Accountability – Developing a Godly Character, part 3
Posted by aaronjen | Filed under Books, Theology
I thought before I move on to the next chapter of Who You Are When No One’s Looking, I’d share some further thoughts on Christian accountability. While it’s not a character trait as such, I think it is a deeply important part of our character. The Mike Foster article I referred to in my last post at first glance seems to disagree with the idea of Christian accountability, but once you read it through you realize that really he’s talking about a radical vision for what Christian accountability should look like, and his preferred term for this is ‘Christian advocacy’. I think he is really on to something here, for in acting as someone else’s accountability person, you really do need to be their advocate, being prepared to show them grace above all else. Otherwise, how can a person be able to be genuinely open to sharing their struggles with you?! I also agree that there’s the tendency to ‘game the system’ by trying to promote how good you are to those you’re accountable to, or how hard you’ve had it, rather than owning up and taking responsibility for your actions.
The biggest pitfall I see in accountability set-ups is in their usually forced nature (someone needing to have security checks to make sure they are staying in line), and usually these will be from the bottom up, rather than the top down. The problem with this is that I think we should be focussing on who we model ourselves to, and when we become aware of the enormous responsibility that comes with, it forces us to be accountable to those people. I think that’s why Paul can confidently say stuff like:
I appeal to you, then, be imitators of me.
(1 Cor 4:16)
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
(1 Cor 11:1)
Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us.
(Phil 3:17)
I used to think that this was very arrogant of Paul, but in reality, I think he is setting up accountability self-checks because they are to imitate him as he imitates Christ. I think this is the tell-tale sign that you are being open and honest about your character and actions, if you are confident enough to say to others that they can/should imitate you as you imitate Christ. If you’re not able to do that, well, then I think there’s work to be done (keeping in mind I haven’t reached that state yet myself). - JRR
Tags: accountability, advocacy, Bill Hybels, character, grace, Paul, Who You are When No One's Looking
John Drane - The McDonaldization of the Church
Posted by aaronjen | Filed under Books, Theology
I have just finished reading this book as part of the pre-reading requirements for an intensive I’m planning on taking in November with the author and his wife, Olive. I’m planning on recording my notes for each chapter as blog posts over the next week or so (hopefully!).
I was reflecting last night on how much my views have changed, particularly regarding ecclesiology, over the last 5 years or so. I think the ‘me’ 5 years ago would think the ‘now’ me was a heretic! This book has been another that has helped fuel my new-found heretical beliefs - I highly recommend it!
Tags: Church, John Drane, McDonaldization
Courage – Developing a Godly Character, part 2
Posted by aaronjen | Filed under Books, Theology
Bill Hybels is spot on in suggesting that people need to work on courage as part of their character, especially Christians (Ch 2, Who You Are When No One’s Looking). In the section ‘Courage to Be Vulnerable’, he writes that in order to become a Christian, one must have courage to own up to their sins before a holy God, but not only that, being a Christian takes courage, to be openly repentant when we slip up (p15-16). I think this is a very important point, and something that we so often fail to do as the Church. I sometimes wonder if our model of Christianity is just a way of masking our sins behind judgmental attitudes. I’d love to write a book on ecclesiology sometime and call it, Naked and Unashamed, and maybe subtitle it: Who You Are When Everyone’s Watching. I think we really need to restore true accountability into Christian living (ie ‘transparency, authenticity, and brutal honesty’ – see very good article by Mike Foster) and get away from our individualism, only being accountable for the easy stuff, or else becoming better liars.
Really, my only gripe with this chapter comes with the personal examples Hybels provides. I think it takes far mare courage to admit our sinful tendencies and open ourselves up for correction and seek forgiveness, than it does to learn to drive a semi-trailer, fly a plane, and sail a boat (p19-20). Again he seems to be talking outside my level of understanding - I don’t need to be a thrill seeker to have courage, nor the financial means to do so. I wish he would’ve come up with some better examples because I think it takes any action points in having courage in our own lives into the direction of thrill-seeking or bettering our social statuses, rather than truly be open and vulnerable. - JRR
Tags: accountability, Bill Hybels, character, courage, Who You are When No One's Looking
Developing a Godly Character
Posted by aaronjen | Filed under Books, Theology
Semester 2 is well and truly under way now and one of the requirements for my Theology course is to take part in a Supervised Experienced Based Learning (SEBL) unit each semester. Last semester I was in a group on “Discipling and Mentoring Women” and it was by far the most enjoyable learning experience of its type that I’ve had here at Bible college. So this semester I’m in another women’s group on “Developing a Godly Character” with most of the women who were in my group from last semester (except the facilitator who is on sabbatical), plus a new facilitator and some women from her group last semester. We’re going to be working through Bill Hybels’ book, Who You are When No One’s Looking, each week looking at a different character trait he identifies in order to fill out the picture of what a Godly character looks like and how to develop ours more fully. So, I thought for a bit of fun, I might take the opportunity to share via a series of posts my thoughts and reflections as I work through the book.
