{"id":37433,"date":"2024-04-11T21:37:01","date_gmt":"2024-04-12T04:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=37433"},"modified":"2024-04-11T21:46:57","modified_gmt":"2024-04-12T04:46:57","slug":"this-is-my-desire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/this-is-my-desire\/","title":{"rendered":"This Is My Desire"},"content":{"rendered":"

I am proposing that the only way to overcome the Powers is through imitation of Christ, <\/em><\/p>\n

in particular his desires, which always leads to how we act.<\/em><\/p>\n

-J.R. Woodward-<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Scandals in the leadership of clergy in the church are a phenomenon that has existed for centuries and occur in any part of the world and any church denomination. Cases that have ensnared these priests include, for example, infidelity, corruption, violence (verbal, physical, sexual), authoritarianism, and so on. When I was a teenager and first heard that one of the senior Pastors in our denomination was having an extramarital affair, I almost couldn’t believe it. However, in our tradition, parents and the elders in the church usually teach the next generation to give an honorable place to pastors, both in our minds and in our treatment. The most basic reason is that pastors are servants of God whose lives are close to God. This is the kind of image that is usually taught and passed down from generation to generation.<\/p>\n

However, I then began to realize that a pastor is also an ordinary human being with everything about him that has dynamics. I then increasingly understood that a pastor in his ministry and life can also experience boredom, confusion, pressure, anxiety, and downturn. As I become a full-time minister and get to know many of my fellow ministers, my understanding of the potential fragility of a pastor in his ministry and family life will become greater if the factors that support and trigger it are not handled appropriately.<\/p>\n

Woodward’s brilliant writing in this week’s reading book is a valuable treasure that can help pastors and the support system around them to understand potential weaknesses in pastors and turn them into potentials that bring strength to a pastor’s ministry. Woodward warns that in ministry and leadership, there is great power entrusted to a pastor. Woodward writes, \u201cThere is worldly power, which Jesus eschewed, but there is also a holy power, brought by the Spirit.\u201d[1]<\/a> Woodward shows that these forces can influence a pastor in carrying out his ministry and applying the authority entrusted to him.<\/p>\n

Therefore, Woodward emphasized the noble purpose of writing this book, \u201cI write this book with hope for the fallen and as a vaccination for those who have not fallen but are capable of doing so (which includes us all). I want to describe a reality where we, as flesh-and-blood people, recognize the unseen dark forces that work against us, because if we fail to name, unmask, and engage them, we are likely to fall. (xxvii).\u201d For Woodward, the potential to experience fragility and fall exists in every human being, including a priest. This writing is intended to help anyone, including church leaders and servants, to recognize the power of darkness that threatens us.<\/p>\n

In this research, Woodward departed from Rene Girard’s theories and thoughts regarding \u201cMimetic.\u201d Woodward says, \u201cHis mimetic theory demonstrates the link between the Powers and imitation and desire (mimetic desire). Mimetic desire suggests that humans are the most imitative creatures on earth and that we imitate the desires of our models. This can be seen in all sectors of society\u2014 from Madison Avenue to the fashion industry to the network effect in stock trading to keeping up with the Joneses. Although our physical needs for sex and food are instinctual, our wants are mimetic. Girard helps us to understand our \u201chidden models\u201d and how they shape our desires.\u201d[2]<\/a> Woodward uses Girard’s theory to help readers realize the mimetic potential in humans while showing that humans are relational creatures who imitate each other. Therefore, Woodward uses Girard’s idea that a person’s mimetic potential is used to imitate Christ. He insists, \u201cbecause through Girard we learn that, ultimately, we will either imitate the Powers or Christ. There is no neutral ground. And our ultimate model will determine the nature of our incarnational leadership.\u201d[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

