Book Review.
Willard, Dallas. The Great Omission. Reclaiming Jesus’s essential teachings on discipleship. Harper SanFrancisco. 2006.
Comment. Henry.
Discipleship is obviously a major focus of what we have been calling ‘The Great Commission’. To call it an ‘omission’ is quite justifiable. Of the practice of the disciplines of discipleship there is no end. We never arrive. Just as a conversation about our personal prayer life becomes a bit of an embarrassment so the evaluation of our discipleship disciplines make us uncomfortable. That being said, this resource can be helpful for us and for those for whom we feel responsible.
Unfortunately discipleship is not a requirement for being considered a Christian or becoming a church member. Scripture seems clear that it is basic to being a Christ-follower and experiencing spiritual formation. To neglect it results in missing out on ‘the abundant life’. Because it is so lacking in the lives of so many believers, the church has become ineffective. Its members have become ‘spiritually handicapped’, still in spiritual infancy. We must continually be learning from our Teacher. We may have the keys to the Kingdom but we can fail to access the Kingdom. The Sabbath Rest is of no value to us until we enter into it. Spiritual disciplines are the foundation for the ‘assignment’ of making disciples.
“Spiritual formation (now a popular term) is a matter of reworking all aspects of self.” (56) Christian spiritual formation has its own meaning. It has to do with becoming Christ-like, gaining control over self (the flesh), being stirred by the fire of God from within. Soul care (an antonym for spiritual formation), is all about practicing the presence of God which involves the disciplines of prayer, silence, solitude, etc.
Piety should be “Christ-centered”. (159) Evangelical piety is committed to evangelism, i.e. reaching the lost. In an interview with folks from World Christian/U, Willard answers questions about spiritual disciplines. This interview has a very practical focus. Consistent with Willard’s claim that Jesus was the smartest man that ever lived, he talks about “Jesus the logician”.
A brief inventory and summary of five books on discipleship is given as a sort of appendix. Again, this is good, very practical information.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Our World in Transition.
Book Review.
O’Murchu, Diarmuid. Our World in Transition. Making sense of a changing world. The Crossroad Publishing Company. 2000
D.O.- a priest and social psychologist currently based in London. Lecturer and author on new paradigms from a multi-disciplinary point of view.
Comment. Henry.
In my retirement I have attempted to be a learner. Reading is an important part of that commitment. Learning environments often come with some level of frustration. That was my experience with this book. It reminded me of my first experience with my friend and his abstract art display. I had an appreciation but it was sadly lacking in depth. The author has identified twelve transitions that are part of our changing world. They are ongoing. This would be an exclusive list. By now there may be new transitions happening. This is a very non-religious book written by a ‘man of the cloth’.
The transitions (paradigm shifts) identified in this resource belong to the century spanning the last half of the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century. One such shift was from” the whole being equal to the some of its parts to the whole being greater than the sum of its parts”. (15) The quantum theory was a product of this shift. A transition that is still quite evident is the transition from “a mechanistic to a wholistic understanding of our world”. (21) From indepence we have moved to interdependence.
Creativity comes out of chaos. Institutions, marked by authoritarian leadership where, “control was the leading metaphor; balance, the supreme virtue and conflict the great vice” (79), are transitioning to networking structures. At some levels traditional institutions are still valid. Networks function well globally. Thought patterns have transitioned from linear to lateral. Lateral actions pose a threat to firmly established institutions, e.g. education. The shift from masculine to feminine authority goes beyond the male/female concept to the kind of leadership characteristics, masculine and feminine, that are found in both male and female. Some interesting forces have been active in transitioning from production to process marketing. Work is being humanized, moving beyond the ‘job-for-money’ stage. The shift from church theology to kingdom theology may not be seen by many as a paradigm shift. The transition from physical evolution to psychic evolution is the final shift presented. All change is impacted by evolution.
In all these changes there is a “polarisation” (137) of responses. Three groups of change- agents are involved in these transitions and their strategies are “dialogue, resistance and drift”. (140) Six “cultural nerve-points “(146) resulting from these transitions are:
1. The integration of chaos.
2. The polarity of light and darkness.
3. The rediscovery of the feminine.
4. Cosmology as the primary revelation.
5. The call to outgrow anthropocentrism.
6. Learning to perceive laterally.
O’Murchu, Diarmuid. Our World in Transition. Making sense of a changing world. The Crossroad Publishing Company. 2000
D.O.- a priest and social psychologist currently based in London. Lecturer and author on new paradigms from a multi-disciplinary point of view.