But firstly, we were asked to prepare for the unit by completing this questionnaire on “Assessing Your Christian Character”, and my results made me feel, quite frankly, horrible, thinking I must be a very negative person and not very Christian. But then, having compared my results with the traits listed in Hybels’ book, I noticed there seems to be no place for appropriate anger or lament for a Christian (something that was a major theme in my Psalter class last semester and has opened my eyes to its absence in the Church). I think sometimes these sorts of books can be so ‘pie in the sky’ and so divorced from the reality of the here and now, a world of fallen human beings where bad things happen and are experienced, which concerns God and should concern us.
I’m not sure how I’ll feel by the end of this book, but right now I have my qualms about it been too ‘seeker sensitive’ (as Hybels notes in his Introduction that it for both Christians and non-Christians, p10) that it won’t be that applicable to our Bible college setting. The reviews of the book on Amazon.com contribute to this initial impression. Of special concern was the comment in one review that this book can help you achieve the things ‘which lead to a successful and contented life’. On the contrary, I think we need to have ‘holy discontent’ – sure we have the good news, but that doesn’t separate us from the reality of a fallen world. We’re not on that side of eternity yet. We can’t just put on our blinders and pretend all is right with the world. I think one of the ways the Holy Spirit guides us is by clueing us in to the injustices of the world, ways in which we can contribute to building God’s kingdom now. I agree with Hybels when he says our character is who we are when no one’s looking (pp7-8), but I also think that Christians need to constantly be on the lookout to ensure we’re not being dualistic. - JRR
Tags: anger, Assessing Your Christian Character, Bible College, Bill Hybels, character, dualism, holy discontent, injustice, lament, SEBL, seeker sensitive, Supervised Experienced Based Learning, Who You are When No One's Looking
A bit of pre-reading with Caleb
Posted by aaronjen | Filed under Books, Family
Noah was always keen to sit and read with me from the time he was a toddler. Caleb, however, now a preschooler, has only recently taken any real interest in reading, but has picked it up really quickly. As with Noah, his favourite book by far is The Cat in the Hat, by Dr Seuss (we’re already onto our second copy, having worn out the first one). How I recall reading The Cat in the Hat to Noah no less than 7 times a day before he was 2 years old, especially when I read it to Caleb now, being able to easily recite the whole book off by heart.
In this post, however, I want to mention two other books that are very popular with Caleb - I Went Walking, by Sue Williams and Where is the Green Sheep?, by Mem Fox – because they are great examples of books that develop a preschooler’s pre-reading skills. The thing that makes these two books particularly good is the repetitive and easy vocabulary and the 
corresponding pictures, helping a child who can’t read yet remember which words go with which pictures, allowing them to practice ‘reading’ the book to themselves. In fact, the book is rather an optional add-in when it comes to reciting the book, as Caleb demonstrated the other day when we were walking home from the shops by reciting pretty much verbatim I Went Walking (only steering from the script where I do as I read it to him).
I highly recommend these books for your toddler/preschooler and it’s my hope that reading these books over and over again to Caleb and having him ‘read’ them to me will help him gain the confidence he needs to take the leap when he starts school in 2011 to real reading. - JRR
Tags: Dr Seuss, I Went Walking, Mem Fox, parenting, pre-reading, reading, school, Sue Williams, The Cat in the Hat, Where is the Green Sheep?
Alice Through the Looking-glass, by Lewis Carroll
Posted by aaronjen | Filed under Books
I recently started reading Alice Through the Looking-glass by Lewis Carroll to our almost 6 year old son, Noah. It is a sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and was apparently inspired when Carroll was teaching an 11-year-old Alice Liddell (a friend’s child) how to play chess. We are enjoying it a lot, not only because of the great characters and story line which send us deep into our imaginations, but also because the illustrations by Helen Oxenbury really bring the story to life. This is a beautiful book. I must admit that I’ve never read any Lewis Carroll books before (oddly starting with the sequel of the Alice story – Noah says we’re reading them backwards like we’re living in Looking-glass House), and had only seen this old TV movie adaptation when I was a child, and so had no idea what I was in for, or even if it would keep Noah’s interest. And having found out that this book was originally published in 1871, I cannot believe how much this story has stood the test of time, which is saying a lot, given it is a children’s book.
Having said that, I became fairly disturbed when I was reading the Wikipedia article on Lewis Carroll, because I came to find out that he was never married, and made friends with/photographed young children, and some have suggested he was a paedophile. And on the back of Michael Jackson’s death/memorial service and all the media attention that has come with it, rehashing old accusations/mysteries about who he was, it has got me wondering about how we as parents balance between keeping our children safe from harm and enjoying true artistic expression, whether it be music or a novel. Maybe I’m just naive, but I’d really like to think that neither Lewis Carroll, nor Michael Jackson, were two-faced, and I grieve to think of Jackson’s three children and what has/will happen to them in the coming weeks/months/years. Yet while I will continue to read and enjoy this book with Noah, I won’t be encouraging my little researcher into finding out about who the author was, for I would hate to have to explain to him whatever he might find online, such as I found in that Wikipedia article. - JRR
Tags: Alice in Wonderland, Alice Through the Looking-glass, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll, Michael Jackson, parenting, reading
