Navigating climate change verses the weather
I am in the midst of my doctoral field research, interviewing pastors on their definition of discipleship, their methods, and what multiplication looks like in their context. Going into the interviews I tried not to assume or say much, rather my interest is to really glean from their work. After conducting another group conversation today, I am picking up multiple emerging themes. The most outstanding theme thus far is that discipleship is active, and it encompasses all of life. As one moves more and more deeply into mature space, an activation of their life occurs through serving others by their personal initiative and care for the wellbeing of their community.
Caring for others through service is a small thing but at the same time huge. It takes people outside of themselves to love their neighbor in a tangible way. This may not change the weather but overtime it does begin to change the climate to one of service rather than personal gain.
In the work of James Davison Hunter, sociologist and scholar who has written more than eight texts and is known to have coined the phrase “culture war,” the need for a shift in climate over weather patterns is essential to the faith of Christianity in late modern America. Speaking on his text To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World in 2010 with a group of journalists at the Faith Angle Forum, Hunter explains his text is not meant to be a negative critique on the political culture of America and the Christian response but rather a constructive text on how Christians might engage in incarnational ways over a longer period of time.
Hunter’s metaphor of climate verses weather help to keep his audience poised for long range ministry as the Church rather than momentary trends and popular antics attracting flash mobs to political cultural wars. Hunter explains, “I speak about the difference between climate and weather. Most people think about current events, about politics, about the things that are going on in our world, in light of the weather. Today it’s sunny, tomorrow it’s rainy, it’s cold, but it’s going to get warmer, those kinds of things. That tends to be our orientation, and it tends to focus our attention on the surface. The work that I do tends to be oriented and framed in terms of climatological changes that are taking place, for which the weather could or could not be indications of what’s going on at that deeper and more implicit level of social and cultural change.”[1]
For decades Christians in America have focused primarily on beliefs and values, teaching them weekly in pulpits and Bible studies, making belief a core aspect of disciple making. Once a person believes in Jesus and begins to learn more about the Bible and Christian theology, the church has won a convert, or a new disciple. Yet, the actions of that disciple may be no different than before and may have no bearing on their perspective of culture at large, particularly political culture. This perspective of discipleship flies in the face of Hunter’s book, and is indeed part of his prompt for writing his manuscript. Early on, Hunter argues that the “Change in a culture or civilization simply does not occur when there is change in the beliefs and values in the hearts and minds of ordinary people or in the creation of mere artifacts.”[2] On first hearing Hunter’s argument Christians may protest. But if one sticks with the text through the third section they will come to further conclusions potentially not so far from their own.
The culture of Christianity in America reveals three dominant theologies, as Hunter sees it, that do not actively incarnate Biblical teaching as Jesus did more than two centuries ago. Hunter uses the space of his first two essays (or mini-books) to argue the theologies of engaging the culture as “defensive against,” “relevance to,” and “purity from” while never fully immersing the larger paradigm at work. In his final section he gets to the fourth theology, which is the “Faithful Presence Within.” “The heart of that paradigm depends upon an understanding of climate and weather, of the difference between the two, of the dynamics of culture versus the dynamics of politics…” the heart of “Faithful Presence” quite frankly, is a theology and practice that is fundamentally committed to human flourishing, not just for the community of Christian believers, but for everyone, all right?”[3] His purpose is to help, through his personal Anabaptist and academic sociological perspective, to create a more integrated approach to the way Christians engage public life with their faith.
The journalists who conversed with Hunter on the nature of To Change the World at the Faith Angle Forum, including Ross Douthat, had little dissent in their perspective and primarily reframed to test Hunter’s thesis in light of other historical periods such as the Reformation. However, when reading reviews of Hunter’s work, not everyone feels the same. As Richard King points out, “To Change the World suffers from excessive abstraction and a lack of concrete examples. Not until the end does Hunter offer a few examples of what “faithful presence” might mean.”[4] King is concerned that the ideal of faithful presence is not sufficiently developed so as to escape dogmatism.
In the end, discipleship of pastors to their congregations is all about living into the idea of faithful presence, embodying the values and beliefs in action daily, individually and communally. Discipleship, as my interviewees wisely understand, encompasses more than the heart and mind, but rather transforms the whole of one’s life into people who seek the Shalom of God in their everyday context. As Hunter aptly said, “word and world come together through the word’s enactments.”[5] This climate shift requires the continual response of yes to the incarnate Christ, “The Word,” in the midst of day-to-day culture.
[1] Allen, John L. and Paul Vallely. “Dr. James Davison Hunter, Ross Douthat, and Amy Sullivan at the March 2010 Faith Angle Forum.” Ethics & Public Policy Center. https://eppc.org/publications/hunter-douthat-and-sullivan/ (March 14, 2018)
[2] Hunter, James Davison. To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World. University Press: Oxford Scholarship Online, 2010. 77
[3] Allen, John L. and Paul Vallely. “Dr. James Davison Hunter, Ross Douthat, and Amy Sullivan at the March 2010 Faith Angle Forum.” Ethics & Public Policy Center. https://eppc.org/publications/hunter-douthat-and-sullivan/ (March 14, 2018)
[4] King, Richard H. “Hunter, James Davison. To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World.” Springer Science and Business Media (2011), 359-362.
