"I wonder what it looks like to 'move on'. Can we 'move on' without criticizing the previous paradigm? I worry about that with us at Mars Hill [Graduate School]. We say we want to hear people's stories and engage with others in dialogue, but we are so critical, cynical, and mocking of things like fundamentalism and conservative evangelicalism that we probably destroy any possibility of discussion and growth. We simply become neo-fundamentalists."
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Caution in “Moving On”
In my Mission in a Global Context class today we were talking about cultural and philosophical paradigm shifts that have existed throughout the past 2 millennia. I began to wonder why the "postmodern" paradigm that is coming out of the previous 500 years of modernist thinking has been so critical of the past. One student spoke of wanting to "move on" from the paradigm of his parents' conservative evangelical world. I wanted to respond in the moment but didn't, so instead I wrote some words to capture my thoughts.
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The past holds gold nuggets for us. We can better evaluate in hindsight the rights and wrongs of everything - belief, faith, morality, social structures, etc. Maintaining an openness to individual expression is important; being or appearing to be judging will create only an environment of polarity. Being open without judging is critical to honest sharing and future building. It's far easier to be critical, cynical, mocking than it is to be listening, nonjudgmental, breeding an environment of understanding and compassion.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of things that you discuss are valid and borne of valid experiences. And I am sure you are getting some good educational tools. But, to have the kind of contempt that you describe here for the past, for conservative evangelicals and fundamentalists, will not serve you well in the local church. I know that you are not like this, but I worry about the people you are going to school with. There are very few churches that this kind of atttitude will work with.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your words of caution Clint. It is tough to not simply be cynical or critical of the "past", but to recognize the ways they were "right" and "wrong" and the ways my way of thinking about the world needs redemption as well. I feel like I do a fairly good job of respecting the past while continuing to move forward, but I still fight the urge toward cynicism and need constant reminding not to fall into that trap. Thanks.
ReplyDeletei appreciate all the hard work, and trials you are going through to better serve the kingdom man. Just remember that Jesus just wants us to keep it simple. Love God, Love your neighbor as your self. Take heart, I hate to say God is simple but some times he is simply straight forward. 'All you need is love' maybe the Beatles got some of it right.
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