The Tension of Autonomy
I find this video (about Connecting Caring Communities) very encouraging. How about you?
- – - -
Just read this in the Core Beliefs of my alma mater (Harding). It includes this:
“Our commitment to the New Testament church compels us to teach, with a humble and gracious spirit, such neglected concepts as congregational autonomy, a cappella music in worship, the weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper, and the distinctive roles of men and women in the Christian assembly.”
That’s the trick, though, isn’t it? Believing in congregational autonomy as a core belief. Once you accept that as a central belief, then the rest is going to get dicey. What if one of those autonomous congregations prayerfully comes to other convictions about something like a cappella music or “the distinctive roles of men and women in the Christian assembly” (two other core beliefs)?
Of course, that isn’t just a tension built into these Core Beliefs; it’s a tension that is felt everywhere.
- – - -
Off to the Tulsa workshop this weekend. Hope to see several of you there.
- – - -
Very excited to read about this new mission team to Tanzania. Kudos to the Downtown Church in Searcy for getting behind this team.
- – - -
I miss my dorsal fin,
I can’t explain
I’m a big fish out of water
Dwellin’ on the coastal plain.
Now if I was as rich as the Aga Khan
I tell you what I would do
Buy every man, woman, and child on this planet
A mask and a snorkel too
Then I’d lead that wild migration
Destination Waimei Bay
Then we’d splash our way around the world
Life is just a water ballet.
- Jimmy Buffett, “Beautiful Swimmers”
“What if one of those autonomous congregations prayerfully comes to other convictions about something like a cappella music and “the distinctive roles of men and women in the Christian assembly” (two other core beliefs)?”
They are then excluded from the non-denominational list of Churches of Christ book.
D’oh!
I really hope that this thread does not become a rant against Harding. I get the sense that Mike is hurt or bothered that he is no longed invited to speak at Harding, but there are tons of preachers who are excellent preachers who are not fortunate to make the lecture circuit, and don’t think there isn’t one. are lucky to be invited to an area Wednesday night speaker series. Having said that that I feel some of the same frustration with my association, or should I say lack there of, with Freed Harding. These are just my mumble opinions, and as I have said before, I have great respect for Mike as a Christian man who has forgotten more than I know. I look at some of the lectureships and it seem like the same people every year with an and occasional up and comming one
I cannot believe that I did not proofread. Let me try it again.
I really hope that this thread does not become a rant against Harding. I get the sense that Mike is hurt or bothered in some way that he is no longer invited to speak at Harding. There are tons of excellent preachers who never get invited to speak anywhere, except maybe a Wednesday night series somewhere. Having said that, I am frustrated at times, by the actions of my alma-mater, Freed-Hardeman. These are just my humble opinions, and as I have said before, I have great respect for Mike as a Christian. I really wish I would have not posted anything because I am feeling very judgmental right now.
Ya think?
Wonderful video. Makes me want to open my own eyes a little wider in my neighborhood as well as in other neighborhoods of my city.
Buffett and Harding on the same post… with a really great video. Good diversity in your post. Son of son of a sailor with sons of sons of autonomy. And Waimei Bay has better weather than we’re having here in the mountains!
I thought “Freed Harding” might have been a Freudian slip, Richard. We can only wish…
Freed from what Steve Jr.? Your view of what their core beliefs should be? I pray they will hold true to their core values despite you and Mikes prayer that they wont.
gt – This post said nothing about praying that the school won’t hold true to their core values. While I would question whether the paragraph I quoted (having just recently seen it discussed online) does, in fact, represent the true “core beliefs” of my alma mater, I certainly recognize the role of the president and the board in determining those principles. What I was writing about is how tricky it is — an irony shot through the whole movement. We (according to some) have no creed but the Bible; and we believe in congregational autonomy. That seems to be to be a formula that results in wide, wide diversity.
Steve, I thought the same thing. Ha.
Mike, I understand where you’re coming from. It’s just that when I see wise cracks like Steves and RC I guess it irritates me. It’s always open season on a few of the schools around here with some. I have no problem with respectful disagreement or your assesment of problems their core belief statement might hold.
I apoligize if I misrepresented your point.
Mike finishes a column quoting a Jimmy Buffett song. It can only mean we are getting closer to May 22.
That is a “core value” that hopefully everyone can agree wtih.
No problem, gt. Thanks.
Charlie – We gotta talk. We’re down to less than 2 months!
gt, the wise crack was really directed at me. Just read my first post. It was written late at night and was a grammatical mess. I suppose it might be time for me to take a break from posting for a while.
Great video. 3 core beliefs that have zero reflection on Jesus Christ as risen savior – not even indirectly. How do those core beliefs have bearing on the woman in the video who, because of community, committed to stop stelling drugs?
I call that off-base, incredibly sad and irrelevant — just my opinion.
Mike,
At my first meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature (1990), in a general session I sat next to a high-ranking Episcopal priest. He struck up a conversation and we told each other about our respective worlds. As I described the Churches of Christ, he looked more and more bothered. Just as the session was getting started, he finished our talk with, “Sounds like anarchy to me.” But there’s government, right? We just have to work really hard at it.
No need for alarm unless “compels us to teach” really means “compels us to compel.” May a thousand flowers bloom.
What makes the core values so tricky is also the certainty with which they are held. It is one thing to speak of the strange paradox and challenge of holding seemingly unmatchable things together and stating contradicting things as though they are not contradicting.
Having grown up in the Church of Christ and then going to work in ministry at a Disciples of Christ Church…..one of the greatest things about the Church of Christ is its autonomy…sure there are some warts but I really believe it is a blessing more than a curse.
“With a humble & gracious spirit”……….how I wish it were so!
Richard: I hope you won’t take too long a break. I appreciate your comments. Yes, my “wise crack” was aimed at you…knowing you, liking you and knowing it was a legit misprint.
As far as my “Freed Harding” comment goes, I suppose I carry a bit of frustration over Harding’s (my alma mater, btw) closed mindedness. Take their speaker policy, for example. For an institution designed to expand the thinking of the next generation of leaders, the school seems to be very protective of what they allow their students to be exposed to. I compare this to the openness of other christian schools to different , even controversial points of view.
Richard – No sweat. We’ve all left blog comments late at night that don’t look quite as good the next morning. You’ve always been a valuable contributor to comments here.
Trying to find my voice this morning. I nearly lost it about 20 minutes into preaching last night. Maybe it’s my regular spring battle with allergies. But I have to find enough to get through one class today.
I have two problems with the concept of congregational autonomy, which shouldn’t surprise anyone who konows me:
1. It’s not a concept found anywhere in scripture that I’ve found so far, and
2. I think that may be so because congregations are not autonomous. Neither are we autonomous as individual believers. We are subject to the King, and citizens of the kingdom. What each church and each believer says and does reflects on the entire kingdom, and we really need to start recognizing this.
I know this has unpopular ramifications. It means that we actually are responsible for teaching believers and churches which have fallen away from the doctrine of Christ ( which is to love each other deeply) and that is exactly how we need to be doing it.
I have Butler in my final four!!!
Becky, you’ll never be able to visit Vegas now that you have “outed” yourself!