Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Who are you, really?

Here is an interesting post from Ryan Dueck entitled: 

I Don’t Want to Be a "Menno"nite


It happened again the other day.  That predictable conversation that begins with, “So what do you do?”, traverses through the awkward terrain where it is discovered that I belong to that most bizarre and incomprehensible of categories—“pastor”—thus placing myself outside the boundaries of ordinary humanity, and ends, inevitably, with a tortured query about what kind of creature, exactly, a Mennonite might be.  I can almost write the script by now: “You’re a what?”  “Why would you want to do that?”  “Don’t Mennonites drive horses and buggies and wear only black?”  “How many kinds of Mennonites are there?”  “You’re a what?! Add a few variations here and there, for colour and variety.  Rinse and repeat.
So, I started to write a post about my discomfort with names and labels and the ways in which they limit and restrict conversations… about how I don’t like labels like “Mennonite” very much, even though I am grateful to and for those who have gone before me, even though I know that there is no such things as an un-traditioned worldview, no such thing as a way of understanding oneself and living in the world that does not lean heavily, whether acknowledged or not, upon the intellectual, ideological and historical capital of the past.  But then I realized that I wrote that post five and a half years ago.  So I stopped.
As I reread my previous post and as I reflected upon the tired old conversation rehearsed above, it occurred to me that there’s another reason that I often don’t want to be known as a Mennonite.  It’s not just my discomfort with the limiting nature of labels, not just the fact that I don’t particularly enjoy being associated with certain expressions of Mennonite-ness (past or present), not just the pragmatic reality that the word “Mennonite” can often serve as a barrier for postmodern folks who have little time for arcane historical and theological distinctions, not just that denominational differences can seem increasingly irrelevant in an era of dwindling church attendance and religious commitment.  Each of these concerns resonates with me personally, to varying degrees, but there’s something else, too.
While I admire Menno Simons greatly, and while I think that his historical legacy is important, and while I am grateful for the many women and men who were emboldened to courageously follow Jesus through this man’s teachings,  I simply don’t like the idea of so rigidly identifying myself with his name.
I don’t like the idea of calling myself a Menno-nite any more than I would like the idea of calling myself a Rick Warren-ite or a N.T. Wright-ite or a John Piper-ite or a Miroslav Volf-ite or an anyone-ite (although, admittedly, some of the above options are immensely more attractive than others!).  I am a human being.  I am a follower of Jesus.  I am a husband, a father, a brother, a son, a friend, a neighbour, and a whole host of other things.  But a Mennonite?  Why should I name myself after some guy who lived half a millennia ago, who was a flawed human being, just like everyone else?
Martin Luther, John Calvin, Menno Simons, John Wesley, Jan Hus, Augustine of Hippo… the list could go on and on.  And on.  All of these people played an important role of the story of God once upon a time.  All are worthy of the honour we accord them.  But I suspect that none of them would have been comfortable having a movement named after them.  I suspect the idea that words like “Lutheran,” “Calvinist,” and “Mennonite” being affixed to entire churches and denominations would have been abhorrent to Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Menno Simons.  And whatever these dear gentlemen might have thought of the idea, think it is abhorrent that these words, these names have been used (and continue to be used) to spawn all manner of tribalistic nonsense that, aside from just being stupid and immoral, is profoundly damaging to the mission of the church.
I could be making too much of this.  But I doubt it :).
I think of Paul’s exasperated exhortations to the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:10-17)—Stop saying, “I follow Paul” or “I belong to Apollos” or “I’m with Cephas.”  You’re all in Christ!!  Stop it with the stupid games and allegiances built upon the fragile castles of human personality, leadership style, theology, etc.
Or, more importantly, I think of Jesus words in Matthew 23:8-12:
But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven.  Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah.  The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.
As I read this passage, I think Jesus is going beyond simply putting the scribes and Pharisees in their place.  He is making a profound point about the nature of human allegiance and our temptation to render inappropriate honour in inappropriate ways.  His rebuke is for all of us.  You are all students and you have one instructor.  Stop elevating yourselves, stop climbing all over each other to make sure that the right people are elevated in the right ways with the right names.  Stop implying that some people matter more than others because of what or how they think or do. Just stop. That isn’t how things work in this kingdom.  In this kingdom, things have an upside down look and feel.  We don’t honour people in the same ways and for the same reasons here.  You have one Father, one teacher, one Messiah in this kingdom.  So stop.
I get it that we all come from somewhere.  I get it that none of us comes to Jesus in a vacuum.  I get it that there is richness and diversity in the Christian tradition, and that it’s important to be honest and open about the “lenses” through which we interpret and live out faith in Jesus.  I get it that there are some distinctions that really do matter, and that we have to use imperfect tools and terms to convey this because imperfect tools and terms are all we have.  I get it that these names undoubtedly have too much historical and institutional weight by now to simply jettison because some guy with a blog is tired of explaining what a Mennonite is.  I get all of this.
And maybe it’s just because I’m so tired of the “you’re a what?!” conversation…
And it’s not as if I’m going to be crossing off the word on our church sign or anything…
And don’t worry, I promise I won’t fly into a rage the next time someone refers to me as a Mennonite… At least I’ll try not to…
But I don’t want to be a Mennonite.  I don’t want to be an anyone-ite.  I don’t think that’s how we (should) do things in this kingdom.

