Wednesday, March 26, 2008
The Best Of Intentions
My friend, John Gilmartin of Sheep's Crib "fisks" some recent statements out of the Pentecostal Churches. John does an excellent job with the specifics and I highly recommend this piece to you. He titles his piece:
I think that a most apt title and it fits almost precisely my own impressions of Pentecostalism. So rather than labor in the specifics, I want to look at the broader picture.
How many movements begin with the best of intentions and end with something much less than the best? We worry about libertarian bents in the church, and efforts to combat it result in legalism. We worry about dry intellectualism and we get the many problems of Pentecostalism as John so rightly points out. We worry about the fertility of our mission field and end up substituting politics for genuine faith. I could go on...and on...and on.
Bottom line is a straightforward one. Movements, organizations, denominations, congregations are only as good as the people that make them up. Further, these things exist to serve people, not the other way around. All the problems I cite in the paragraph above result from confusing these facts.
This means our first priority is individuals. We cannot allow leadership that is not composed of outstanding individuals. We cannot allow the "greater good" to corrupt our approach to the individual.
Jesus came to change the world, one person at a time.
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Pentecostalism: Good Intentions, Labored Results
I think that a most apt title and it fits almost precisely my own impressions of Pentecostalism. So rather than labor in the specifics, I want to look at the broader picture.
How many movements begin with the best of intentions and end with something much less than the best? We worry about libertarian bents in the church, and efforts to combat it result in legalism. We worry about dry intellectualism and we get the many problems of Pentecostalism as John so rightly points out. We worry about the fertility of our mission field and end up substituting politics for genuine faith. I could go on...and on...and on.
Bottom line is a straightforward one. Movements, organizations, denominations, congregations are only as good as the people that make them up. Further, these things exist to serve people, not the other way around. All the problems I cite in the paragraph above result from confusing these facts.
This means our first priority is individuals. We cannot allow leadership that is not composed of outstanding individuals. We cannot allow the "greater good" to corrupt our approach to the individual.
Jesus came to change the world, one person at a time.
Technorati Tags:pentecostalism, movements, wisdom, individuals, goals
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