structure it has been said that we do this in order to experience the free movement of the Spirit of God and we should be able to seek Him in the way we choose and that structural worship/rules inhibit this.
I think though that the deeper impetus of this anti-structuralism, anti-regulation is simply the aforementioned movement of people to chaos/entropy.
Look at it this way – as a poet I have latched on to a free-verse style in my writing. I find it liberating and brilliantly enabling in terms of giving me a voice to express my feelings. However – the poetry I admire most and consider the best are those poems that were written within a rigid set of rhyming/rhythmic structures and rules. In my opinion the greatest poem ever written is Edgar Allan Poe’s The Bells. To me the rhyme and metre of this poem is surpassed by nothing ever written. I believe that the beauty of this poem absolutely requires the rigid set of rhyme and rhythmic structures employed. As a free verse poem it would lose all power.
Some attempt to pay lip-service to structure in poetry by choosing the simplest of all poetic structures – the rhyming couplet. However the structure does not elicit much beauty from the poem or poet and is generally most suitable to a limerick like "there once was a man from Nantucket…" which we simply laugh at but are not moved or transformed by.
In terms of God and Christianity I suspect legalism is simply a Christian version of the limerick…it pays lip service to the value of structure and in the end is sadly laughable. The deeper beauty of Christianity comes at the cost of submitting to structure that is almost forced upon us. The underground church in China is growing at a passion and pace not seen since the days of the early church in no small part because of the repressive structures in place that constrain the church itself. The vine grows best when it is vigorously pruned and managed rather than left to grow uncontrollably and in chaos.
I suspect we will see beautiful things from the church in China and elsewhere where it is subjected to a certain rigidity. Afterall, the transcendant God who we worship as the most free of all chose to utterly constrain Himself into the rigid structure of human flesh with all the limitations that that entails when He came as Jesus Christ. Christ the immanence of God. Christ the most beautiful expression of God. But not without pain. Not without structure and limitation…
Harnessing Chaos 
as a poet I have latched on to a free-verse style
in my writing. I find it liberating and brilliantly enabling in terms
of giving me a voice to express my feelings. However – the poety I
admire most and consider the best are those poems that were written
within a rigid set of rhyming/rhythmic structures and rulesI have had difficulty dealing with that dichotomy in my own writing. I have always loved the freedom of free verse, yet maintained the belief that the best poets could express themselves in rhyme and metre, which imho, makes a genius poet.
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