Religion Vs. Society
If you read my books, you know how passionate I am about domains, and how we start with the society and not the church. The church emerges as we live out the life of Jesus. There is a reason, I’m convinced, why church planting movements in “virgin” countries go so fast. Think about it. If you have no religious infrastructure, and you go only through the existing domains of society, it spreads fast. It’s relational and there is nothing to slow or impede it--it is viral. When the religious infrastructure comes, the idea is it should speed things up to jet speed. But, instead of acting like jet fuel, it’s like a water faucet that constricts the flow going only as fast as is possible for the religious infrastructure to control. The more we can keep faith flowing in the natural domains of society the more faith will grow. BUT, alas, to do this we have to make disciples . . . .
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Mar 28, 2008 at 07:20 PM
Right on!
gaj
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Mar 29, 2008 at 06:38 AM
I so agree!
So, often we get tripped up thinking that we need to do this and do that, create this and create that. Forgetting that there is nothing new in this world other than the rebirth of a soul or mind and really those aren't new either. They are just us see and hearing in new ways once the eyes have been healed and the ears chisled out. It is simply about being in his presence, sitting at his feet and following Him where ever the journey takes us.
Be "a present" in the here and now.
Mar 29, 2008 at 09:35 AM
Thanks for expressing this in such a concise way. I have been trying to explain this to my mom after reading your books and listening to you on various occasions, but have never succeeded in getting the point across in a way that her traditional missions mind can understand. I sent her your few words and now I think she gets it! Her church is starting to work in China. I'm happy because they are moving beyond throwing money at missions to actually doing it themselves, but it bothers me that they have only a narrow view of how to really engage. Keep writing!
By the way - the new book is incredible! Miss you guys!
Mar 31, 2008 at 05:24 AM
I recently picked up a copy of "Glocalization" and have been voraciously reading it. I am in a Master's in Global Leadership program at Fuller, so this topic of study and the corresponding dialog and methods are my passion.
I was curious about the domains listed in the book. I have read a lot about "domains" or "world systems," and I wonder if your list is exhaustive. Specifically, I wonder where media, communications, and community (local) fit.?
Also, I think you would love Hernando DeSoto's "The Mystery of Capital," which I think offers a pretty interesting and realistic solution to global poverty.
CB.
Mar 31, 2008 at 02:15 PM
The are not exhaustive - there are many ways to do it - I did it more like an HR person since I'm working at people using their vocations to engage society.
Apr 3, 2008 at 09:23 PM
Pastor Bob,
I recently purchased your book entitled Transformation, and I must say that you have provided invaluable knowledge and insight into how the Church can transform the culture. I haven't read too many Christian books in the last 15 years - too busy worshiping money, sinning, and reading books about transforming corporations (i.e. "Re-Imagine" by Tom Peters). I find your book very refreshing, insightful, challenging and a great "road map" for planting churches and transforming the culture we live in. Your book has inspired me to re-think the way I've been living my life and start seeking to transform the culture I live in.
Pastor Bob, I understand the futilism of atheism. When I went to college in 1977 I met a bunch of "hoy rollers" on the campus of Louisiana Tech and sought to argue with them about their faith. I believed that Christianity was a religion for the weak-minded, the insecure and idiots; that it could be easily refuted...but I found out otherwise and that there is more historical and legal evidence for the death and resurrection of Jesus than any other historical event in the entire world...and that is how I discovered that it was I who was the idiot, the weak-minded and the fool. So I gave up atheism and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior on March 17, 1979...and one of those dudes I laughed at baptized me in the La. Tech swimming pool! Back in those days I read a lot of books by C.S. Lewis, Francis Shaeffer and Clarence Larkin. Francis Shaeffer wrote a lot about the church and the culture. I have the complete works of Francis Shaeffer in a 5 volume hardback series of books. As I was reading your book on Transformation I came to the conclusion that this one book would have been far greater and better to read than all the books by Francis Shaeffer....I never understood how the church could greatly affect the culture, even after reading all those books by Shaeffer...now I have a much better understanding, thanks to your book!
After I graduated from college I got caught up in the corporate world of succeeding, making lots of money, thinking more highly of myself than I ought to, overeating, and living "The Good Life". Welp, I just wasted about 25 years of my life on crap that I should have flushed down the toilet and served God instead. It just goes to show that one can read all the books they want to on apologetics and still not transform their culture! Now I finally understand what it requires to transform the culture through the Church...thanks to your book on Transformation. A few years ago I started attending Northwood, and have found the culture at Northwood to be very good for growth and learning about God. I now believe that I would have never come to this place in my life where I realize that I've got to transform my life, give up the worldly stuff, and start working on transforming the culture unless I came to Northwood and read Transformation. I say all of this stuff to you to let you know that this book is in fact the most powerful book I've read in many, many years...and it's renewed my interest in learning more about the Kingdom of God, "Kingdom In Kingdom Out" and dedicating myself to the Kingdom of God than to the Kingdom of "Me, Myself and I".
Thanks for writing this awesome book. It's meant more to me than I can ever say...and I just wanted you to know that this book is in fact having a great impact on the church community and those of us who've been lurking around in the pews but haven't lead one person to Christ in over 20 years.
Michael Haygood
Apr 4, 2008 at 05:33 AM
Michael I'm so glad you're here at NorthWood and it's had that impact on you. Your words brought incredible joy to me.
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