Comment. Henry.
In my retirement I have attempted to be a learner. Reading is an important part of that commitment. Learning environments often come with some level of frustration. That was my experience with this book. It reminded me of my first experience with my friend and his abstract art display. I had an appreciation but it was sadly lacking in depth. The author has identified twelve transitions that are part of our changing world. They are ongoing. This would be an exclusive list. By now there may be new transitions happening. This is a very non-religious book written by a ‘man of the cloth’.
The transitions (paradigm shifts) identified in this resource belong to the century spanning the last half of the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century. One such shift was from” the whole being equal to the some of its parts to the whole being greater than the sum of its parts”. (15) The quantum theory was a product of this shift. A transition that is still quite evident is the transition from “a mechanistic to a wholistic understanding of our world”. (21) From indepence we have moved to interdependence.
Creativity comes out of chaos. Institutions, marked by authoritarian leadership where, “control was the leading metaphor; balance, the supreme virtue and conflict the great vice” (79), are transitioning to networking structures. At some levels traditional institutions are still valid. Networks function well globally. Thought patterns have transitioned from linear to lateral. Lateral actions pose a threat to firmly established institutions, e.g. education. The shift from masculine to feminine authority goes beyond the male/female concept to the kind of leadership characteristics, masculine and feminine, that are found in both male and female. Some interesting forces have been active in transitioning from production to process marketing. Work is being humanized, moving beyond the ‘job-for-money’ stage. The shift from church theology to kingdom theology may not be seen by many as a paradigm shift. The transition from physical evolution to psychic evolution is the final shift presented. All change is impacted by evolution.
In all these changes there is a “polarisation” (137) of responses. Three groups of change- agents are involved in these transitions and their strategies are “dialogue, resistance and drift”. (140) Six “cultural nerve-points “(146) resulting from these transitions are:
1. The integration of chaos.
2. The polarity of light and darkness.
3. The rediscovery of the feminine.
4. Cosmology as the primary revelation.
5. The call to outgrow anthropocentrism.
6. Learning to perceive laterally.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
The Monkey and the Fish.
Book Review.
Gibbons, Dave. The Monkey and the Fish. Liquid leadership for a third-culture church. Zondervan. 2009
Comment. Henry.
Doing church in a global and cultural context is the contemporary challenge that churches must be prepared to respond to. This is a huge challenge. This resource is a helpful tool in attempting to do just that. Like most books (authors) Dave has developed his own vocabulary for presenting his thesis, i.e. third culture church. There are some good take-a-ways here for those who desire to be third-culture personally, to be salt and light. Although the word does not come up, this is really emergent stuff.
“Third culture is the mindset and will to love, learn, and serve in any culture, even in the midst of pain and discomfort.” (38) This is the church’s mandate. We need to continually evaluate how well we are doing when it comes to embracing our third culture. How are we doing when it comes to loving people who are different from us, perhaps even threatening? When we do this we love God. Third-culture churches have made some significant shifts, e.g. individual to community, comfort to painful, etc.
Great leadership focuses more on asking questions than giving answers. “When we make a church not about a place or form but instead a home where everyone plays- a church without walls- we end up with something liberating, empowering, and engaging”. (127)
A third-culture roundtable discussion involving multi-national, multicultural leaders tackled the following topics, “the third-culture concept, crisis in the church, big issues facing the church, and third-culture ministry movements”. (153-163)
www.henrydirksen.blogspot.com
Gibbons, Dave. The Monkey and the Fish. Liquid leadership for a third-culture church. Zondervan. 2009
Comment. Henry.
Doing church in a global and cultural context is the contemporary challenge that churches must be prepared to respond to. This is a huge challenge. This resource is a helpful tool in attempting to do just that. Like most books (authors) Dave has developed his own vocabulary for presenting his thesis, i.e. third culture church. There are some good take-a-ways here for those who desire to be third-culture personally, to be salt and light. Although the word does not come up, this is really emergent stuff.
