Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove wrote a post about the Work Of The People on Duke's Faith & Leadership blog called "Redemption In An Image-Driven Culture." Read it HERE.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Redemption In An Image-Driven Culture
Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove wrote a post about the Work Of The People on Duke's Faith & Leadership blog called "Redemption In An Image-Driven Culture." Read it HERE.
Steve Frost Poetry On IAM
One of Steve's poems titled Family Photos was selected by the Internatioal Arts Movement to commemorate National Poetry Month. You an read it HERE.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Enterprise™
Shane Claiborne posted an interesting article on the emergent movement over at Sojourners. Our 2¢ is posted below. Head on over and join the discussion, or pick it up here. Agree? Disagree? Corrections? Amendments?
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I believe the people who coined the term "emergent" borrowed the term from the field of systems theory. It is one term from a cluster of terms, along with "self-organizing" which provided relatively new and rich language with which to talk about a new moving of God the coiners of the term perceived as happening on a global scale. Here's a handy wikipedia article on the scientific notion of "emergence."
and an exerpt from said article:
"The common characteristics [of emergence] are: (1) radical novelty (features not previously observed in systems); (2) coherence or correlation (meaning integrated wholes that maintain themselves over some period of time); (3) A global or macro "level" (i.e. there is some property of "wholeness"); (4) it is the product of a dynamical process (it evolves); and (5) it is "ostensive" (it can be perceived). For good measure, Goldstein throws in supervenience -- downward causation." (Corning 2002)
In the early days (doesn't that sound quaint) it was a rather rich term for those using it. Unfortunately the term has been bled of most of it's original richness—thus rampant confusion as to its meaning. It has shifted away from an attempt to talk about something "already happening," and has shifted toward a branded enterprise of one's own making. It has shifted toward, as Shane so succinctly put it, Emergent™.
I imagine those who first coined the term would be the last to defend its current iteration. I imagine they would hold more tightly to God's actual moving, which may be described as having emergent properties, than they would hold to an un-radical, un-novel enterprise which had become, by definition, non-emergent. That is, they would hold more tightly to "emergent" as a description than they would to Emergent™ as an enterprise.
I tend to think the people who are involved with the Emergent™ enterprise in its current iteration are people who need an enterprise in which to operate and "emergent" happened to be handy. I imagine they need the "work of God" to be a self constructed, self propelled enterprise. They are uncomfortable with quiet, small, ill defined workings which are inherently out of their control.
I propose the division "emergent" vs "non-emergent" is a red herring, a more useful delineation would be "enterprise" and "non-enterprise."
Enterprise™ comes in many guises: robed, sombre, formal; gelled, tattooed, casual. Any organization imbued with a culture of control, enamoured of its own cleverness and its own innate ability to achieve its way to definable ends is a culture of Enterprise™.
What I find around the world, what I hear Shane saying he has found around the world, what I know many have found around the world is a wild cornucopia of quiet, small, ill defined movings of God which are already happening, it's just a matter of noticing them. The opposite of Enterprise™. You can't, by definition, go to a controlled, centralized, managed Enterprise™ to get a sense of these movings of God. They are antithetical to Enterprise™. People engaged in Enterprise™ would be moving too quickly and loudly in their cloud of clever achieving to notice the quiet, small and ill defined. The only way to get a sense of these movings of God is to sit down with others and listen to stories, or, barring the freedom to travel, sit down with someone who has travelled and listen to their stories about other's stories.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Johnathan Wilson-Hartgrove On Caesar
Jonathan reflects on taxes and Caesar...Films with Jonathan coming soon to TWOTP...
Thursday, April 08, 2010
The Epistemology Of Sugar Cubes
Is your church sugar-cube-ish or rock-candy-ish?
THE EPISTEMOLOGY OF SUGAR CUBES: seeing the world in a sugar cube way.
- People, in general, are discreet entities that can be counted and managed in a predictable way, like a sugar cubes.
-Discreet sugar cubes can be placed in relationship to other discreet sugar cubes.
- To live well is to be constrained. The task of forming Christian people is similar to forming sugar cubes, it is one of constraining. One brings messy and unmanageable material into a uniform, manageable and correct shape. Correct Sugar Cubes.
- A Correct Template is required from which to form Correct Sugar Cubes. A Correct Template is both definable and obtainable.
- The task of forming Correct Sugar Cubes is carried out by “the church.” “The church” consists of paid professionals who have been given the task of forming Correct Sugar Cubes or attracting already formed Correct Sugar Cubes.
- The process of attracting and forming Correct Sugar Cubes is definable, measurable, analysable and therefore can be controlled in a predictable manner through systems and techniques.
- Correct templates can be approved by a seminary. Correct systems and techniques can be taught in seminary.
- Templates, systems and techniques are universal and therefore reproducible. Because templates, systems and techniques are reproducible, franchising is possible.
