Ideas to Practice

Reading Exponential by the brothers Ferguson brought this Seth Godin idea to my mind:
“Ideas are cheap. Implementation makes the difference.”
While the ideas in this book are by no means cheap, their implementation made them valuable.

The idea true knowledge works its way into actions has been a staple of historical thought. Aristotle taught that true learning must involve an element implementation. The Hebraic concept of “knowing” is also inescapably practical. To “know” the speed limit is to drive it. To know that smoking is detrimental to your health is to abstain. The tale of Community Christian Church’s inception and growth told in Exponential is rich with such knowledge.

The Ferguson’s lay out the methodology that reproduced their church’s individual and communal leadership. Several ideas stand out:

1) Apprenticeship – a growing relationship with a leader and a follower that anticipates the feature leadership needs.

2) Growing churches attract a creative class – artists propel a church to new growth by facilitating innovation and risk.

3) Multi-site – multi-site churches have greater cost effectiveness than church plants.

In sum, there is no quick fix or magical solution to church growth. The fuel of such transformational growth starts with people moved by God to lead in the context of a life-on-life relationship with another leader. To build relational capital we must invest relational capital.

Review for Different Eyes Blog Tour

As a previous reader of Steve Chalke and Alan Mann’s The Lost Message of Jesus, I leapt at the opportunity to review their Different Eyes: The Art of Living Beautifully for Zondervan. Chalke and Mann see the pursuit of a virtuous Christian life as categorically different from a moral existence based exclusively in rule following and different from one based in a utilitarian pursuit of the greatest good. In so doing, they come along side a slew of philosophers and theologians attempting to meld virtue ethics and Christian theology. They are among those attempting to utilize resources found in the virtue tradition of Aristotle and Aquinas within the bounds of Christian ethical reflection.

They argue that this particular ethical paradigm is rooted in an accurate envisioning of holy God. The Dame Iris Murdoch once wrote, “True vision occasions right conduct.” This is a bit of what Chalke and Mann mean. However, whereas Murdoch espoused that the true vision would be beholding something of a Platonic form of the good, Chalke and Mann have their eyes set on the God of Israel who is not only transcendent, but immanent as well. Further, they envision of God in whose image humanity is created. Envisioning God helps humanity understand for what purpose they were made. In short, humans are made to reflect the image of God in this earth through word and deed. Said another way, God’s followers are to join in and become co-narrators of the ongoing story of redemption and renewal God is currently telling.

Chalke and Mann provide a pithy introduction to the virtue ethics. Theirs is a good first step for the virtue ethics dilettante. As for further reading, the authors provide a worthy “Suggested Reading” list at the end of their work for those hoping to delve deeper into some of the many areas addressed in this book. As for further doing, this reader hopes to envisage God better and therefore act in better accord with the purpose for which I was created.