“Third culture is the mindset and will to love, learn, and serve in any culture, even in the midst of pain and discomfort.” (38) This is the church’s mandate. We need to continually evaluate how well we are doing when it comes to embracing our third culture. How are we doing when it comes to loving people who are different from us, perhaps even threatening? When we do this we love God. Third-culture churches have made some significant shifts, e.g. individual to community, comfort to painful, etc.
Great leadership focuses more on asking questions than giving answers. “When we make a church not about a place or form but instead a home where everyone plays- a church without walls- we end up with something liberating, empowering, and engaging”. (127)
A third-culture roundtable discussion involving multi-national, multicultural leaders tackled the following topics, “the third-culture concept, crisis in the church, big issues facing the church, and third-culture ministry movements”. (153-163)
www.henrydirksen.blogspot.com
Monday, January 18, 2010
Surprised By Hope
Book Review.
Wright, N.T. Surprised By Hope. Rethinking heaven, the resurrection, and the mission of the church. Harper One. 2008.
N.T.W.- one of the world’s top Anglican biblical scholars: bishop of Durham.
Comment. Henry.
This resource stands out in the landscape of popular, contemporary church literature with its focus on theology. For me the read was a welcome, stimulating change. Our knowledge of scripture is a fundamental building block for our spiritual growth and transformation. This book provides great ‘building material’. For me the ’take-a-way’ was the exegeting of the phrase, “Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven”, from the Lord’s Prayer. We are what we believe. This book can help us with getting some clarity on what we believe.
Very few Christians know what the orthodox Christian belief is about death and resurrection. Confusion about these topics is demonstrated in our hymns and practices, e.g. cremation. “What we say about death and resurrection gives shape and to color everything else.” (25)
Resurrection is a concept unique to Judaism and Christianity. It is much more than just life after death. Christians believed in an immediate resurrection, e.g. Jesus. Most Jews believed in an eventual resurrection. The transition from Jewish beliefs to articulated Christian beliefs involve seven modifications or mutations.
When it comes to the stories of Easter, there are almost no “biblical echoes”. (53) The witnesses were women, not credible in the ancient culture. Jesus appeared in a very normal, physical body, not as Daniel had described him. I.e. a shining star. Furthermore, this body was not limited to physical laws (he entered rooms without using entrances). There is no mention in the Easter stories about future resurrection hope. “Believing in the resurrection of Jesus becomes a matter of discovering hope in the twenty-first century.” (75)
There are two popular answers suggested to the question, “What is God’s purpose for the world as a whole?” (80) The first answer is called “the myth of progress”. (81) It is represented by teachings of evolution and teachings of Pierre Teillard de Chardin and the New Age spirituality. The second answer, called “the negative myth” (87) is represented by the Platonic irresponsible attitude toward creation. The Christian answer focuses on what God has done in Jesus and will do by his resurrection “for the whole world- the entire cosmos”. (91)
Early Christians “believed that God was going to do for the whole cosmos what he had done for Jesus at Easter.” (93) Col. 1:15-20, 1Cor. 15, Rev. 21&22, are scriptures suggested to support this claim. “The redeemed people of God in the new world will be agents of his love going out in new ways, to accomplish new creative tasks, to celebrate and extend the glory of his love.” (106)
The resurrection and the ascension are two separate events. Eschatology must consider “the entire sense of God’s future” (122), not just the second coming. Jesus is coming as judge. “Resurrection isn’t life after death; it is life ‘after’ life after death.” (169) If there is a purgatory it functions in the present life not after death. (Wright humour.) Paradise is pre-resurrection. There is no indication that we should pray for the dead but there may be an option to pray to the dead and they in turn may pray for us. Those who are consistent and continual in their rejection of God’s love and forgiveness are “beyond hope, beyond pity”. (175)
We cannot get mission right until we get resurrection right. Salvation is- being raised to life in God’s new heaven and new earth”. (198) such a salvation is inclusive, i.e. not just humans but also creation. Such a salvation is both present and future and is nurtured by faith.
When we are doing the works that God has for us to do we are investing in the coming ‘new creation’. That is provides great motivation to work. “Beauty matters”. (222) Art is a response to the beauty of creation. Evangelism (conversion) is all about the gospel that presents an invitation to become a Christ follower, not a passport to heaven.