- The inter-relationship of a collection of discreet Correct Sugar Cubes can be managed and controlled
- “Change” consists of altering the configuration of a collection of Correct Sugar Cubes while retaining the overall epistemology of Sugar Cube-ness.
THE EPISTEMOLOGY OF ROCK CANDY: seeing the world in a rock candy way.
- People, in general, are like a lump of Rock Candy. Lumps of rock candy naturally form in an organic unmanageable way.
-Rock Candy crystals are mutually individual and relational, not primarily one or the other.
- People’s Rock Candy-ness is derived from their being created in God’s image, that is, for community. It is impossible to separate one crystal from the cluster of crystals without in someway affecting the whole crystal.
- The task of the church is offering a living narrative (a stick) alternate to the dominant narrative (the usual stick) to which the church might adhere itself.
- Even though two clusters of Rock Candy church form in exactly the same way, no two clusters of Rock Candy church are the same. The crystal lattice of the Rock Candy is an underlying and unifying truth which ensures the uniqueness of each cluster of crystals.
- The stick to which Rock Candy adheres will fundamentally determine the shape of the cluster. Because the stick is embodied, not abstract, no two sticks will be exactly the same even if derived from the same alternate narrative.
- The formation of Rock Candy can’t be managed, it just happens.
- While one is not involved in the actual formation of Rock Candy there are four activities one may embark upon as it forms:
FIRST - Create a simple stick to which the Rock Candy might adhere. Create a communally derived living theology. That is: remembered expressions of divine grace (past, present and future) arising out of simple truth; namely that Jesus lived among us, died and rose again, therefore, love God and love your neighbour.
SECOND - Live theologically. The stick to which the Rock Candy Church adheres is embodied through the articulated remembering of the church, so articulate away.
THIRD - Notice and articulate the mystery of formation. God is forming you, be amazed and talk about it.
FOURTH - Notice and articulate the beauty of the multifaceted crystal lattice that is the Rock Candy, God’s Delight. God made you beautiful both individually and relationally. Be beautiful and talk about beauty.
LAST - Live escatologically. Imagine how good the Rock Candy, God’s Delight, will taste at the end.
Steve Frost
The Work Of The People
THE EPISTEMOLOGY OF SUGAR CUBES: seeing the world in a sugar cube way.
- People, in general, are discreet entities that can be counted and managed in a predictable way, like a sugar cubes.
-Discreet sugar cubes can be placed in relationship to other discreet sugar cubes.
- To live well is to be constrained. The task of forming Christian people is similar to forming sugar cubes, it is one of constraining. One brings messy and unmanageable material into a uniform, manageable and correct shape. Correct Sugar Cubes.
- A Correct Template is required from which to form Correct Sugar Cubes. A Correct Template is both definable and obtainable.
- The task of forming Correct Sugar Cubes is carried out by “the church.” “The church” consists of paid professionals who have been given the task of forming Correct Sugar Cubes or attracting already formed Correct Sugar Cubes.
- The process of attracting and forming Correct Sugar Cubes is definable, measurable, analysable and therefore can be controlled in a predictable manner through systems and techniques.
- Correct templates can be approved by a seminary. Correct systems and techniques can be taught in seminary.
- Templates, systems and techniques are universal and therefore reproducible. Because templates, systems and techniques are reproducible, franchising is possible.
- The inter-relationship of a collection of discreet Correct Sugar Cubes can be managed and controlled
- “Change” consists of altering the configuration of a collection of Correct Sugar Cubes while retaining the overall epistemology of Sugar Cube-ness.
THE EPISTEMOLOGY OF ROCK CANDY: seeing the world in a rock candy way.
- People, in general, are like a lump of Rock Candy. Lumps of rock candy naturally form in an organic unmanageable way.
-Rock Candy crystals are mutually individual and relational, not primarily one or the other.
- People’s Rock Candy-ness is derived from their being created in God’s image, that is, for community. It is impossible to separate one crystal from the cluster of crystals without in someway affecting the whole crystal.
- The task of the church is offering a living narrative (a stick) alternate to the dominant narrative (the usual stick) to which the church might adhere itself.
- Even though two clusters of Rock Candy church form in exactly the same way, no two clusters of Rock Candy church are the same. The crystal lattice of the Rock Candy is an underlying and unifying truth which ensures the uniqueness of each cluster of crystals.
- The stick to which Rock Candy adheres will fundamentally determine the shape of the cluster. Because the stick is embodied, not abstract, no two sticks will be exactly the same even if derived from the same alternate narrative.
- The formation of Rock Candy can’t be managed, it just happens.
- While one is not involved in the actual formation of Rock Candy there are four activities one may embark upon as it forms:
FIRST - Create a simple stick to which the Rock Candy might adhere. Create a communally derived living theology. That is: remembered expressions of divine grace (past, present and future) arising out of simple truth; namely that Jesus lived among us, died and rose again, therefore, love God and love your neighbour.
