The Internet and Democracy

Thursday, February 24 2011 10:08:20 AM

I find the cry for democracy in the Near East a fascinating study in human nature and the power of the Information Age.  Tunisia and Egypt have traveled though remarkable transitions, nothing short of epoch making political transformations.  Libya is in labor pains as I write this blog.  Who would have ever thought these kinds of transformations were possible through peaceful means?

The Information Age, specifically the Internet, is changing our world.

Information changes the perspective of people.  It is a revision of the old adage, “The pen is mightier than the sword.”  Once people have access to information, they educate themselves and begin to act differently.  The Internet’s information spurs a stronger sense of individualism and moves people toward democracy and away from totalitarian regimes.  Information displaces ignorance and empowers people.

Seeing the transformation in the Near East one wonders if American Foreign Policy needs to shift from making bombs, tanks and planes to creating larger computer servers and more sophisticated social media strategies.  It seems access to information is far more efficient than toppling dictators the old fashioned way.

I am sure those financially invested in defense industries will argue imposing democracy in Iraq has had a domino effect in the Near East in Egypt, Tunisia and other places; but I suspect the real truth lies in the power of the Internet and its information.  In Iraq, we may have simply forced a transition that would have occurred naturally fifteen years later because of the growing influence of the Information Age.

Events in the Near East need to transform American Foreign Policy and cause us to re-think the manner in which we strive to spread democracy.

The “conversions” of Egypt and Tunisia may also have something to say about the way we share the Gospel.  Apparently, Truth does set people free, all by itself.

Grace and Peace,

Book Recommendation

Wednesday, February 23 2011 06:48:23 AM

I want to recommend a book that is particular helpful for local church ministry: The Character of Leadership: Political Realism and Public Virtue in Nonprofit Organizations, by Michael Jinkins and Deborah Bradshaw Jinkins (Jossey-Bass, 1998).

The primary focus of the book is on the practical dimension of leadership in complex church and nonprofit situations.  It is probably the best book written on the mechanics of leadership in a church setting in the last twenty years, maybe more.

I use the book in the course The Life and Work of the Pastor.  I also use the following: Will Willimon’s, Pastor: theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry; Ronald Sisk’s, The Competent Pastor; and Cecil Sherman’s, Good and Faithful Servant (based on his lectures in the Life and Work class he taught at BTSR for a dozen years). 

Willimon and Sisk provide a healthy theology of pastoral ministry and touch on a number of practical concerns.  Sherman’s book includes pastoral theology but focuses more sharply on practical aspects of ministry. 

The Jinkins book is primarily about the minister’s use of power, influence, in the life of a congregation or nonprofit.  Part of what makes the book intriguing is the primary metaphor that is woven into the presentation, Machiavelli.  On the face of it, one might think Machiavelli a poor backdrop for conversations about ministry in a local church ---- but, then again.

I don’t expect ‘the use of power’ will eclipse other favorite ministerial terms like ‘Grace,’ ‘forgiveness,’ ‘love,’ or ‘redemption’ any time soon. Yet, ‘the use of power’ is a profoundly critical issues if ministers plan to actually get anything of consequence done in a congregational setting; move a church from “A” to “B.”

The Jinkins book provides a pattern for changing and transforming a congregation in the midst of a healthy conversation about pastoral leadership in general.

My interest in the Jinkins book in a seminary class is focused on a need I perceive in local congregational ministry; especially among moderate leaning ministers.  Moderate ministers are really good about praying, preaching, and truth telling; we are not so good at nudging, building a consensus, and transforming a church’s culture.

Two years ago Cecil Sherman and I taught the Life and Work class together.  We negotiated any number of issues about class content and structure.  Cecil was not willing to give up the topic of the primary paper in the class, “Why Moderate Baptist Pastors have such a hard time with leadership?”  The Jinkins book answers this basic question. 

Other books I suggest to students in the class include: Miller-McLemore & Gill-Austern, Feminist and Womanist Pastoral Theology; Erdahl, 10 Habits for Effective Ministry; Oswald, Personality Type and Religious Leadership; and Setland, Facing Messy Stuff in the Church: Case Studies for Pastors and Congregations.

Grace and Peace,