Happy to be stuck with…Jesus? May 24, 2008
Posted by Paul Edwards in Uncategorized.Tags: Emergent, Jesus CEO, Leadership
trackback
It’s crass statements like the following that make it difficult (but not impossible) for me to value even the very relevant writing coming out of the Emergent crowd:
Beware of any literature that starts with these words: “Jesus was the greatest leader of all time.” The sentiment behind those words may be true, but the point they make is irrelevant. It doesn’t matter if Jesus was the greatest leader of all time. Jesus is our leader (and, in a holy sense, we’re stuck with him).
An otherwise excellent perspective on our Evangelical tendency to “Americanise” Jesus is immediately deflated in the first paragraph because of an Emergent tendency to crassness and irreverence. That won’t stop me, however, from recommending you read the whole piece. I am, after all, an open-minded cranky Calvinist. 
Paul,
I wonder if this is another case of taking a comment and examining it for what it says only, where if cross examined the author might be able to articulate his point with greater clarity. As you seemed to indicate the article is very christian as a whole. Do you think that Christ is offended by stuff like this as much as we seem to be? I think many times we take our preferances and offenses and project them on Christ. Maybe not….
I was just thinking Paul, this might be an alternative name for you blog. The open-minded cranky Calvinist. Haha what do you think?
I like it, except aren’t most Calvinists cranky? I guess the open-minded part would be what sets the blog apart!
Was Jesus a Calavist? Was He cranky? I know His mind was totally open to the Father! *: )
This article made me remember attending a leadership conference at a previously attended church. My day job was that of “Office Manager (aka mom in charge)” of a VERY busy office. A large part of my job was HR related…counseling on both sides of the fence…I only attended one session of the conference…that’s all it took to make it clear to me that the conference was about “CONTROL” …using Jesus’ name and scripture examples to get the “most” out of your volunteers…since I already spent the majority of my day “controlling people”, I knew I had a zero interest level in controlling my brothers and sisters in Christ. If that was what it was going to take to “serve” in that particular church…I was turning in my 3 x 5 cards and the leadership manual immediately! Maybe not the best attitude, but definitely the end of my leadership training.
Didn’t Ligon Duncan joke about happy Calvanists? Now we know why!! Keep your chin up and smile, we still serve the Ultimate Victor! Call the blog, the Open Minded Happy Calvanist. After all, happy is the man who can have his mind changed.
I know this is totally a rabbit trail, but speaking of changing your mind, if one of you guys changes your mind willy-nilly from one day to the other, or seems to, you are called a flip flopper, a cowtower, a wimp or —just fill in the blank…I on the other hand, I can announce a change of mind at will or when ever the weather changes and stand by it as if it were the only true opinion I ever held…if questioned too closely, or harshly I can just…CRY…because, I am female and God made me that way…on purpose I might add! *: )
I hit the submit button, and thought, oh no, that is gonna get me in trouble, but it is a part of having an open mind, to considering arguments from the wackos to the philosophers, that Paul does. It can also be described as being teachable, something you are admonished to be when you begin reading your bible every morning.
When God knocks, you better be humbly open minded. When the wackos come knocking, I get cranky. Paul does do a good job with these people, keeps his guns holstered, and trys to talk sense to them. And sometimes it works!!
If it walks like a wacko and quacks like a wacko, it probably IS a wacko, but our God is excellent at redemption and He has used stranger things to bring an ahha moment into focus. *: )
I get cranky sometimes, and I’m a Jesusist, ~~ does that count? Sometimes I feel like Eeyore. Not a Calvinist, not an Armenian. Oookay.
Was Jesus a Calvinist? …The Briders think he was a Baptist. The bible says he was a Jew.
I think John was the only Baptist mentioned. *; )
Wait Don, my eyes are kind of weak, did you say you were a Jesuit???
Ohhh, never mind.
I knew someone would pick up on that. It’s in my nature to stir things at times.