Friday, April 04, 2008
Spiritual Gifting
Jollyblogger looks at comment by Mark Dever on spiritual gifts and spiritual gift inventories.
I have run into preaching/teaching that differentiates between the working gifts (I Cor 12) and the motivational gifts (Rom 12). I will not bore you with the details of the exegesis here, but they argument is that Rom 12 divides us up into types that we don't need to cross. "We are what we are," as it were. (Here's a taste of this kind of thinking)
A very wise person I know once compared the "motivational" gifts to zodiac signs and said they were often used by some to avoid anything resembling actual work. As in "Oh, I can't wash dishes, my motivational gift is leadership, that's for you service types." Which takes us back to Dever's contention that it is about what people want to do.
David makes some excellent points in the rest of his post about whether the scriptural lists are exhaustive, do we have to serve in accordance with our gifts, etc.
For me the bottom line is like most things - too much of a good thing is almost as bad as nothing at all. It has been my experience that I serve as best as I can at whatever is presented to me and I find that I usually have whatever resources I need to get the job done. I know for sure that when I quit trying to figure out my giftd and what I was supposed to do with my life, and started just doing it, things got a lot better.
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I gotta agree with Ben and Mark here. Ben Arment interviewed Mark Dever recently and here's a summary of one part of the conversation:I have to add my "Amen" here as well. In fact, I think it may be even more insidious than David lets on.Mark Dever said a lot of things that stuck in my ribs last week over lunch. One of them is how much he detests spiritual gift inventories. He said their whole focus is on what "I want to do" rather than serving in the true spirit of selflessness... helping where we're most needed. Now, I'm all for empowering people to thrive where they're gifted... but I'm inclined to agree with him.
If I may (and why not, it's my blog so of course I may) I'd like to express my agreement with Ben and Mark. And I'll add some reasons to their reasons to show why they are right.
What they said is true. I have seen it most commonly in people who fancy themselves to have the gift of prophecy. On more than one occasion I have heard such a person say "well, I guess I just don't have the gift of mercy" after they have emotionally run over someone.
On a deeper level most spiritual gift inventories are just spiritualized versions of temperament tests. Actually, in their place I find temperament tests very helpful and recommend them as good helps for people seeking to identify their strengths, weaknesses and best ways of working with others.
If we could leave spiritual gift inventories on that level - as helpful but not determinative, then I would be fine. The trouble is, spiritual gift inventories are often accompanied with teaching that says that each one of us is given one particular gift by God and we must identify it and use it. Thus, spiritual gift inventories rise to the level of "thus saith the Lord." Others are frustrated that they haven't taken an inventory so they don't know how to serve.
I have run into preaching/teaching that differentiates between the working gifts (I Cor 12) and the motivational gifts (Rom 12). I will not bore you with the details of the exegesis here, but they argument is that Rom 12 divides us up into types that we don't need to cross. "We are what we are," as it were. (Here's a taste of this kind of thinking)
A very wise person I know once compared the "motivational" gifts to zodiac signs and said they were often used by some to avoid anything resembling actual work. As in "Oh, I can't wash dishes, my motivational gift is leadership, that's for you service types." Which takes us back to Dever's contention that it is about what people want to do.
David makes some excellent points in the rest of his post about whether the scriptural lists are exhaustive, do we have to serve in accordance with our gifts, etc.
For me the bottom line is like most things - too much of a good thing is almost as bad as nothing at all. It has been my experience that I serve as best as I can at whatever is presented to me and I find that I usually have whatever resources I need to get the job done. I know for sure that when I quit trying to figure out my giftd and what I was supposed to do with my life, and started just doing it, things got a lot better.
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