Jim Collins (Good to Great) optimistic about the next generation

Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, in an interview in the April 2009 issue of Inc.magazine.

Q: What’s the source of your optimism?
A: A lot of it has to do with the young generation. A general at West Point told me, ‘This is the most inspired and inspiring generation to come through West Point since 1945.’ I see the same thing with the young people who come to work for me. They have a sense of responsibility and service and a lack of cynicism that is remarkable and wonderful. It’s an ethos, and its collective. That’s what’s really powerful. It’s connected technologically. It’s not grandiose, but there is a fundamental assumption of being part of a much larger world and a much larger set of aspirations. The world can be a really awful, brutal, turbulent place. And yet I’m hopeful precisely because of this generation of kids. I really think we ought to just give them the keys as soon as we can. Let them run it.

In working with you, the next generation, I share Collins' assessment and optimism. I agree--let's give you the keys! That's what Missio Dei is about--unleashing you to make a difference for the Kingdom! So here’s the keys—where are you taking us?

I Asked the Lord that I Might Grow

John Newton (1725-1807) is famous for being the former slave trader-turned-pastor who penned the words to the well-known and beloved hymn "Amazing Grace." He was also a mentor to the great abolitionist William Wilberforce and to the hymnist William Cowper, and for many years pastored a congregation in Olney, England, where he was noted for his outreach to the poor and for his preaching.

As this poem reveals, he was a probing contemplative as well as a gifted lyricist. He had a powerful understanding of the Gospel, and he captures well the struggle with sin and the surprising ways in which God answers our prayers for growth in holiness. 

I asked the Lord that I might grow,

In faith and love and every grace,

Might more of His salvation know,

And seek more earnestly His face.

It was He who taught me thus to pray,

And He I trust has answered prayer.

But it has been in such a way,

As almost drove me to despair.

I hoped that in some favored hour,

At once He'd answer my request.

And by His love's constraining power,

Subdue my sins and give me rest.

Instead of this, He made me feel,

The hidden evils of my heart.

And let the angry powers of hell,

Assault my soul in every part.

Yes, more with His own hand,

He seemed, Intent to aggravate my woe.

Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,

Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.

"Lord, why is this?" I trembling cried.

Will You pursue Your worm to death?"

"This is the way" the Lord replied,

"I answer prayer for grace and strength."

"These inward trials I employ,

From self, and pride, to set you free;

And break your schemes of earthly joy,

That you may find thy all in Me."

—John Newton

Is there a "Coming Evangelical Collapse"?

Michael Spencer, aka the Internet Monk, thinks so. His article on the Coming Evangelical Collapse (CEC) has me agreeing with him.

We are on the verge – within 10 years – of a major collapse of evangelical Christianity. This breakdown will follow the deterioration of the mainline Protestant world and it will fundamentally alter the religious and cultural environment in the West.

Within two generations, evangelicalism will be a house deserted of half its occupants. (Between 25 and 35 percent of Americans today are Evangelicals.) In the "Protestant" 20th century, Evangelicals flourished. But they will soon be living in a very secular and religiously antagonistic 21st century.

This collapse will herald the arrival of an anti-Christian chapter of the post-Christian West. Intolerance of Christianity will rise to levels many of us have not believed possible in our lifetimes, and public policy will become hostile toward evangelical Christianity, seeing it as the opponent of the common good.
Millions of Evangelicals will quit. Thousands of ministries will end. Christian media will be reduced, if not eliminated. Many Christian schools will go into rapid decline. I'm convinced the grace and mission of God will reach to the ends of the earth. But the end of evangelicalism as we know it is close.

Spencer goes on to outline why this has happened (shallow theology, caving in to consumerism, fighting the wrong battles, ie, the culture wars), and what the landscape will look like (less professed evangelicals, more Catholic and Orthodox converts, and more persecution).
He also goes on to say that this is not all bad--there is much of evangelicalism that needs to die. The corruptions and perversions attached to evangelicalism need to be washed away, like the health and wealth heresy. (How long would it take Joel Osteen to become an all-out universalist if his lucrative livelihood was threatened?)

I don't know if I see things quite as direly as Spencer does, but he is right. Current evangelicalism is incredibly and tragically shallow. It is biblically and culturally illiterate. It has retreated to its Holy Huddle, and is utterly unprepared to survive in a hostile society. The environment for being a Christian in the West is rapidly changing. Might Obama be our last professing Christian president? Maybe. If not him, perhaps the next. Will Christianity be expelled from all civic discourse, politics, academia? Likely. Will Christians face some form of persecution? Likely. Will the money dry up, in the Christian world, as Spencer predicts? Yes, but this will likely be a good thing in the big picture, as many stupid/silly projects won't get funding. But it will still hurt many worthwhile ministries, eg, someone like me who raises support for a living. Many of us will have to consider going bivocational.

