{"id":37296,"date":"2024-04-08T22:13:44","date_gmt":"2024-04-09T05:13:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=37296"},"modified":"2024-04-08T22:13:44","modified_gmt":"2024-04-09T05:13:44","slug":"we-are-what-we-imitate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/we-are-what-we-imitate\/","title":{"rendered":"We are what we imitate"},"content":{"rendered":"

A quick google search of science and mimicry turns up countless articles on the subject. There are examples of mimicry in nature all around us. In humans, copying facial expressions is even considered a milestone of infant development.[1]<\/a> Clearly, we are creatures designed to imitate something. Furthermore, we know tacitly that we imitate that which we admire. After all, didn\u2019t your mother tell you when you were 9 or so that the annoying classmate that parrots everything you say was just trying to get your attention? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, as goes the common saying.<\/p>\n

In The Scandal of Leadership<\/em>, JR Woodward\u2019s arguments eventually come together to construct what he calls an \u201cimitation-based framework\u201d[2]<\/a> but only after taking us on an epic journey through the failure of evangelical leaders as seen through the lens of what he calls the Powers. Woodward compares and contrasts the perspectives of numerous authors, but essentially defines the Powers as the unseen spiritual forces at work in the world. At first, I had a hard time seeing where his ideas of the Powers intersected with mimetic theory, but in the end it\u2019s quite clear. \u201cHumans are captive to imitation, especially through mimetic desire, and\u00a0there can be no neutrality: not to imitate Christ is to imitate the\u00a0Powers, and when this happens, it leads to bondage, idolatry,\u00a0and injustice, manifested by domineering leadership.\u201d[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

This idea dovetails perfectly with a concept we encountered last semester. Dr. Clark\u2019s analysis of desire and worship lead us down the same path.[4]<\/a> Worship, desire and imitation are all intertwined together. Just as we are \u201cliturgical animals, creatures who can\u2019t not worship\u201d[5]<\/a> so we are also creatures designed to mimic, as Woodward argues, either Christ or the Powers.[6]<\/a> In other words, we mimic that which we worship.<\/p>\n

Here’s where I get a little nervous. How do I know that I am imitating Christ in all things and not allowing the Powers to gain even a foothold in my life? Sometimes it\u2019s not easy to discern between a high standard of Christ-like ethics vs. a Pharisaical legalism in my faith life.<\/p>\n

As a brief aside, I want to acknowledge Woodward\u2019s broad conception of the Powers includes far more than I am referencing here. According to Woodward and the authors he leans on, these spiritual forces are at work in everything from commerce and capitalism to \u201cthe Department\u00a0of Welfare, the Mafia or the police, the Housing Authority or\u00a0the social work bureaucracy, the hospital systems or the\u00a0banks, liberal philanthropy or corporate real estate speculation.\u201d[7]<\/a> He even calls race an \u201cemergent principality\u201d[8]<\/a> so obviously, the spectrum is broad and honestly I find it difficult to wrap my head around.<\/p>\n

As if the stakes weren\u2019t already high enough, we all know the verse where Paul instructs the Corinthians \u201cAnd you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.\u201d (Corinthians 11:1 NLT). As leaders, we point our followers to Christ as the ultimate model. At the same time, we know that our lives should also demonstrate the actions and attitudes that we expect from others. There is a very real sense in which if I imitate the Powers, I will be leading others to do the same.<\/p>\n

Admittedly, I\u2019m feeling a bit unsure how to apply what we\u2019ve read this week. Just as I was starting to despair, I ran across some of Woodward\u2019s parting words. \u201cThe imitation-based\u00a0framework developed here suggests that the first work of the\u00a0missional leader is the formation of an identity in God.\u201d[9]<\/a> And now I\u2019m feeling reassured. As God has impressed upon me time and time again, this life of faith is much less about what I do (or don\u2019t do) and much more about who He has made me to be and even more importantly WHO HE IS. First things first: A right understanding of who God is. A right relationship with Him. And then, \u201cafter\u00a0developing a life worth imitating, we can develop a community\u00a0worth joining, with a mission worth dying for.\u201d[10]<\/a><\/p>\n

_________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> \u00a0Jacqueline Martinali, \u201cThe role of mimicry in the development of social communication\u201d Behavioral Research Blog by Noldus Information Technology, Febdruary 16, 2021. https:\/\/www.noldus.com\/blog\/role-mimicry-development-social-communication#:~:text=Mimicry%20important%20for%20social%20development,how%20to%20communicate%20non%2Dverbally.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Woodward, J.R.\u00a0The Scandal of Leadership: Unmasking the Powers of Domination in the Church.<\/em>\u00a0Cody, Wyoming, 100 Movements Publishing, 2023. 518.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Ibid., 513.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Clark, Jason.\u00a0Evangelicalism and Capitalism: A Reparative Account and Diagnosis of Pathogeneses in the Relationship. London School of Theology, 2018.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> James K. Smith, Imagining the Kingdom: How Worship Works\u00a0Cultural Liturgies. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2013.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Woodward, J.R.\u00a0The Scandal of Leadership: Unmasking the Powers of Domination in the Church.<\/em>\u00a0Cody, Wyoming, 100 Movements Publishing, 2023. 513.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Ibid., 320.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Joel Wentz, \u201cThe Scandal of Leadership: A Conversation with JR Woodward.\u201d November 8, 2023. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=99727JBE_Hc<\/a><\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Woodward, J.R.\u00a0The Scandal of Leadership: Unmasking the Powers of Domination in the Church.<\/em>\u00a0Cody, Wyoming, 100 Movements Publishing, 2023. 521.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> Ibid., 521.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A quick google search of science and mimicry turns up countless articles on the subject. There are examples of mimicry in nature all around us. In humans, copying facial expressions is even considered a milestone of infant development.[1] Clearly, we are creatures designed to imitate something. Furthermore, we know tacitly that we imitate that which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":186,"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":[2310],"tags":[2489,2846],"class_list":["post-37296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doctor-of-leadership-3","tag-dlgp02","tag-woodward","cohort-dlgp02"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37296","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\/186"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37296"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37296\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37297,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37296\/revisions\/37297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}