[5] Hunter, 241
About the Author
Trisha Welstad
Trisha is passionate about investing in leaders to see them become all God has created them to be. As an ordained Free Methodist elder, Trisha has served with churches in LA and Oregon, leading as a pastor of youth and spiritual formation, a church planter, and as a co-pastor of a church restart. Trisha currently serves as leadership development pastor at Northside Community Church in Newberg, OR. Over the last five years Trisha has directed the Leadership Center, partnering with George Fox and the Free Methodist and Wesleyan Holiness churches. The Leadership Center is a network facilitating the development of new and current Wesleyan leaders, churches and disciples through internships, equipping, mentoring and scholarship. In collaboration with the Leadership Center, Trisha serves as the director of the Institute for Pastoral Thriving at Portland Seminary and with Theologia: George Fox Summer Theology Institute. She is also adjunct faculty at George Fox University. Trisha enjoys throwing parties, growing food, listening to the latest musical creations by Troy Welstad and laughing with her two children.12 responses to “Navigating climate change verses the weather”
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Trisha,
Like you, I can support Hunter’s metaphor about climate verses weather for long range ministry, but we must make sure we keep the differences different when 12 other times in his book he references the Evangelical Climate Initiative which is about global warming, not his metaphor. Or is it?
I am glad to see your field research is going well. I put together a survey that can be administered on paper, email, or electronic survey monkey. I sent it to the lead pastor and elders and awaiting their replies.
I like Hunter’s faithful presence model, but believe his thesis is new paint on an old canvas that shows a historical evolution of the ministry of presence.
Stand firm,
M. Webb
I do appreciate your separation of his examples verses Hunter’s metaphor. I am definitely speaking of the metaphor although we see the example in climate as one way of comprehending the metaphor applied to the church. Maybe he is trying to pursue both agendas though. I didn’t realize it was in there 12 times. Interesting.
I am interested to hear how your survey results are going.
Yes, I think we have done some good work on faithful presence over the centuries but I think most of his book is really about him processing essays one and two. I don’t know that he focused as much on the solution and how it’s been applied.
Ha! I Think we read all the same reviewers.
Hunter talks about faithful presence at both an individual and institutional level. I’m wondering if you’re considering ways to include Hunter’s ideas about the importance of institutions as you look at “discipleship of pastors to their congregations?”
I am thinking about it right now as it defines the landscape of Christianity and who we are meant to be, so I guess it’s in the land of ideas first with a quick follow up of institutional adaptation. I wonder if the institution or grass roots movements will have to be the one’s to initiate the changes though. It’s hard to change a thing that doesn’t have a heart and exists on values and beliefs while the people are the one’e living the faithful presence.
Trisha,
Love the metaphor you found of climate change vs weather. How appropriate! So many of us are concerned about the day to day weather when our climate is shifting. So how do we prepare for when the dykes burst and our cities are flooded? (I’m speaking mataphorically, about our faith in this culture.)
Somehow I’m drawn to faithful presence. It would be amazing if in your discipleship research you could discover examples of followers of Christ who are faithfully present and who could offer friendship and mentoring to the next generation.
This metaphor was really compelling to me as well Mark. Especially as someone who wants to make change today. In addition, Hunter’s perspective of himself as more of a climate scientist than a meteorologist helped me frame the text well and not freak out about what do we do now and how to not get discouraged.
Your idea about my discipleship research is right on. This is exactly where I hope to go and am finding it already in the people I am interviewing. I am loving it! I will keep you posted if you are interested.
Trisha, you wrote concerning one of the reviews of the reading that, “As Richard King points out, “To Change the World suffers from excessive abstraction and a lack of concrete examples.” Ironically, this is how I feel about a lot of preaching that goes on today. It seems there are a lot more people preaching about “concepts” rather than hard-core bible theology. I was curious if your research is shining light on the importance that actual Scriptures holds on modern day clergy…if any?
I ask because I had a woman come to our church one Sunday and after the lesson, she thanked me for sharing the Bible with her. She said she had visited most of the churches in our town, and on the whole, almost none of them actually referenced Scripture in their lessons. I liked that you connected the “Incarnate Christ” to “The Word;” my concern is that many do not do that today. We preach on love, grace, peace and hope, but fail to really impact the necessity for biblical adherence.
Great post.
I was curious if your research is shining light on the importance that actual Scriptures holds on modern day clergy…if any?
Shawn, my research is not really aimed toward the Scriptural authority held by clergy today although if I listen back I can ascertain some ideas based on their replies. Most of the pastors I am looking at are attempting to be faithful to Scripture while making disciples in their communities.
Great job once again Trisha! I enjoyed you highlighting the idea of the need for climate change in order to truly make an impact. Your statement said it well…”Caring for others through service is a small thing but at the same time huge. It takes people outside of themselves to love their neighbor in a tangible way. This may not change the weather but overtime it does begin to change the climate to one of service rather than personal gain.” I think this is exactly the model that Christ gave us with his disciples and I do think that people take notice when people are doing things for them that don’t benefit the person doing the serving. Can’t wait to hear about the results of your research.
Thanks Jake. I am looking forward to the results of my research too. It has been fun so far and I am loving engaging in the conversations with so many peers doing meaningful and different work than myself.
The climate to weather analogy was powerful. I wonder how many times I thought I was changing climate but it was just a flash of rain.
It seems insurmountable to change climate.
Thanks for this post, Trisha. You bookended it well by placing this book within your own field research and the ways that his conclusions might be useful for pastors and churches in their work. Glad you lifted up the three views churches tend to have regarding culture: “defensive against,” “relevance to,” and “purity from”… I think the idea of faithful presence can be powerful for church leaders in their discipleship, but as you alluded to, it has to be activated or turned on or intentional in some serious ways so that it can really bear fruit.