“Easter commissions Jesus’ followers (the church) for a task: Pentecost gives them the necessary equipment to accomplish it.” (239) Based on the writings of Paul a case is made for the resurrection ushering in “the new world”, (253) God’s kingdom on earth.
There needs to be a higher level of celebration at Easter. It is a coming together of heaven and earth. The hope of Easter involves, “six central aspects of Christianity: new birth and baptism, Eucharist, prayer, scripture, holiness, and love.” (271-285)
Jesus’ resurrection is the beginning of God’s new project not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize the earth with the life of heaven. That, after all, is what the Lord’s Prayer is about.” (293)
www.henrydirksen.blogspot.com
Wright, N.T. Surprised By Hope. Rethinking heaven, the resurrection, and the mission of the church. Harper One. 2008.
N.T.W.- one of the world’s top Anglican biblical scholars: bishop of Durham.
Comment. Henry.
This resource stands out in the landscape of popular, contemporary church literature with its focus on theology. For me the read was a welcome, stimulating change. Our knowledge of scripture is a fundamental building block for our spiritual growth and transformation. This book provides great ‘building material’. For me the ’take-a-way’ was the exegeting of the phrase, “Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven”, from the Lord’s Prayer. We are what we believe. This book can help us with getting some clarity on what we believe.
Very few Christians know what the orthodox Christian belief is about death and resurrection. Confusion about these topics is demonstrated in our hymns and practices, e.g. cremation. “What we say about death and resurrection gives shape and to color everything else.” (25)
Resurrection is a concept unique to Judaism and Christianity. It is much more than just life after death. Christians believed in an immediate resurrection, e.g. Jesus. Most Jews believed in an eventual resurrection. The transition from Jewish beliefs to articulated Christian beliefs involve seven modifications or mutations.
When it comes to the stories of Easter, there are almost no “biblical echoes”. (53) The witnesses were women, not credible in the ancient culture. Jesus appeared in a very normal, physical body, not as Daniel had described him. I.e. a shining star. Furthermore, this body was not limited to physical laws (he entered rooms without using entrances). There is no mention in the Easter stories about future resurrection hope. “Believing in the resurrection of Jesus becomes a matter of discovering hope in the twenty-first century.” (75)
There are two popular answers suggested to the question, “What is God’s purpose for the world as a whole?” (80) The first answer is called “the myth of progress”. (81) It is represented by teachings of evolution and teachings of Pierre Teillard de Chardin and the New Age spirituality. The second answer, called “the negative myth” (87) is represented by the Platonic irresponsible attitude toward creation. The Christian answer focuses on what God has done in Jesus and will do by his resurrection “for the whole world- the entire cosmos”. (91)
Early Christians “believed that God was going to do for the whole cosmos what he had done for Jesus at Easter.” (93) Col. 1:15-20, 1Cor. 15, Rev. 21&22, are scriptures suggested to support this claim. “The redeemed people of God in the new world will be agents of his love going out in new ways, to accomplish new creative tasks, to celebrate and extend the glory of his love.” (106)
The resurrection and the ascension are two separate events. Eschatology must consider “the entire sense of God’s future” (122), not just the second coming. Jesus is coming as judge. “Resurrection isn’t life after death; it is life ‘after’ life after death.” (169) If there is a purgatory it functions in the present life not after death. (Wright humour.) Paradise is pre-resurrection. There is no indication that we should pray for the dead but there may be an option to pray to the dead and they in turn may pray for us. Those who are consistent and continual in their rejection of God’s love and forgiveness are “beyond hope, beyond pity”. (175)
We cannot get mission right until we get resurrection right. Salvation is- being raised to life in God’s new heaven and new earth”. (198) such a salvation is inclusive, i.e. not just humans but also creation. Such a salvation is both present and future and is nurtured by faith.
When we are doing the works that God has for us to do we are investing in the coming ‘new creation’. That is provides great motivation to work. “Beauty matters”. (222) Art is a response to the beauty of creation. Evangelism (conversion) is all about the gospel that presents an invitation to become a Christ follower, not a passport to heaven.
“Easter commissions Jesus’ followers (the church) for a task: Pentecost gives them the necessary equipment to accomplish it.” (239) Based on the writings of Paul a case is made for the resurrection ushering in “the new world”, (253) God’s kingdom on earth.
