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May 17, 2006
> 8:06 PM
we have to be mystics To live a life that is not dominated by the desire to be relevant but is instead safely anchored in the knowledge of God's first love, we have to be mystics.I've been devouring a little book by Henri Nouwen here lately. I read through with a highlighter this weekend and wanted to share a few quotes and comments. He said more, earlier, about trying to be relevant. This is an introductory sentence to the next chapter. Yeah, this business about being relevant can get us into a lot of trouble I think. Certainly there are good ways in which we can be relevant - being aware of the culture in which we live, of which we are a part. I think there is a good bit of taking that too far these days. Perhaps, to a point, we have relinquished a part of our unique identity as the Church. Anyway, being relevant can be a great temptation in a way and we should be aware of that. "We have to be mystics." Hmm, now that'll get somebody's attention. Mainly because there is lots of misunderstanding about that word, about what it means to be mystical or a mystic. Fr. Nouwen goes on to explain, "A mystic is a person whose identity is deeply rooted in God's first love." That's a concise way to put it, and it's probably a bit more complex than that, but hopefully you begin to get the point. It's about relating to God on a deep level, not merely mentally or theologically (although these things hold their places). At this level we grow in union with God and are changed by Him in spite of the culture around us, in a way that transcends relevance. As this book is about Christian leadership, the next quote is more around that specifically. It flows from this business about being relevant (a temptation much bigger for those of us in some form of leadership) and fleshes out a bit the idea about being a "mystical" Christian leader. It is not enough for the priests and ministers of the future to be moral people, well trained, eager to help their fellow humans, and able to respond creatively to the burning issues of their time. All of that is very valuable and important, but it is not the heart of Christian leadership. The central question is, are the leaders of the future truly men and women of God, people with an ardent desire to dwell in God's presence, to listen to God's voice, to look at God's beauty, to touch God's incarnate Word, and to taste fully God's infinite goodness?There you go. In many circles, the "requirements" of Christian leadership are just the first few he mentioned. Hey, let's be honest, we know that even that "moral people" part isn't that big a deal in some arenas. Even if it were though, it's not the central thing. It is to some, but even so, it's not the central thing. "Training," OK, whatever that is, fine. Wanting to help people, yeah, of course, but help them what? How? We even have a new emphasis on theology these days in places where it was never a big deal. I will say here that I think theology is very important. I firmly believe that it's important to know why things are the way they are and how things work. How is it that we come to know these things and live them though? That's the question. Again with the mystic thing. The path to this kind of knowledge is not merely through the head. Let us all take care that we're not moving toward another kind of enlightenment. One more for the road from Father Henri... ...for the future of Christian leadership it is of vital importance to reclaim the mystical aspect of theology so that every word spoken, every word of advice given, and every strategy developed can come from a heart that knows God intimately.technorati tags > christian mysticism, mystical, christian leadership, christianity, emerging church, cultural relevance, ministry, spirituality, henri nouwen Labels: church, emerging church, leadership 0 Comments:| permalink | e-mail me | 
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