Beyond Pragmatism pt. 2
A Vision for the Future Church
It’s easier to control people if we convince them that they are inherently uncreative – everyone simply conforms and cooperates. If we want to create a better world, we had better start to unleash the creative potential inside each person to create all that is good and beautiful and true.
-Erwin McManus (The Artisan Soul)
This is the finale of part 4 of a series on The Church, Technology, Millenials, and the Generation to Come.
Deconstructing Millenials
It’s Not the What, It’s the Why
Finding the Next Generation
Beyond Pragmatism pt. 1
As mentioned last time, I want this to be seen more as a description of a “way of being” rather than an “action plan.” For that reason, I want to briefly explore 3 sets of terms that can serve as guiding principles in creating a Church that is prepared to welcome the next generation (so called “Homelanders” born post-9/11/01) as they journey toward adult-hood.
I’d like to explore 3 concurrent approaches to preparing for the Future Church — 1 from the business realm, 1 from social studies, and 1 from the intersection of church and philosophy.
In his book A Whole New Mind, author Daniel Pink advocates for “Six Senses” that must be developed in order for individuals and businesses (it could be argued for schools and churches as well) to thrive in what has been described as a Post-Materialist society.
“…we are entering a new age. It is an age animated by a different form of thinking and new approach to life – one that prizes aptitudes that I call “high concept” and “high touch.” High concept involves the capacity to detect patterns and opportunities, to create artistic and emotional beauty, to craft a satisfying narrative, and to combine seemingly unrelated ideas into something new. High touch involves the ability to empathize with others, to understand the subtleties of human interaction, to find joy in one’s self and to elicit it in others, and to stretch beyond the quotidian in pursuit of purpose and meaning.” (2-3)
Touching on an increasingly-dated buzzword, professor James K. A. Smith addresses the Church with his query, Who’s Afraid of Post-Modernism? In this work he dissects several of the main claims of post-modern philosophy and shows how the are really not at odds with the Church historic — perhaps only with its Modern incarnation. He presents a vision of a church that is neither running from itself nor taking on all challengers.
“’I don’t know,’ Derrida once said; ‘I must believe.’ In other words, the postmodern theologian says, ‘We can’t know that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. The best we can do is believe.’ Why? Because to know would mean being certain. We know that such certainty is an impossible dream; therefore, we lack knowledge. We don’t know; we can only believe, and such faith will always be mysterious and ambiguous. But this isn’t a bad thing; quite to the contrary, it is liberating and just.” (118-19)
Finally, Strauss and Howe — whom I have referenced ad infinitum throughout this series — have suggested several ways in which we can prepare for the coming generational shift: by developing deep interpersonal relationships, valuing teamwork, converging around community norms, and bolstering family relationships. (The Fourth Turning, 318-321)
With these ideals in mind, I envision a future Church where story gives meaning to belief rather than facts enabling certainty. A place where there is room for doubt and disagreement rather than dissension and expulsion. A place where our souls are more important than our sins and God is more important than His own directives. A place where we are united by what brings us together (with one another, other churches, and the community) rather than divided by what we stand against.
This does not have to be a place “all is lawful” and there is no discipline. Rather, if we do the hard work of living in submission to the voice of God (as opposed to living “like we’re supposed to”) we can move forward with faith in the sovereignty of God to mold and prune those who join our company. We can embrace, encourage, and hold one another accountable rather than demanding the modification of behaviors to match up with a prescribed lifestyle.
We can be a safe place for artists, dreamers, skeptics, mystics, sinners, and those being saved.