Girard’s “Mimetic” theory makes us aware that the influence of other people’s examples greatly shapes us because within us there is a desire to imitate those who are models for us. Chris Fleming, in his book, Ren\u00e9 Girard: Violence and Mimesis<\/em> writes, \u201cGirard describes desire as mimetic because of what he sees as the overriding importance of imitation in the constitution of our desires.\u201d[4]<\/a> Fleming then shows us Girard’s pivotal emphasis on mimetic, \u201cGirard suggests, we learn what to desire from copying the desires of others: \u2018To say that our desires are imitative or mimetic is to root them neither in their objects nor in ourselves but in a third party, the model or mediator, whose desire we imitate in the hope of resembling him or her.\u201d[5]<\/a> From Girard’s theory, we can understand that through the mimetic process, we are motivated to imitate whoever our model is because we like to imitate him\/her, and we love to be our model. Woodward writes, \u201cWe become what we love, and ultimately, what we love is what we worship.\u201d[6]<\/a><\/p>\n

A portentous assertion made by Woodward invites us to an authentic discernment, \u201cWho we choose as models determines our desires; and ultimately, either Jesus or the Powers will be our arch-model.\u201d[7]<\/a> Woodward gives three indicators to measure it. First, are we building God’s kingdom or our kingdom? Second, are we following Satan’s impulses or trusting and relying on God and His promises and His timing? Finally, does the image of the ministry system that we create reflect the world system or God’s kingdom?[8]<\/a><\/p>\n

Woodward’s thoughts enable us to be aware of finding, realizing, and avoiding these potentials within ourselves: authoritarian, abusive, manipulative, corrupt, exploitative, and destructive church leaders and servants, To be able to support the realization of this hope, the only one who must be a model for us to imitate is Jesus Christ, not anyone else. We can have role models who we admire because of their intelligence, authority, kindness, and so on. However, only Jesus is the true model. Here are the reasons, first, He is the image of God in human form. Second, \u201cIf we imitate the desires of Christ, it will result in true missional leadership, evidenced by others-centeredness, humility, and a kenotic (self-emptying) approach to leadership.\u201d[9]<\/a><\/p>\n

I, then recall what Jules Glanzer wrote in his book, The Sound of Leadership<\/em>. He writes, \u201cMore important than listening to the people is listening to the voice of God. God’s call to leadership and guidance along the way is one of the foundational tones to God-honoring, kingdom-seeking, biblically rooted leadership.\u201d[10]<\/a> Not only listened to God’s voice, but he also emphasized the importance of seeing as God sees. He writes, \u201cCarefully observe the various aspects of the situation and attempt to see the situation the way God sees it. Observing the who, what, when, where, and why of a situation provides the leader with a healthy view of the perceived reality.\u201d[11]<\/a> This is my desire: to imitate Christ. Imitating Him shapes our leadership and ministry, enabling us to continually radiate bright lights and project beautiful voices, as the Bible says, \u201cBecause He is the image of the invisible God.\u201d[12]<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> J.R. Woodward,\u00a0The Scandal of Leadership: Unmasking the Powers of Domination in the Church<\/em>\u00a0(Cody, WY: 100 Movements Publishing, an Imprint of Movement Leaders Collective, 2023), xxiii.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Ibid, xxxvii.<\/p>\n

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

[4]<\/a> Chris Fleming, Ren\u00e9 Girard: Violence and Mimesis<\/em> (Cambridge: Polity Press Ltd, 2004), 10.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Woodward,\u00a0The Scandal of Leadership<\/em>, 109.<\/p>\n

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

[8]<\/a> Ibid, xxiv.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Ibid, xxxvi.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> Jules Glanzer,\u00a0The Sound of Leadership: Kingdom Notes to Fine Tune Your Life and Influence<\/em>\u00a0(Plano, TX: Invite Press, 2023), Scribd Version, page 39 of 230.<\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> Ibid.<\/em><\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> Colossians 1:15. NIV.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I am proposing that the only way to overcome the Powers is through imitation of Christ, in particular his desires, which always leads to how we act. -J.R. Woodward-   Scandals in the leadership of clergy in the church are a phenomenon that has existed for centuries and occur in any part of the world […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":173,"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":[3186],"class_list":["post-37433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doctor-of-leadership-3","tag-woodward-dlgp02","cohort-dlgp02"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37433","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\/173"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37433"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37433\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37435,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37433\/revisions\/37435"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}