Ammunition & Understanding
I've observed some interesting things over the years as a result of (A) being a "Christian rock" musician when many churches thought it was all satanic, (B) being a Vineyard pastor during the heyday of the Toronto Blessing, and (C) blogging in the midst of the emerging/missional conversation in the late 90's and early 21C.
Strangely, the same things apply to the recent discussion and great comments on personality profiles and their usefulness and/or abusefulness (is that a word?).
The use of personality profiles would be very similar, depending on who is using them and why. To gain understanding in order to appreciate the "other" and value the uniqueness of individuals in a missional gathering would be encouraging and freeing. To gain ammunition for the intent of belittling, judging, or manipulating, would obviously be dirty pool and a betrayal/violation of communitas.
Which takes us back again, inexorably, to the issue of missional leadership, and more precisely, the heart, maturity, and trustworthiness of missional leaders.
Meaning, most of us. What has the mirror shown us recently when we've looked in it? Are we trustworthy? Are we mature, or does fear, anger, or undealt-with pain colour our interactions with others?
Strangely, the same things apply to the recent discussion and great comments on personality profiles and their usefulness and/or abusefulness (is that a word?).
 | All questions during the (A) Christian rock/backmasking wars, (B) the Toronto Blessing, and (C) most things emerging/missional fall into two categories:
|
Which takes us back again, inexorably, to the issue of missional leadership, and more precisely, the heart, maturity, and trustworthiness of missional leaders.
Meaning, most of us. What has the mirror shown us recently when we've looked in it? Are we trustworthy? Are we mature, or does fear, anger, or undealt-with pain colour our interactions with others?
 | When we speak of missional leaders, holding to a more community-based way of functioning, it means more of us are leaders, not less. And therefore, the question of seeking understanding or ammunition comes to rest with US in the crosshairs. Tread carefully. |
posted by Robbymac at
5:42 PM
4 Comments:
Thought provoking.
I know I've had to lay down my guns (as Bono sings in "Love and Peace or Else").
Which is really laying down my pride. And seek understanding.
Funny thing that's helped me, is listening to a prof teach a class at Berkley on "non-violence" on pod-cast. Although not Christian, he has a better understanding of non-violence than most Christians.
All that to say, my ammunition is on the shelf, but I do pick it up now and then and shoot at non-living targets, just to vent frustration as hair trigger fingers and laster sights are pointed at me sometimes. Sometimes it sucks playing fair. ;-)
David,
Yes, playing fair while others are hellbent-for-leather can be a character test all on its own!
I totally agree with the need to lay down guns (as often as necessary). For a season after our first (and most brutal) CLB experience, I actually had to AVOID certain Psalms -- you know, the ones that say stuff like "Oh God, break my enemy's face and stuff his teeth down his throat" -- because I kept supplying a name and a face to those Psalms, and it wasn't helping me walk in forgiveness.
A process, forgiveness is. (Picture Yoda giving this advice)
And to quote another great U2 song that speaks to this, we need to NOT "become a monster, so the monster will not break you".
Ammunition vs. understanding...
very very good.
Robby,
I believe that our trustworthiness and effectiveness as missional leaders will depend on our ability to be self-emptying (serving) as opposed to self-promoting. Realistically, we are never 100% self-emptying or self-promoting, but rather degrees of both. The measure of our ability to serve will be the fruit of wholeness and maturity in our walk with the Lord.
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