{"id":29050,"date":"2022-10-11T16:09:19","date_gmt":"2022-10-11T23:09:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=29050"},"modified":"2022-10-11T16:09:19","modified_gmt":"2022-10-11T23:09:19","slug":"tempered-theology-hanging-our-laws-on-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/tempered-theology-hanging-our-laws-on-love\/","title":{"rendered":"Tempered Theology: Hanging Our Laws on Love"},"content":{"rendered":"

I love the openness of Bolsinger\u2019s leadership definition: \u201c[…] the transformation and growth of a people \u2014 starting with the leader \u2014 is to develop the resilience and adaptive capacity to wisely cut through resistance and accomplish the mission of the group.\u201d[1]<\/a> Though mission is a laden term, I do find transformation and growth to be concepts that expand rather than restrict organizational adaptation.<\/p>\n

When held to Tod\u2019s leadership definition, I find the Christian conservative approach to organizational adaptation oddly lacking. Just last week my alma mater posted a quote from a prominent chapel speaker who said, \u201cThe central act of leadership is holding on to the vision that God has given you.\u201d Certainly, holding onto core values is a worthy aim, but what are those values anchored to? I imagine any number of Pharisees or religious leaders of Jesus\u2019 day could hear that quote and agree wholeheartedly! They may even be zealous enough to crucify anyone who got in \u201cGod\u2019s\u201d way.<\/p>\n

I love what Bolsinger lays out as essential for leaders. He writes, \u201c[\u2026] leadership must be focused on the vision that is beyond the profit, success, or even survival of the institution. It must be focused on the needs of real people in the real world.\u201d[2]<\/a> However, I imagine many church and denominational values are based on esoteric, if not gnostic\/disembodied theological and ecclesiastical presuppositions – examples being the Great Commission, the doctrine of original sin, soteriological correctness, obedience to God, timing of baptism, number of kids at VBS, etc. How many of these are centered around real human need? In my opinion, in their attempt to address human need they, more often than not, avoid it.<\/p>\n

In the podcast by \u201cWe Are Vineyard,\u201d Bolsinger mentions the time he built a new campus at his church. He said that they built this campus so that one day someone will tear it down. Why? Because one day there will be such a vibrant community that they will say this building is not what our community needs anymore.[3]<\/a> How bold is that?! What can churches\/organizations glean from such a seemingly self-destructive vision? When it comes to the question of the church institution, perhaps it\u2019s not a macro question of \u201cis the church necessary?\u201d But rather, \u201cis this church necessary for this community, for this moment in the community\u2019s history?\u201d Is this organization focused on needs of real people in the real world, or are we focused on survival? If the focus is in fact survivalist, Bolsinger writes, \u201cThe question before any leader of an organization is \u201csave the company for what?\u201d[4]<\/a><\/p>\n

What if the Church\u2019s mission was based around felt human need? This is a bold question to ask, yet one I feel is vital for any sort of renewal within the church. What do we need when Christian organizations subvert and even devalue real human need beneath theology, doctrine, and\/or our hermeneutical lens? How do we temper our theology to be more receptive to the black and brown experience of racism in America? How do we temper our theology to value, uphold, and believe our queer brothers and sisters when they come out, and seek to live fully healthy lives? How do organizations temper that say they value women in leadership, but consistently reserve prized positions for men?<\/p>\n

Of course, we have a theological basis for valuing the needs of real people in the real world. It was Jesus himself who said, \u201cLove the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.\u2019\u00a038\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>This is the first and greatest commandment.\u00a039\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>And the second is like it: \u2018Love your neighbor as yourself.\u2019 40\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.\u201d[5]<\/a> We must be tempered by love, and upon love, hang our laws, theologies, and doctrines.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> \u201cTempered Resilience | Book Review,\u201d GeorgePWood.Com<\/em> (blog), November 10, 2020, https:\/\/georgepwood.com\/2020\/11\/10\/tempered-resilience-book-review\/.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Tod Bolsinger, Tempered Resilience: How Leaders Are Formed in the Crucible of Change<\/em> (Westmont, UNITED STATES: InterVarsity Press, 2020), http:\/\/ebookcentral.proquest.com\/lib\/georgefox\/detail.action?docID=6371895. 15.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Tod Bolsinger, \u201cWe Are Vineyard Podcast,\u201d Tod Bolsinger: Tempered Resilience \u2013 How Leaders Are Formed in the Crucible of Change, accessed October 11, 2022, https:\/\/vineyardusa.org\/podcast\/.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Bolsinger, Tempered Resilience<\/em>. 17.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Matthew 22:36-40 NIV<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I love the openness of Bolsinger\u2019s leadership definition: \u201c[…] the transformation and growth of a people \u2014 starting with the leader \u2014 is to develop the resilience and adaptive capacity to wisely cut through resistance and accomplish the mission of the group.\u201d[1] Though mission is a laden term, I do find transformation and growth to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":147,"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":[2386],"class_list":["post-29050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-bolsinger","cohort-lgp11"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29050","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\/147"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29050"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29050\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29051,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29050\/revisions\/29051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}