I've contemplated dropping the term "evangelical" as a self-descriptor because of the culture-warrior baggage and because the tent has become so big that I don't want to affiliate myself with beliefs/causes I believe to be unbiblical. I've heard some folks going with their tribe (Reformed), or using "orthodox" (small "o") to describe their time-tested, biblical beliefs.

What do you think? Is evangelicalism going to collapse? Is it already? Do you use that term to describe yourself? Why/why not? Will we face persecution soon? Will the money dry up? What does a post-evangelical America look like?

Pruning to Bear Fruit

We have a peach tree in our yard. At least, we think it’s a peach tree. Late last summer, it bore a very peculiar, shriveled, sour-tasting fruit-like substance that we placed somewhere in the peach family. It seems that the previous owners were not much in to pruning, so the tree became rather unfocused in its growth. Dozens of little branches here and there; undisciplined growth all over the place; and no fruit—at least not the kind of fruit worth eating.

 

We were told by a friend who knows about these things that when you have an overgrown fruit tree, you need to really pare it back. This is short-term loss, but long-term gain. If you do it right, the tree won’t be ready to bear good fruit the first year (nor will it even look pretty), but in the second year, the tree’s energies will no longer be diluted, and its growth should result in sweet, delicious fruit. Peach cobbler. Peach pie. Peach jam. Mmm.

 

So Saturday morning I took out the chainsaw and started hacking away. I lopped off limb after unfruitful limb. It was satisfying. When I was done, it seemed that three trees worth of limbs had been cut down. Somehow, all the branches had come down from this one little tree. I had thought it would take 3 minutes. But pruning it well had been a more involved procedure than I had thought. Yes, I enjoyed the violence of it—but all the more because it was constructive violence.

 

Yes, I am a little worried that my pruning was too extreme. I may have gotten carried away. We’ll know for sure next year. The proof is in the peaches, so to speak. During my pruning, Jesus’ words in John 15 seemed especially fresh and relevant:

 

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” (John 15:1-2)

 

Some Lessons Learned from Actually Pruning a Fruit Tree

 

1. Showy fruitlessness is worthless. Bearing fruit is the point! Not all growth is good growth. What good is a peach tree that doesn’t bear peaches? Not much. This tree did have a lot of growth, but it wasn’t the right kind. It was undisciplined, unintentional—and unfruitful. It was darn near losing the right to be called a peach tree. Showy fruitlessness is why Jesus condemned the fig tree in Mark 11:12-14.

 

2. Pruning is short-term loss, long-term gain. The same morning I pruned the tree, I had breakfast with a mentor. He not-so-coincidentally brought up John 15, and he said that a recent pruning season in his life “put me on the bench for three months.” But he spoke with commingled joy and sorrow about it, because he was in a much better place now. The pruning had done its work.

 

3. Pruning is constructive violence. It takes things we may think are important, even essential, and hacks them off. After years of unfruitful “growth,” it may take a chainsaw! It may be painful. But it will be for ours—and others’—good.

 

4. Jesus is the Vine and God the Father is the Good Vinedresser. He knows what he’s doing.  His pruning (unlike mine) will always result in greater fruitfulness. He is wise and we can trust him.  

TIME mag cites "New Calvinism" as one of the "10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now"

This is old news to those of us inside the movement, but its notable when TIME notices the resurgence of neo-Calvinism. They give shout-outs to John Piper, Mark Driscoll, and Al Mohler. It is true, as the article notes, that the real energy and vigor in the evangelical world is coming from Reformed circles. From their most recent issue.

What is a movement? 12 marks

If you hang around me long enough, you know I'm fond of talking about Missio Dei as a movement. But what exactly IS a movement? How is it different from what others may be doing? And why is this distinction important? 

Recently a pastor friend challenged me with those questions, and this was my response. I drew it from my study of revivals and awakenings, going back to the first Great Awakening of Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield and the Wesleys; the Haystack Revival; the Welsh Revival; the Student Volunteer Movement; the work of men like D.L. Moody and Billy Graham; and modern movements ranging from Vineyard and Calvary Chapel to Sovereign Grace, Redeemer, and Acts 29. Part of this draws on a talk I heard Mark Driscoll give at an Acts29 Boot Camp in Raleigh in Feb 09. 