There needs to be a higher level of celebration at Easter. It is a coming together of heaven and earth. The hope of Easter involves, “six central aspects of Christianity: new birth and baptism, Eucharist, prayer, scripture, holiness, and love.” (271-285)
Jesus’ resurrection is the beginning of God’s new project not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize the earth with the life of heaven. That, after all, is what the Lord’s Prayer is about.” (293)
www.henrydirksen.blogspot.com
Sunday, January 10, 2010
The Way Of Jesus
Book Review.
Campbell, Jonathan, S. Campbell, Jennifer. The Way Of Jesus. A journey of freedom for pilgrims and wanderers. Jossey-Boss. 2005. A Leadership Network publication.
Comment. Henry.
There are many stories around about people who have been disillusioned with the institutionalized church of modernity. This is the story of Jonathan and Jennifer Campbell. What makes their story more intense is that they were involved in positions of significant leadership. Jonathan has a PhD from Fuller. He was a ‘successful’ pastor and trainer of church planters and professor at graduate schools. After twelve years of professional ministry they left all that (and Christianity) to enter into what they call ‘the way of Jesus’. I found this book thought provoking and sometimes provoking. However, it is important to be aware of what is happening in our church environment if we are to be missional and/or relevant.
There is an inverse correlation between possessions and spiritual vitality. The author’s disappointing experiences with Christianity (see p. 19) are disturbing. The ‘Jesus Way’ is quite different from Christianity. It is among other things, a response to New Age spirituality. Two cultural chasms seem to characterize the church; the “church-culture chasm” (35, and the “church-Jesus chasm”. (38)
The ‘Jesus Way’ is really a rediscovery of first century Christendom. There is nothing new. Jesus is still the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In developing the concept of the “reality of the body of Christ” (69) a severe deconstruction (demolition) is done of the institutionalized church. The Thessalonian fellowship of believers is held up as an example of an effective church, i.e. people of the Way. Disciples are discussed under the topics “seed, sower, soil, Spirit, and sacrifice”. (84)
The analogy from scripture about wines and wineskins is used to explain the need for the ‘Jesus Way’. To access this way requires a letting go of and a dying to the status quo. We have “social longings for connection, ecological longings for creation, and spiritual longings for connection with the Creator”. (127) Our desire for God, our need for God, is primal.
Our identity, made in the image of God, has been severely impacted by the Fall. Our destiny is a restoration to a position of relationship with God through atonement. Living by faith is part of the ‘Way of Jesus’. Christ’s sufficiency becomes an increasing reality as we experience losses. “In Christ we undergo a metamorphosis, literally a changing of form.” (185)
Finding our way beyond religion is a difficult undertaking. Fruits of freedom are the result of ‘streams of living water’. Interconnectedness with life can only happen when Christ is the centre of our being. We must live what we believe. When we give what we have received from God, i.e. love, healing and forgiveness, we experience “Christ in community”. (219)
Here is the advice the author gives regarding what we should do with what we have read. “Gather all into your hand. Pick out the good to hold close to your heart. Blow the rest away with the breath of kindness. Know that whatever good you find is from the Creator.” Robert Francis, a Cherokee elder, talking about a hickory nut. I am not quite sure what I have but I seem to be quite breathless.
www.henrydirksen.blogspot.com
Campbell, Jonathan, S. Campbell, Jennifer. The Way Of Jesus. A journey of freedom for pilgrims and wanderers. Jossey-Boss. 2005. A Leadership Network publication.
Comment. Henry.
There are many stories around about people who have been disillusioned with the institutionalized church of modernity. This is the story of Jonathan and Jennifer Campbell. What makes their story more intense is that they were involved in positions of significant leadership. Jonathan has a PhD from Fuller. He was a ‘successful’ pastor and trainer of church planters and professor at graduate schools. After twelve years of professional ministry they left all that (and Christianity) to enter into what they call ‘the way of Jesus’. I found this book thought provoking and sometimes provoking. However, it is important to be aware of what is happening in our church environment if we are to be missional and/or relevant.