This is True

by Daniel Berrigan

It is not true that creation and the human family are doomed to destruction and loss—
This is trueFor God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. 

It is not true that we must accept inhumanity and discrimination, hunger and poverty, death and destruction—
This is true: I have come that they may have life, and that abundantly.

It is not true that violence and hatred should have the last word…
This is true:For unto us a child is born, and unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, the Everlasting, the Prince of Peace.

It is not true that we are simply victims of the powers of evil who seek to rule the world—
This is true: To me is given authority in heaven and on earth, and lo, I am with you, even unto the end of the world.

It is not true that we have to wait for those who are specially gifted, who are the prophets of the church, before we can be peacemakers.
This is true: I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh,and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young shall see visions,and your old shall have dreams.

It is not true that our hopes for liberation of humankind, of justice, of human dignity, of peace are not meant for this earth and for this history—
This is true: The hour comes, and it is now, that true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth.

So let us live with hope, even hope against hope.
Let us see visions of love and peace and justice.
Let us affirm with humility, with joy, with faith, with courage:
Jesus Christ—the Life of the world.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

The Upside-Down Kingdom

Jesus turns everything on its head.

We expected the Messiah to be born in a palace - not in a barn.
We expected His parents to be royalty - not poor.
We expected Him to associate with the religious-elite and the wealthy - not the riff raff, the sick, the sinners, or the outcast.
We expected Him to enter Jerusalem on a white stallion -  not on a donkey.
We expected the King to lead an army - not carry a cross.
We expected He would stay dead -  not be raised to life forevermore.

Kingdom of World Kingdom of God
(Power Over) Sword (Power Under) Cross
Allegiance to Caesar Allegiance to Jesus Christ
Flesh / Bondage Spirit / Freedom
Law                                                                      Love
Behavior Modification Inner Transformation
Tribal / National Universal
Conflict  / Chaos Peace / Reconciliation
Childish                                                                  Child-like

God exalts the humbled & humbles the exalted.
The foolishness of the cross shames the wisdom of the world.
The weak are made strong. The strong are made weak.
The last shall be first. The first shall be last.
Sinners are made righteous. The self-righteous are declared sinners.

Almost as crazy as asking us to become as a little child. You've got to be "kidding" in order to enter the Kingdom.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Five Innovative Leadership Lessons

This post comes from Thom S. Rainer, President of LifeWay. 
Millions of people watched the 60 Minutes television report on Amazon and the interview with its leader, Jeff Bezos. Most of the attention turned to the unveiling of small drones that could be used in the future to deliver packages. In fact, Bezos hopes packages will be delivered by drones within 30 minutes from order. That possibility generated its own level of conversation and debate. You can see the entire interview here. It is only about 14 minutes in length.
Unfortunately, the fixation on the drones overshadowed some profound leadership lessons Bezos can teach us. We can learn from him and Amazon whether we like him and the company or not. 
  1. Throw away the box. Most of the time we use the well-worn phrase “Think outside the box.” The problem with that type of thinking is that the box is still our point of reference. We need to be asking how we can do things well beyond our existing and traditional systems. It’s a difficult but necessary exercise. Amazon is Amazon because they refused to use current paradigms as their starting point.
  2. Hard work is strategy. I’ve never known a successful leader who did not expend years working hard. Sometimes we tend to think that there is a lot of luck in success. While there may be fortuitous circumstances, great leaders work hard to take advantage of them. Just eighteen years ago, Bezos was taking Amazon packages to the post office himself.
  3. “Complaining is not a strategy”. A lot of energy has been expended complaining about Amazon. Many have said they have unfair competitive practices. Others object to the way they acquire companies. Great leaders don’t waste time complaining about others. They use the precious resource of time to look to the future. The reason the sentence above is in quotation marks is because it came directly from Bezos in the interview. 
  4. Constantly take incremental steps to do everything better. Even if Amazon is not making dramatic changes or causing disruptive innovation, the company is constantly seeking to improve its existing systems. If you decide to watch the segment, see how they are improving their fulfillment centers incrementally but constantly. Continuous small improvements lead to major improvements.
  5. Create your own disruptive innovation. It is better for an organization to innovate, even if hurts your existing services, products, or even ministries. If you don’t innovate, some other organization will, and the lifespan of your organization will be reduced.

Amazon may not be the paragon of virtues; but they are an incredible company. And Jeff Bezos is an amazing entrepreneurial leader. We would do well to learn from both of them.