So is Missio Dei a movement? Not yet. But I think we're heading in the right direction. You should also know that I'm personally uncomfortable with #11, but it seems impossible to ignore when you look at history. 

1. It’s an extraordinary outpouring of the Spirit of God upon a praying people. It is inherently something beyond the normal workings of God, and well beyond man’s ability to create.

 

2. It’s characterized by extraordinary events and transformations: the renewal of an apathetic, dry church; resulting in many conversions of people within and without the visible church.

 

3. It is unusual in its degree and scope. It breaks down human distinctions which are not biblical and which have impeded Kingdom expansion (ie, the convergence of charismatic theology with the Reformed world in recent years).

 

4. It actively seeks to NOT become institutionalized. When it becomes institutionalized, it loses a great deal of momentum.

 

5. It is discerning about the essentials--those things which must be agreed on or maintained (closed hand), and which are non essentials—those things not necessary to agree on (open hand). There is unity in diversity.

 

6. It CAN work in concert with institutions, to renew and expand them.

 

7. It is a recovery of sound theology and practices—what are not new, but seem that way to those experiencing them.

 

8. It is messy around the edges—and sometimes at the middle. It attracts bad theology, bad practices, and unstable people.

 

9. A movement generates a lot of discussion, both within and without the movement. Some of it is healthy; much of it is gossip and speculation and criticism. But it cannot be ignored.

 

10. It takes hits on both sides. From secular leaning folks, and from the religious establishment. The bad apples are used by skeptics to discredit the entire movement.

 

11. It is frequently spearheaded by a particularly charismatic or larger-than-life leader who seems to be anointed for the task. These leaders are lavished with praise by their followers, but are frequently unfairly criticized and undergo great suffering and temptation.

 

12. It leaves lasting changes in those impacted by it: individuals, families, churches, communities, and even cultures are never the same. 

10 Guidelines for Missional Partying

Going to school in this town you are bound to end up at a few parties.

These situations are both strategic and dangerous.

They are strategic as a relational opportunity to connect with your friends, meet new people, and perhaps even find a chance to share your faith. One of the things that Jesus was criticized for was that he hung out with drunks, tax collectors, and prostitutes, and beggars. We need to do the same.

But as Christians, we also have to realize that these situations can be full of pitfalls...or maybe another good metaphor would be the idea of running through mine-fields. We should not be ignorant of the fact that while God may call us to enter these situations from time to time, we should go in with our heads up, taking the advice of 1 Peter 1:13-- having sober-minds, prepared for action.

Here are some general guidelines that may help you work through which situations you should be in and which situations you need to avoid:

1. Be sensative to the Spirit-- pray beforehand -- if at any point you feel you shouldn't be there, get out!

2. If you are double-minded at all (in other words you know that you are kindof looking for an opportunity to satisfy your flesh, but rationalizing it telling yourself you are being missional), don't go!

3. Set up some accountability-- let a Christian friend know you are going into this situation, and decide on a time for them to give you a call and check up on you. Better yet, take a Christian friend with you!

4. Know before-hand why you are going, who you want to connect with, and the amount of time you want to stay.

5. Make an effort to always be in conversation-- on your feet-- not lingering, watching, or leaving yourself open to temptation (you know what that means for you). If you are there to reach out to your friends, be intentional and do it! Don't coast into neutral.

6. If your friends are too drunk to have real conversations, doing something else might be a wiser use of your time.

7. Don't participate in or appear to condone any behavior that is illegal, or sinful. If you feel like you are condoning illegal or sinful behavior by just by being there, then you should leave. Keep in mind 1 Peter 4:3,4: "The time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkeness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery..."

8. Always remember that you are a missionary-- a representative of Christ-- wherever you are. The question is: Will people see Christ in you, or will you blend in to the crowd?

9. Are you in the position where you could host parties-- where you could be in a little more control of what's going on, but still hang out with the people you want to reach out to? Think about hosting parties at your place, and show people you don't have to get drunk out of your mind to have a good time. Have good food, drinks (you can make the call about whether or not any alcohol will be involved...perhaps it can be a byob if people want to drink alcohol...), games, movie, whatever your creative mind can come up with.

10. Remember 1 Corinthians 10:31 "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

This is not an extensive list...there are probably a lot more things that could be added, but hopefully I got you thinking.