There is an inverse correlation between possessions and spiritual vitality. The author’s disappointing experiences with Christianity (see p. 19) are disturbing. The ‘Jesus Way’ is quite different from Christianity. It is among other things, a response to New Age spirituality. Two cultural chasms seem to characterize the church; the “church-culture chasm” (35, and the “church-Jesus chasm”. (38)
The ‘Jesus Way’ is really a rediscovery of first century Christendom. There is nothing new. Jesus is still the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In developing the concept of the “reality of the body of Christ” (69) a severe deconstruction (demolition) is done of the institutionalized church. The Thessalonian fellowship of believers is held up as an example of an effective church, i.e. people of the Way. Disciples are discussed under the topics “seed, sower, soil, Spirit, and sacrifice”. (84)
The analogy from scripture about wines and wineskins is used to explain the need for the ‘Jesus Way’. To access this way requires a letting go of and a dying to the status quo. We have “social longings for connection, ecological longings for creation, and spiritual longings for connection with the Creator”. (127) Our desire for God, our need for God, is primal.
Our identity, made in the image of God, has been severely impacted by the Fall. Our destiny is a restoration to a position of relationship with God through atonement. Living by faith is part of the ‘Way of Jesus’. Christ’s sufficiency becomes an increasing reality as we experience losses. “In Christ we undergo a metamorphosis, literally a changing of form.” (185)
Finding our way beyond religion is a difficult undertaking. Fruits of freedom are the result of ‘streams of living water’. Interconnectedness with life can only happen when Christ is the centre of our being. We must live what we believe. When we give what we have received from God, i.e. love, healing and forgiveness, we experience “Christ in community”. (219)
Here is the advice the author gives regarding what we should do with what we have read. “Gather all into your hand. Pick out the good to hold close to your heart. Blow the rest away with the breath of kindness. Know that whatever good you find is from the Creator.” Robert Francis, a Cherokee elder, talking about a hickory nut. I am not quite sure what I have but I seem to be quite breathless.
www.henrydirksen.blogspot.com
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Organic Leadership
Book Review.
Cole, Neil. Organic Leadership. Leading naturally right where you are. Baker Books. 2009.
Comment. Henry.
This book is sequel to “Organic Church” by the same author. There is strong push-back on many commonly accepted practices by conservative/traditional churches. I believe at times it is too harsh if not unfair. E.g. Pharisaism is a result of church tradition. He does not say these practices are wrong but his attack is aggressive. What is presented is not new but in the current context of today’s church environment it is challenging. Endorsements speak of Neil’s courage and clarity with which he confronts the need for change.
In his foreword, Reggie McNeal points out that the present missional movement is a shift from church based to kingdom based priorities. This shift must be reflected in the leadership of the church. Kingdom leaders will have an influence that goes beyond the church.
The institutionalizing of the church spawns two serious problems. Individuals look to the church to have their needs met. God is limited to what happens in the institution. The solution is not doing away with the church but creating a freedom within the church. Leaders must always be prepared to deal with dangers of power, possessions, and pleasure.
“I have always sought Christian unity but not at the price of servitude.” Martin Luther. The blame for modern “pharisaism” (58) is placed squarely on tradition. To use the author’s own words, “Perhaps I was a little too pointed and aggressive.’ (77)
There are six ways presented on how leaders keep their congregants in the dark, e.g. being “gatekeepers for God”. (79) Spiritual authority must flow from Christ (the head) to leaders and not through a chain of command.
There are many dichotomies in church culture that must be dealt with, e.g. secular vrs sacred, clergy vrs laity, members vrs adherents, parachurch vrs local church, etc. There are parachurch organizations that are considered parasites of the church. The church has actually ‘out-sourced’ spiritual responsibilities. A church that is run like a business will die.
When it comes to finding leaders “recruitment sucks”. (132) There are very few examples in scripture of finding leaders this way. Leaders need to be developed from within, grown “organically”. (140) Successful leaders are recognized by faithfulness, fruitfulness and finishing well. Five factors are identified that are part of finishing well.
In the kingdom of God leadership takes on an upside-down model. Leadership is influence. Here are five types of authority listed in order of their strength, “positional, expertise, relational, moral and spiritual”. (177) Delegated authority is compared to distributed authority. Christ is our example of “downward mobility”, (184) e.g. incarnation and execution which was followed by exaltation. Incarnational leadership is being and living Christ-like.