SECOND - Live theologically. The stick to which the Rock Candy Church adheres is embodied through the articulated remembering of the church, so articulate away.
THIRD - Notice and articulate the mystery of formation. God is forming you, be amazed and talk about it.
FOURTH - Notice and articulate the beauty of the multifaceted crystal lattice that is the Rock Candy, God’s Delight. God made you beautiful both individually and relationally. Be beautiful and talk about beauty.
LAST - Live escatologically. Imagine how good the Rock Candy, God’s Delight, will taste at the end.
Steve Frost
The Work Of The People
Little Leaves
I was on Keats Island over the weekend, it's on the Pacific coast not far from Vancouver. Looking west there's nothing but ocean. The trees are tall and, this time of year, the weather is raw. A small storm blew in Friday night and the sound of the wind in the trees was awe inspiring. The wind in the trees is one of my favourite things and when it picks up in Vancouver I usually go for a walk just to listen. On Keats I could walk right into the middle of a huge stand of trees, enveloped by the sound. Just a little storm, but such a big expansive sound.
It's a ragged sound with no sharp edges. Where does it start and where does it end? I can't say, it's a sound made of a million little pieces. It pulses with life, rising and falling unpredictably but still with shape. It's a gathering, it is drawn together, it coalesces into shape, but it does have shape. I can't deny its presence.
I think of each little leaf. What is their job in this performance? Simple, be supple and bend. To dance in the wind. A small cluster dances together, touching; tethered to and moving their little twig. Leaves and twigs and branches, all moving to the same wind; moving in the same supple way, but all unique in their movement. An orchestrated mess of unity. A million little pieces of sound coalesce into one awe inspiring sound. I can't explain it, pin it down with language, put numbers to it, yet I can't deny it's presence.
What are leaders of little leaves to do? A leader is a leaf helping other leaves be supple, a leaf helping other leaves to dance well. A little leaf can't orchestrate the wind. Why would it think it could even try. Silly little leaf. Enjoy the wind, and dance.
Jesus said, "You're not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation—the 'wind-hovering-over-the-water' creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it's not possible to enter God's kingdom. When you look at a baby, it's just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can't see and touch—the Spirit—and becomes a living spirit.
"So don't be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be 'born from above'—out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it's headed next. That's the way it is with everyone 'born from above' by the wind of God, the Spirit of God." John 3:5-8 (The Message)
Steve Frost
The Work Of The People
It's a ragged sound with no sharp edges. Where does it start and where does it end? I can't say, it's a sound made of a million little pieces. It pulses with life, rising and falling unpredictably but still with shape. It's a gathering, it is drawn together, it coalesces into shape, but it does have shape. I can't deny its presence.
I think of each little leaf. What is their job in this performance? Simple, be supple and bend. To dance in the wind. A small cluster dances together, touching; tethered to and moving their little twig. Leaves and twigs and branches, all moving to the same wind; moving in the same supple way, but all unique in their movement. An orchestrated mess of unity. A million little pieces of sound coalesce into one awe inspiring sound. I can't explain it, pin it down with language, put numbers to it, yet I can't deny it's presence.
What are leaders of little leaves to do? A leader is a leaf helping other leaves be supple, a leaf helping other leaves to dance well. A little leaf can't orchestrate the wind. Why would it think it could even try. Silly little leaf. Enjoy the wind, and dance.
Jesus said, "You're not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation—the 'wind-hovering-over-the-water' creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it's not possible to enter God's kingdom. When you look at a baby, it's just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can't see and touch—the Spirit—and becomes a living spirit.
"So don't be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be 'born from above'—out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it's headed next. That's the way it is with everyone 'born from above' by the wind of God, the Spirit of God." John 3:5-8 (The Message)
Steve Frost
The Work Of The People
Big Little Church
I went to visit a friend who works at a church. It's a big little church. The building is big, built in the early 80's. The congregation is little, the result of a number of socio-economic happenstances.
The building got built on honest dreams. Several churches in the city built large buildings at that time hoping to fill them, and they did; they became megachurches. Except this church. It never got full. The main sanctuary holds about 1000 people, these days there's a little less than 200 people gathering on a Sunday morning.
The place is a little bit run down and a little bit sad. This church, as an avenue of possibility for a megachurch-like idea of the future—whatever a megachurch-like future might be—is, for all intents and purposes, a failure. But to hold only to megachurch-like possibility is to insist God choses only to work through megachurch-ness. If a megachurch-like future is let go of, then possibilities open up into a God-shaped future. This big little church (as an avenue of possibility not limited by megachurch-like-ness but as an avenue of possibility as wide as God-shaped-ness) holds, literally, infinite possibility.
