Doing the Ministry of Presence
James D. Hunter’s To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World is book that gives Christians hope that their faithful presence can make a difference in a chaotic near end-times world culture. Hunter’s world changing model is not about power, politics, or religion. Instead, the author says the world can be changed by the incarnational lives of Christians who struggle to resist Satan while living out their calling and existence in full view of their communities, all the while projecting a faithful presence to Christ. I am excited to engage Hunter’s ideas on faithful presence, how he relates to spiritual warfare, his views on the impact of pluralism, and his practical recommendations on how to implement a God honoring presence into the church and community.
Hunter’s thesis suggests that presence and place matter to God and the “theology of faithful presence” is the result of the Word and the world coming together through God’s spoken word.[1] I connect with this theme because I trained to become a market-place chaplain where the ministry of presence helps reach the least reached and hard to reach places in the world. I also personally relate to his “practice of faithful presence” as a kind of incarnational leadership that crosses all boundaries, cultures, paradigms, and comes to rest in “God in the person of Jesus Christ.”[2] Miller summarizes Hunter’s faithful presence initiative as the solution to the world’s problems, according to Hunter, because “He rejects all notions of redeeming the culture, advancing the Kingdom, transforming the world, or reclaiming culture.”[3]
Hunter engages the peripheral concepts of spiritual warfare in many areas of his book by relating his Biblical theologies on truth, righteousness, justice, faith, salvation, and peace. For example, when Hunter discussed how Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness with “political power” he expanded the narrative context by introducing the effect of principalities and powers.[4] I found it interesting that Hunter says principalities and powers are a “paradox” that function to maintain order in society, within God’s permissive will, that give direction and unity to people, but “they also separate people from the true God.”[5] His example of how government works, even as a distorted and false theology, uses force in a positive manner that helps maintains chaos and restrains human evil.[6]
Pluralism is another theme that Hunter uses to show how the church changes and is assimilated into the world culture over time. My dissertation question is “Why has the North American church become desensitized to the effects of spiritual warfare.” Hunter’s discussion on pluralism is one of the reasons church leaders become blinded to the schemes of the devil. He says that even through missionaries, evangelists, and the body of Christ engage the world, “it will experience the pressures of assimilation to the world.”[7] Hunter says it is “difficult if not impossible to resist, and even in resisting, the church can assume the character and content of the world around it.”[8]
Hunter also uses the term “post-Christian” to describe the world, culture, context, and community.[9] For example, “the future of the church in a post-Christian world,” “American culture has become post-Christian,” and “darkness is deepened in a post-Christian context” expresses Hunter’s deep frustration with the current state of Christendom.[10] Smith summarizes Hunter in his review and says that the “church is in exile” and commends Hunter who calls Christians to unite around their “core beliefs and practices” and focus on fulfilling the Great Commission while honoring God.[11]
Hunter writes like a Protestant evangelical but seems to promote a Neo-Anabaptist bias that he calls a political theology.[12] Anabaptists are well known through the Mennonite, Brethren, Quakers, Amish, and Hutterite denominations. Hunter describes the Neo-Anabaptist as “model for a genuine Christian witness in the context of” the late 20th and early 21st centuries.[13] Rubio’s review says that even through Hunter is critical of Anabaptists, he “shares their desire for strong theological foundations, their emphasis on faithfulness over effectiveness, and their focus on formation.”[14] I really connect with Hunter’s plain but powerful support for faith-based schools, businesses that break out of the capitalist mode, and artists and others who use their God given talents to unite communities.[15] King in his review also gives Hunter credit as “he describes a company that aims to re-define the obligations of private business differently from the way they are normally thought of.”[16]
My wife JoAnne and I started a market-place ministry business almost five years ago that I think resembles what Hunter describes as breaking out of the capitalist mode. We started our business as a ministry to our employees, fellow contractors, and FedEx staff. We share our lives, our faith, and our help to anyone the Lord puts before us. Our business plan is simple; God owns the business, we are his stewards, and we give God honor and glory for our calling and service to others. In conclusion, I like Hunter’s work that gives the contemporary Christian a back-to-the-basics approach to how to live out their faith in their home, neighborhoods, and work. I am glad to see Hunter promote the ministry of faithful presence as a practice and solution to help our messed-up world.
Stand firm,
M. Webb
[1] James D. Hunter. To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010) 240.
[2] Ibid., 269.
[3] Donald E. Miller. “To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World.” Sociology of Religion 72, no. 3 (2011): 378.
[4] Hunter, Change the World, 157.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid. (These ideas weigh heavy on me and I will need to apply prayer for wisdom and discernment to get my mind around Hunter’s ideas).
[7] Ibid., 204.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid., 211.
[10] Ibid., 160, 211, 220.
[11] David Smith. “To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 54, no. 4 (2011): 882.
[12] Hunter, Change the World, 109.
[13] Ibid., 152.
[14] Julie Rubio and James Hunter. “To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World.” Political Theology 13, no. 6 (2012): 799.
[15] Ibid.
[16] Richard King. “James Davison Hunter, To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World.” Society 48, no. 4 (2011): 361.
About the Author
Mike
6 responses to “Doing the Ministry of Presence”
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Hello Mike,
I believe that your role as a marketplace chaplain is an excellent example of what Hunter intends when he calls followers of Jesus to be ‘faithfully present’. And you’re in a place where you’re next to life and death, tragedy and glory. Your presence in your workplace will be used by God to influence and quietly shape culture. Thank you!
Mark,
Thanks my Canadian-Philanthropic- border crossing-doctoral brother! Do you every share what or who your donors support? Do you have to file T3010 for your ministry? Are you also a 501c3 in the US, filing 990’s? I understand the rules for nonprofit charities vary from Canada to the US. Just curious.
Stand firm,
M. Webb
Yes it’s all on the web, if you know where to go. 😉
Here’s one of the recent rounds of grants awarded by our partners.
http://www.strongerphilanthropy.ca/stronger-together-2017-grants-awarded/
Also, Mike, our donors file the corresponding tax documents (not 990s but similar) which we have in Canada. Found here, with some digging:
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/taxes/charities.html
Hi Mike!
I agree, the author has a Neo-Anabaptist bias, as I am sure we all have our biases. I didn’t at all let that take me away from the ministry of presence that you SO WELL wrote about. A job done right by you!
So proud of you and your wife, “Our business plan is simple; God owns the business, we are his stewards, and we give God honor and glory for our calling and service to others.” Awesome!
Jay,
Thanks my Montana Cowboy Preacher! Do you have a cowboy hat with a cross on it? That would be a great ministry of presence symbol when you are outdoors.
My favorite shape for a cowboy hat is called “Montana” and I used to form and mold them with a steaming pot years ago, when we were horse people. After selling all of them and going to the mission field, we are just wandering people now, who still like hats.
Stand firm,
M. Webb