Developing leaders involves mentoring, a one on one activity. It cannot be done in a classroom with curriculum.
To maximize life you must embrace death, e.g. a life producing seed. Only under rare circumstance should pastors be paid. This is not a job. By way of conclusion Neil draws parallels between organic leadership and organic churches.
Cole, Neil. Organic Leadership. Leading naturally right where you are. Baker Books. 2009.
Comment. Henry.
This book is sequel to “Organic Church” by the same author. There is strong push-back on many commonly accepted practices by conservative/traditional churches. I believe at times it is too harsh if not unfair. E.g. Pharisaism is a result of church tradition. He does not say these practices are wrong but his attack is aggressive. What is presented is not new but in the current context of today’s church environment it is challenging. Endorsements speak of Neil’s courage and clarity with which he confronts the need for change.
In his foreword, Reggie McNeal points out that the present missional movement is a shift from church based to kingdom based priorities. This shift must be reflected in the leadership of the church. Kingdom leaders will have an influence that goes beyond the church.
The institutionalizing of the church spawns two serious problems. Individuals look to the church to have their needs met. God is limited to what happens in the institution. The solution is not doing away with the church but creating a freedom within the church. Leaders must always be prepared to deal with dangers of power, possessions, and pleasure.
“I have always sought Christian unity but not at the price of servitude.” Martin Luther. The blame for modern “pharisaism” (58) is placed squarely on tradition. To use the author’s own words, “Perhaps I was a little too pointed and aggressive.’ (77)
There are six ways presented on how leaders keep their congregants in the dark, e.g. being “gatekeepers for God”. (79) Spiritual authority must flow from Christ (the head) to leaders and not through a chain of command.
There are many dichotomies in church culture that must be dealt with, e.g. secular vrs sacred, clergy vrs laity, members vrs adherents, parachurch vrs local church, etc. There are parachurch organizations that are considered parasites of the church. The church has actually ‘out-sourced’ spiritual responsibilities. A church that is run like a business will die.
When it comes to finding leaders “recruitment sucks”. (132) There are very few examples in scripture of finding leaders this way. Leaders need to be developed from within, grown “organically”. (140) Successful leaders are recognized by faithfulness, fruitfulness and finishing well. Five factors are identified that are part of finishing well.
In the kingdom of God leadership takes on an upside-down model. Leadership is influence. Here are five types of authority listed in order of their strength, “positional, expertise, relational, moral and spiritual”. (177) Delegated authority is compared to distributed authority. Christ is our example of “downward mobility”, (184) e.g. incarnation and execution which was followed by exaltation. Incarnational leadership is being and living Christ-like.
Developing leaders involves mentoring, a one on one activity. It cannot be done in a classroom with curriculum.
To maximize life you must embrace death, e.g. a life producing seed. Only under rare circumstance should pastors be paid. This is not a job. By way of conclusion Neil draws parallels between organic leadership and organic churches.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Deep Church
Book Review.
Belcher, Jim. Deep Church. A third way beyond emerging and tradition. IVP Books2009.
J.B.- founding church planter and lead pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church (RPC) in Newport Beach, California,
Comment. Henry.
When confronted with two equally unacceptable alternatives it seems that a third acceptable option would be wonderful. This would be the most optimistic assessment of this resource. To call a choice that is an alternative between emergence and traditional “deep church” is somewhat profound. A lot of diligence and research has gone into the development of this alternative. The commitment to mission and community makes this choice relevant. The present ‘success’ of Redeemer Presbyterian suggests that “deep church” is doable.
In his introduction Jim expresses deep concern about the ‘gap’ that he feels exists between the camps of the emergent and the traditional. This book is his alternative or ‘’a third way”.
During his initial experience with emergence he came to the conclusion that he was both an “insider and outsider”. (Conflict avoidance syndrome?) As he began to explore a third way he made a commitment to learn all he could about emergence and traditional.
Neither the traditional churches nor the seeker movement churches have been successful in reaching the present generation. In an attempt to understand the emergent movement it is helpful to know what they are protesting against in the traditional church(es). Seven issues are identified. “Captivity to Enlightenment rationalism. A narrow view of salvation. Belief before belonging. Uncontextualized worship. Weak ecclesiology. Tribalism.” (40-43) The varying positions put forward suggests that “the emerging tent (44) What is needed between emergent and traditional is “unity in the gospel, in evangelical essentials”. (54) When they use the term ‘postmodern’ they attach differing meanings to the term.
