{"id":23292,"date":"2019-06-07T12:22:00","date_gmt":"2019-06-07T19:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=23292"},"modified":"2019-06-07T12:27:07","modified_gmt":"2019-06-07T19:27:07","slug":"moderation-a-needed-virtue-with-a-new-definition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/moderation-a-needed-virtue-with-a-new-definition\/","title":{"rendered":"Moderation, A Needed Virtue with a New Definition"},"content":{"rendered":"

XIII. MODERATION <\/strong><\/p>\n

We believe that the moderation of the believer should be known of all men, that his experience and daily walk should never lead him into extremes, fanaticism, unseemly manifestations, back- biting, murmurings, but that his sober, thoughtful, balanced, mellow, forgiving, and zealous Christian experience should be one of steadfast uprightness, equilibrium, humility, self-sacrifice and Christ-likeness.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

The above article of the original declaration of faith as written by Aimee Semple McPherson describes a posture she expected of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. While reading the writings of Martin Percy in Reasonable Radical? <\/em>edited by Ian S. Markham and Joshua Daniel, I discovered a familiar tone and approach to moderation as what I have read in early Foursquare history. It is interesting to consider Percy\u2019s background compared to Semple McPherson\u2019s though in very different time periods. Martin Percy is the Dean of Christ’s Church University of Oxford and priest in the Anglican Church yet with an evangelical background and interest in the charismatic movement. Both Percy and Semple McPherson were formed through a myriad of religious and life shaping encounters and influences that makes the reader wonder how much these varied experiences developed their moderate or reasonable radical stance. It was through Percy\u2019s reference to the Methodists that triggered the memory of the influence Methodism had on Semple McPherson and most likely why she added Moderation as an article of the declaration of faith.<\/p>\n

Speaking of moderation Percy says, \u201cI think that being a moderate is rather like being ecumenical; is not weak-willed or sloppily liberal; rather, it is about being charitable, generous and tough-minded, and committed to holding the center as a place of civil convening. In other words, this is a difficult blend to achieve.\u201d[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

Percy and Semple McPherson both give liberty in the area of \u201cecclesial adiaphora<\/em>\u201d which Semple McPherson described as non-essentials. Both approach these as important to dialogue about, differences to lean into, and to call us to mature into seeing this as \u201cgood difference.\u201d Percy quotes Hooker as defining this as \u201charmonious dissimilitude\u201d in which we \u201cagree to disagree, but agreeing to still walk together into (God\u2019s) future.\u201d[3]<\/a> Jonathan Haidt in The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion <\/em>states, \u201cSome degree of conflict among groups may even be necessary for the health and development of any society.\u201d[4]<\/a><\/p>\n

Percy uses the story of Jesus cleansing the temple to describe a moment of disjuncture, the radical part of reasonableness. \u201cThis is the key to understanding the incident: it is about breaking paradigms, and disrupting prevailing frames of reference.\u201d[5]<\/a> Percy\u2019s emphasis is on wisdom, knowing when mild adaptation is needed or when radical reform pursued through cool passion fueled by righteous anger is the proper action. He reminds us that Jesus\u2019 action was premeditated in that he saw the temple and then went and made the whip before he came back and used it. He had been known as a mild and gentle teacher, but on this day he became an indignant prophet.<\/p>\n

In these days of complexity and unrest may the Church understand the beauty of Jesus, Percy and Semple McPherson in calling us to the middle. The place of gentleness and mediation but also the platform of radical, loving, passionate truth telling. Though Percy reminds us that the middle is a difficult position to hold, may we take heart that even though he calls it a small seed so to was faith likened to a small mustard seed yet it results in the growth of a mighty tree caring for many.[6]<\/a><\/p>\n

Garvey Berger and Johnston describe leadership that is needed in these complex times as those that will mature into a self-transformed mind, those that \u201ccan understand and hold perspectives of multiple and opposing stakeholders at the same time, knowing that there is truth and importance even in starkly different perspectives.\u201d[7]<\/a> Zemke urged leaders to understand that “change and dissent are very closely linked” and that \u201ctempered radicals\u201d are those who live in the \u201cnow and not yet\u201d who see possibility for the future in the face of present reality.[8]<\/a><\/p>\n

Moderation is not a domesticated softness so we all get along. Rather, it is a place of mature people who are able to stand in the middle and help those on both sides discover the truth of the other and lead with wisdom. This is the maturity I hear Percy calling the Church to, \u201cThe call of our Christian faith is to be a people of unity, maturity, and stability. But this also incites us to be a people of fervent faith and calm temperament; a people of moderation and passionate commitment; and we are invited to be agents of its inauguration.\u201d[9]<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> https:\/\/www.foursquaremissionspress.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/445_Declaration_of_Faith.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Ian S. Markham and Joshua Daniels eds., Reasonable Radical? Reading the Writings of Martyn Percy <\/em>\u00a0(Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2018), Kindle Loc. 8879.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

[3] Ibid., Kindle Loc. 8798.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Jonathan Haidt, The Righeous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion <\/em>(New York: Pantheon Books, 2012), Kindle Loc. 78.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Ibid., Kindle Loc. 8828.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Matthew 13:31-32 NIV<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Jennifer Garvey Berger and Keith Johnston, Simple Habits for Complex Times: Powerful Practices for Leaders <\/em>(Stanford CA: Stanford University Press, 2015), 181.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Diane Zemke, Being SMART about Congregational Change (<\/em>self-published, 2014), Kindle Loc. 1742.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Markham and Daniels, eds., Kindle Loc. 8897<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

XIII. MODERATION We believe that the moderation of the believer should be known of all men, that his experience and daily walk should never lead him into extremes, fanaticism, unseemly manifestations, back- biting, murmurings, but that his sober, thoughtful, balanced, mellow, forgiving, and zealous Christian experience should be one of steadfast uprightness, equilibrium, humility, self-sacrifice […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1556],"class_list":["post-23292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-martin-percy","cohort-lgp9"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/112"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23292"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23296,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23292\/revisions\/23296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}