Quest for Respectability = Routinization of Charisma?
Between Brother Maynard's and Len Hjalmarsson's recent blog entries which touched on the Vineyard movement and the position papers they published in response to some of the criticisms, I've been thinking a lot about what Bill Jackson called "the routinization of charisma". Len called it "from movement to machine".
As Wendy and I bounced ideas around, it struck me suddenly that all of the heavy-duty criticisms of the Vineyard happened rapid-fire over a two-and-a-half year period (mid-1990 until late 1992), and then stopped -- with the notable exception of the reaction to the Toronto Blessing in 1994-95.
I remember having coffee with Mark Woodley (one of the Canadians mentioned in the Jesus People website) when I was 20 -- he had planted a radical alternative church, and it was filled mostly with new converts, but within ten or twelve years (when he and I were talking), these same people were trying to "tame" Mark because he was too radical(!).
The Vineyard hasn't been attacked much in recent years. They're generally respectable. They aren't the centre of controversy anymore. Neither are the Jesus People (out of whom the Vineyard came, however indirectly). Then I read again Jesus' chilling warning: "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets." (Luke 6:26) If our goal becomes to not be attacked, to not be criticized, to be accepted and respected and welcome at the dinner table -- what of importance will we have to explain away, or downplay, or renounce?
What if the door to the routinization of charisma (or going from movement to machine, to quote Len), is the quest/desire for respectability?
As Wendy and I bounced ideas around, it struck me suddenly that all of the heavy-duty criticisms of the Vineyard happened rapid-fire over a two-and-a-half year period (mid-1990 until late 1992), and then stopped -- with the notable exception of the reaction to the Toronto Blessing in 1994-95.
I have always found it interesting that there is a sixth Vineyard Position Paper -- "Renewal Apologetics" by Derek Morphew -- that is only available through the Vineyard Bible Institute in South Africa. My guess is that after giving the left foot of dis-fellowship to the Toronto Airport Vineyard, VineyardUSA didn't want to provide an apologetic in defence of what they were trying to distance themselves from.
 | I once had a conversation with a guy from Detroit who had been converted during the Jesus People Movement in the 1960's, and he warned me that respectability -- and the desire to be accepted/respected by other churches/movements -- was what he felt had blunted the radical edge of the Jesus People. They grew tired of being criticized, worked harder to be accepted by the religious norm, and were not only accepted, but absorbed -- losing their prophetic edge by merging with the mainstream. |
I remember having coffee with Mark Woodley (one of the Canadians mentioned in the Jesus People website) when I was 20 -- he had planted a radical alternative church, and it was filled mostly with new converts, but within ten or twelve years (when he and I were talking), these same people were trying to "tame" Mark because he was too radical(!).
The Vineyard hasn't been attacked much in recent years. They're generally respectable. They aren't the centre of controversy anymore. Neither are the Jesus People (out of whom the Vineyard came, however indirectly). Then I read again Jesus' chilling warning: "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets." (Luke 6:26) If our goal becomes to not be attacked, to not be criticized, to be accepted and respected and welcome at the dinner table -- what of importance will we have to explain away, or downplay, or renounce?
What if the door to the routinization of charisma (or going from movement to machine, to quote Len), is the quest/desire for respectability?
posted by Robbymac at
6:43 AM
2 Comments:
The reason for the suppossed decrease in criticism (I have not seen this decrease per Google search) is due to the Vineyard's response to the accusations of heresy. I doubt strongly that this is what the scripture in Luke is talking about. If your interpretation of the scripture is cvorrect than maybe Mormons and Jwhovah's Witnesss are in good company...I think not.
The Vineyard's responses were fantastic. As a Vineyard pastor, they were helpful to me when confronted by angry people inspired by the likes of John MacArthur to attack and misrepresent what we believed.
It could easily be argued that the decrease in criticism was simply because the critics were busy finding new targets to keep their book sales rolling. But perhaps that's a tad too cynical...
I don't think you can take what I wrote and suggest that Mormons and JW's are in the same category. Not by a long shot.
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