Traditional churches are said to be boundary set (foundationalism); emergent churches are centre-set (post-foundationalism). When provision is made for ‘belonging before believing’ there needs to be a strong focus on believing. Another area of controversy is the topic of the kingdom of God. What some emergents believe to be the kingdom is considered by some traditionalists as a slippery slope of liberalism and a social gospel and a form of reductionism.
The four commitments of Jim’s ‘deep church’ (RPC) are: “Gospel- Community- Mission- Shalom”. (121) ‘Deep worship’ is developed by drawing from “the Bible tradition and culture”. (137) “Deep preaching’ “happens in centred-set preaching, in community groups and in individual lives”. (159) Ecclesiology is made up of “Bible + Tradition + Mission”. (173)
Where emerging and traditional camps are most divided is culture. Emergents are accused of being assimilated by culture and traditionalists are accused of being irrelevant in culture. This division provides motivation for Jim and his deep church alternative. Church must be understood as being an organization (traditional) and an organism (emergent). This calls for a “common-grace language”. (192) in conclusion Jim presents “seven suggestions for becoming a deep church”. (204)
Note: I am aware that I am interchanging the terms emergence and emergent and I apologize for the confusion that may cause. I know they do not mean the same thing.
Belcher, Jim. Deep Church. A third way beyond emerging and tradition. IVP Books2009.
J.B.- founding church planter and lead pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church (RPC) in Newport Beach, California,
Comment. Henry.
When confronted with two equally unacceptable alternatives it seems that a third acceptable option would be wonderful. This would be the most optimistic assessment of this resource. To call a choice that is an alternative between emergence and traditional “deep church” is somewhat profound. A lot of diligence and research has gone into the development of this alternative. The commitment to mission and community makes this choice relevant. The present ‘success’ of Redeemer Presbyterian suggests that “deep church” is doable.
In his introduction Jim expresses deep concern about the ‘gap’ that he feels exists between the camps of the emergent and the traditional. This book is his alternative or ‘’a third way”.
During his initial experience with emergence he came to the conclusion that he was both an “insider and outsider”. (Conflict avoidance syndrome?) As he began to explore a third way he made a commitment to learn all he could about emergence and traditional.
Neither the traditional churches nor the seeker movement churches have been successful in reaching the present generation. In an attempt to understand the emergent movement it is helpful to know what they are protesting against in the traditional church(es). Seven issues are identified. “Captivity to Enlightenment rationalism. A narrow view of salvation. Belief before belonging. Uncontextualized worship. Weak ecclesiology. Tribalism.” (40-43) The varying positions put forward suggests that “the emerging tent (44) What is needed between emergent and traditional is “unity in the gospel, in evangelical essentials”. (54) When they use the term ‘postmodern’ they attach differing meanings to the term.
Traditional churches are said to be boundary set (foundationalism); emergent churches are centre-set (post-foundationalism). When provision is made for ‘belonging before believing’ there needs to be a strong focus on believing. Another area of controversy is the topic of the kingdom of God. What some emergents believe to be the kingdom is considered by some traditionalists as a slippery slope of liberalism and a social gospel and a form of reductionism.
The four commitments of Jim’s ‘deep church’ (RPC) are: “Gospel- Community- Mission- Shalom”. (121) ‘Deep worship’ is developed by drawing from “the Bible tradition and culture”. (137) “Deep preaching’ “happens in centred-set preaching, in community groups and in individual lives”. (159) Ecclesiology is made up of “Bible + Tradition + Mission”. (173)
Where emerging and traditional camps are most divided is culture. Emergents are accused of being assimilated by culture and traditionalists are accused of being irrelevant in culture. This division provides motivation for Jim and his deep church alternative. Church must be understood as being an organization (traditional) and an organism (emergent). This calls for a “common-grace language”. (192) in conclusion Jim presents “seven suggestions for becoming a deep church”. (204)
Note: I am aware that I am interchanging the terms emergence and emergent and I apologize for the confusion that may cause. I know they do not mean the same thing.
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