To be an avenue of infinite possibility this big little church must first lay down its hopes, it must lay down its picture of itself, as it saw it would be. It can't afford to deny its quiet desperation while it rattles around inside its broken dreams. It must dismantle its dreams and stand outside them, vulnerable, at the end of its rope. Rather than run to Nehemiah, it must cling to Psalms of lament. Perhaps Psalm 44, which includes these words:
18 Our hearts had not turned back; our feet had not strayed from your path.
19 But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals and covered us over with deep darkness.
Rather than rush to fix itself, it needs to acknowledge its pain, wait in its pain. But it must not wallow, it must wait expectantly.
The temptation to fix things is huge. It wouldn't be that hard to fill the place up, to find a crowd. As Kierkegaard points out, "For to win a crowd is not so great a trick; one only needs some talent, a certain dose of untruth and a little acquaintance with the human passions." But the crowd is untruth. A crowd is anonymous, statistical, a disconnected mass. You attract a crowd. But people, people are different. People are named, specific, connected by relationship. You attract a crowd but you serve people. The easiest way to attract a crowd is by appealing to crowd-ness while pretending you're serving people-ness. It's the quietest but most effective untruth.
It wouldn't be that hard for this church to ignore quiet desperation and just manufacture success. But it would be a false success that has denied here and now, that ignores people, that would be untruth shaped rather than God-shaped. So, this church where my friend works, this big little church, seems to be in a good place. In fact it seems to be in the best place of all, at the end of its rope, with nothing to lose, without out pretense to let go of. There isn't a busy-ness machine churning away, distracting them from their desperate need for God, which is maybe something their contemporaries, the "successful" churches, can't say.
This big little church seems interested in people and one thing is for sure, God is interested in people. To be interested in people is to be open to the wideness of being God-shaped, whatever that surprising wonderful mysterious shape may be. To be God-shaped is to step into a future of infinite possibility. Enjoy the view big little church.
Steve Frost
The Work Of The Poeple
The building got built on honest dreams. Several churches in the city built large buildings at that time hoping to fill them, and they did; they became megachurches. Except this church. It never got full. The main sanctuary holds about 1000 people, these days there's a little less than 200 people gathering on a Sunday morning.
The place is a little bit run down and a little bit sad. This church, as an avenue of possibility for a megachurch-like idea of the future—whatever a megachurch-like future might be—is, for all intents and purposes, a failure. But to hold only to megachurch-like possibility is to insist God choses only to work through megachurch-ness. If a megachurch-like future is let go of, then possibilities open up into a God-shaped future. This big little church (as an avenue of possibility not limited by megachurch-like-ness but as an avenue of possibility as wide as God-shaped-ness) holds, literally, infinite possibility.
To be an avenue of infinite possibility this big little church must first lay down its hopes, it must lay down its picture of itself, as it saw it would be. It can't afford to deny its quiet desperation while it rattles around inside its broken dreams. It must dismantle its dreams and stand outside them, vulnerable, at the end of its rope. Rather than run to Nehemiah, it must cling to Psalms of lament. Perhaps Psalm 44, which includes these words:
18 Our hearts had not turned back; our feet had not strayed from your path.
19 But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals and covered us over with deep darkness.
Rather than rush to fix itself, it needs to acknowledge its pain, wait in its pain. But it must not wallow, it must wait expectantly.
The temptation to fix things is huge. It wouldn't be that hard to fill the place up, to find a crowd. As Kierkegaard points out, "For to win a crowd is not so great a trick; one only needs some talent, a certain dose of untruth and a little acquaintance with the human passions." But the crowd is untruth. A crowd is anonymous, statistical, a disconnected mass. You attract a crowd. But people, people are different. People are named, specific, connected by relationship. You attract a crowd but you serve people. The easiest way to attract a crowd is by appealing to crowd-ness while pretending you're serving people-ness. It's the quietest but most effective untruth.
It wouldn't be that hard for this church to ignore quiet desperation and just manufacture success. But it would be a false success that has denied here and now, that ignores people, that would be untruth shaped rather than God-shaped. So, this church where my friend works, this big little church, seems to be in a good place. In fact it seems to be in the best place of all, at the end of its rope, with nothing to lose, without out pretense to let go of. There isn't a busy-ness machine churning away, distracting them from their desperate need for God, which is maybe something their contemporaries, the "successful" churches, can't say.
This big little church seems interested in people and one thing is for sure, God is interested in people. To be interested in people is to be open to the wideness of being God-shaped, whatever that surprising wonderful mysterious shape may be. To be God-shaped is to step into a future of infinite possibility. Enjoy the view big little church.
Steve Frost
The Work Of The Poeple
Monday, April 05, 2010
Life And Mind Off-Grid
Intro to the eco doc "Life And Mind Off-Grid" by TWOTP contributor Dago Schelin...
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