The Divine Conspiracy Continued: Fulfilling God’s Kingdom on Earth. Dallas Willard

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ gathered disciples be about. When disciples of Jesus become more clearly able to see that we are also participants, and not only passive recipients, of God’s empowering grace, what are we to do? What would God have us do? What is the big picture God is painting and how do we fit in? What is God’s overarching mission for his church in our world? These are big questions, and they carry even bigger opportunities as we realize their answers are of great significance not only for followers of Christ, but for every human being. This is due to the fact that each of these questions stems from one core question: What is the primary objective and purpose for human existence?

      Humanity has achieved much good. We’ve split the atom, learned to fly, traveled in space, probed the corners of our planet, cured countless diseases, invented amazing technological wizardry that boggles the mind, and steadily progressed in our understanding of our universe and the basic components of our physical world. Although we acknowledge there is more to do in a multitude of areas, humanity has made astounding progress. God has been with us, despite ourselves at times; he has shown us favor and helped us to thrive in many ways, in many arenas, and through many means. A great number of these advancements are not strictly “Christian,” as we have come to understand that term. Electricity, for example, is not considered a “Christian” discovery. Nor should we expect it to be. Yet the world is a far better place because of it. God loves all people equally and can and does use all kinds of people, as he sees fit, for the good he desires to bestow on all of us. This is one of the most wondrous characteristics of God’s mercy and grace. Certainly every good and perfect gift is from God, and he has graced humanity with many gifts and continues to do so. At the same time much progress remains in manifesting his kingdom “come” in and to our world today. Darkness still opposes the light. Only the most ardent of atheists would disagree with such a statement.

      Even so, since our civilizations began, humanity has struggled, and continues to struggle, with discerning what thriving consists of, how best to do it, and how it will be measured. Our history reveals all the many experiments we have conducted to best organize our families, communities, cities, and nations. Each has been built on a variety of combinations of philosophical, ideological, religious, political, moral, legal, commercial, economic, and relational foundations. This will not change. Neither will the key questions driving these endeavors through the millennia: Why are we here? What do we want? How shall we live? Who is my neighbor and what is my responsibility toward my neighbor?

      We can become weary and frustrated that the solutions our society provides to these questions continue to elude us. To paraphrase U2’s Bono, humanity still hasn’t found what it’s looking for. Yet each succeeding generation has the responsibility of coming up with its own answers.

      The many and varied secular gospels that seek to answer these questions fill our institutions of higher learning, our political discourse, and our airwaves simply because these issues concern the core needs of every human being. Consequently, the search for acceptable means of flourishing becomes a constant consideration for those who lead and direct our social institutions. Therefore Christians, in all the areas and disciplines that comprise our society, who are intimately acquainted with the Good Shepherd and his ways must be prepared to offer more than a memorized set of beliefs in reply. There must be a robust competency and willingness to examine and then demonstrate, model, and thus prove how and why Jesus’s answers to these questions are both good and best.

      It is at the intersection of human need and human knowledge that the Christian worldview, if it is what it claims to be, must offer hope, guidance, correction, and truth. Thus, we will now springboard from the ideas and implications first introduced in The Divine Conspiracy into the larger systemic issues we must begin to face in our world today.

CHAPTER 3

       Leaders Who Follow the Shepherd

      So also, when the delight of eternity draws us upward and the pleasure of temporal goods holds us down, the identical soul is not wholehearted in its desire for one or the other. It is torn apart in a painful condition as long as it prefers the eternal because of its Truth but does not discard the temporal because of familiarity.

      AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO

      LATE IN THE twentieth century the distinguished American sociologist Talcott Parsons observed that societal leaders had “become the most important single component in the structure of modern societies.”¹ This is perhaps even truer today. Ready examples of the incalculable necessity for moral leadership can routinely be found over the airwaves and on the Internet. Consider the 2010 explosion and sinking of the offshore oil rig Deepwater Horizon and the spill that followed. This was a horrific catastrophe for both human lives and the environment. We may never know exactly who knew what and when. But as the investigations and lawsuits ensue, it is worth considering what kind of impact even one single, courageous, devoted individual could have made to avoid this disaster. What will likely never be discussed, much less probed, are the many factors that would have needed to be in place for a courageous, moral leader to have prevented such a calamity.

      Laws protecting whistle-blowers do exist in the United States. Their effectiveness may be questionable, but they do exist. Still, having a law to protect whistle-blowers is not the same as mandating the character required to “blow the whistle” in the first place. One would need the integrity to avoid rationalizing away or skirting responsibility, the values required to prioritize safety over profits, the self-esteem to face the scrutiny and even disdain of supervisors and coworkers, and the courage to risk losing a job or career.

      If one or more of these characteristics are absent, the temptation to cater to one’s own fears and needs rises above what is morally true and best for all concerned. If moral leadership and courage win out, lives and livelihoods are saved, untold disasters are averted, and huge amounts of resources are preserved. In short, the world is a better place when leaders lead well. Such is the mentality that followers of Jesus must consider every morning as they enter the workplace to assume their responsibilities.

      This is exactly what appears to have happened in the life of a low-level Google sales employee in the United Kingdom. The Guardian reported that Barney Jones came forward to give evidence against Google’s claims that it did not close sales deals in the United Kingdom and therefore was not liable to taxation in the country. Upon hearing this, with no financial incentives and facing the prospects of diminished employment opportunities for himself, Jones presented to the public accounts committee his evidence that sales deals reported in Dublin were indeed closed in London. Why go to the trouble? Jones stated that he stood up, because he believes his Christian commitment requires accountability for pursuing and achieving the good. Therefore, he couldn’t willingly “allow something within [his] power to just slip through.”² There was no parade, no medal, and no reward, just an ordinary citizen doing his job with extraordinary courage.

      The growing complexities of contemporary life make it increasingly difficult for us as both individuals and societies to know all that is occurring around us, so that we can discern both our needs and what is best. This was evident in the Deepwater Horizon disaster; there was no way for the fishermen, hoteliers, beachfront homeowners, or restaurateurs to protect themselves from the events that caused the massive oil spill. But the complexity of modern life also played a key role in the nationwide mortgage crisis and accompanying economic recession. Few people understood or were privileged to have the information about the nature and effect of the underlying investments that would threaten to demolish the world economy. In both instances, what was required, more than we realized, were leaders, professionals, and experts with the integrity and courage of Barney Jones to discern and pursue with all diligence what has for centuries been understood as the “general welfare.” How, where, and by whom is the kind of personal character forged that is sacrificially СКАЧАТЬ