A Lesson for DOC Reformation
I characterize this time that the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is living through as the third DOC reformation. I use this term because it reflects the seriousness of our roaming and experimentation during the last 15 years. But, roaming and experimentation has led to a loss of identity, a lowering of the theological bar of what ordination means, and we have lost touch with the spirit of our founders, Stone, Campbell, and Smith. We have lost something of our uniqueness while trying to blend into the Christian landscape of consumer religion in America.
David Brooks writes for the New York Times. He is one of the people I read each week. Here are a few paragraphs of his latest column. His observations about how the Army changed in a short time are important for Disciples as we live through this third reformation. The question is who will be our Petraeus? Click the article title to read more.
Leading with Two Minds
by David Brooks | The New York Times | May 6, 2010
They say that intellectual history travels slowly, and by hearse. The old generation has to die off before a new set of convictions can rise and replace entrenched ways of thinking. People also say that a large organization is like an aircraft carrier. You can move the rudder, but it still takes a long time to turn it around.
The transformation began amid failure. The U.S. was getting beaten in Iraq in 2004 and 2005. Captains and colonels were generally the first to see this, but only a few knew how to respond. Those who did tended to have dual personalities. That is, they had been steeped in Army culture but also in some other, often academic, culture.