Episode 172: Courageous Leadership in Times of Reformation - Jason Ruis
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
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We love the Christian Reformed Church; we want to see reformation in our denomination; and we recognize that reformation is typically messy. So, we’re having conversations with pastors throughout the CRC about what reformation might look like.
Intro Music by Matt Krotzer - Розваги
That scene in The Hobbit is a cool movie scene, but it is NOT in the book.
In the book, Gandalf is launching his pinecone fire bombs, but it's not working. Then he (Gandalf) gets ready (not Thorin) to leap down on the dancing goblins. But just then the lord of the eagles swoops down and siezes Gandalf, and the dwarves, plus one hobbit, fly away.
Excellent speech/video/podcast, though! And your point about the contagious nature of courageous leadership is spot on. I've seen it happen in my classis as you have said. Thank you for your service!
Probably the most controversial thing I've ever said on the podcast is accidentally conflating the book and the movie of The Hobbit :-)
I just discovered your video series. It's nice to see the agenda of your Abide Project so clearly. You use the term "messy" a great deal, - over and over again. It brings to mind a cartoon of a large, burly man staring out at the reader. He has a big smile on his face. He wears an apron and carries a big knife. There is a great deal of blood on the knife, his apron, his shirt, even spatters on his face, which indicates he is a butcher in an abattoir. Like you, he says, "Yup, sure is a messy job, a real messy, messy job". Of course, none of the blood is his, is it?
First off, I think your illustration does a great job of communicating the point you're making. It's very clear and compelling.
However, it's not fair to assume that "none of the blood is mine." It's always easy to speak/act as if you are the one being wounded and haven't done any of the wounding. What if both sides have been wounded in the midst of this? Isn't that a safer assumption?
I fully realize that some of the decisions made by Synod over the past few years have caused difficulty, hardship, and "wounded" some people on the progressive side of the denomination. However, I often wonder if any is willing to acknowledge that those on the conservative side of the denomination have also been constantly "wounded" by decisions made by Synod over the years or by the feeling that the agencies of the denomination are working against them?
This has been one of the most significant problems in the CRCNA over the past number of years. Most of the conservatives I speak with know that these decisions are going to make things very difficult and cause some level of hardship. They are not excited about it. They find no joy in it. However, they feel compelled to make these decisions for two basic reasons: 1) The honor and glory of God and 2) Love for the people who need to hear some hard things.
The problem has been that the progressives don't seem to recognize the pain and wounds they are causing by their actions and decisions. They keep saying things like, "We're not hurting anyone." It's a very dangerous position for someone to refuse to acknowledge the pain they are causing on someone else.