Ubuntu Leadership

I did a recording quite a while back on thoughts and ideas I had at that time on the possibilities of an unique leadership approach based on the Southern African social philosophu of Ubuntu. It is featured this month at the digital publication: "Leadership Talks" http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/leadershiptalks/home.htm

Here is a short abstract of the talk:
Many recent studies have highlighted the desperate need for an indigenous, innovative, values-based leadership approach inside Africa that will mobilize a wide variety of participants around a common goal of reconstructing the South African society that has been ravaged by racial discrimination, disease prevalence, economic injustices, corruption, crime and leadership failure. This new emerging post-industrial paradigm of leadership has helped South Africans to start to think of leadership as something that is done in community instead of the act of one privileged individual. The African philosophy of Ubuntu can be described as the capacity, in African culture, to express compassion, reciprocity, dignity, humanity and mutuality in the interest of building and maintaining communities of justice and mutual caring. More than a descriptor of African values, Ubuntu is a social philosophy that is deeply embedded in African culture.

Into Great Silence

I am presently in Turin, Italy having finished leading a studies abroad trip on the leadership of Paul and Francis of Assisi this last Sunday. I will blog on this wonderful experience in the next days to come.

I finally had the oppertunity to watch a recent movie by Philip Gröning on the Carthusian Order, entitled "Into Great Silence." ( http://www.diegrossestille.de/english/) It is by far one of the most moving visual experiences of my life. Building on the vision of St. Bruno who found the order (1084), the Carthusians live their convinction that only in absoluate and radical silence can one clearly hear the soft whisper of God's voice.

Here is a link to a good article on the movie:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/11/11/wmonk11.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/11/11/ixworld.html

May we learn the wisdom of stilness where the great silence of God stills our noisy heart.

Vain and fickle, were we weaned on a pickle?

I grew up listening to Steve Taylor, a Christian rock singer from the 80's and 90's that mainly used satire to drive his message home. This morning I woke up with the melody line of one of his songs from his album "Squint", in my head. He entitled the song "Smug". It is a clever, little ditty on the seductive nature of pride. I am not sure why I remembered this song, I have not heard it in many years. My taste in music now runs more to the worship and contemplative side. Maybe the closing words of Malachi (4:1) reminded me of this: "Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire," says the LORD Almighty. "Not a root or a branch will be left to them." Taylor is a master as using satire and humor to communicate a difficult message. Here is a link to the hilarious video of "Smug", shot in Turkey in the early 90's: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNMNQZFIyeI

"Smug"

Strike this little pose

Chin up in the air

Lips together tightly

Nostrils in a flare

Now look like you care

Very nice!

Practice in the mirror

Brushing back a tear

Very sincere

A promising career could begin right here at home

If you've got that smug...That smug...

chorus:

Hey mama hey mama lookee what your little babies all have become

Hey mama hey mama don't it ever make you wish you'd been a nun?

Vain and fickle, were we weaned on a pickle?

Is it in our blood?

Rome is burning

We're here turning smug

Strike another pose

Power politics

Swallow their conventions

Get your power fix

We love to mud wrestle

We love to be politically Koreshed

Practice that smug

Post it like a man

One part Master Limbaugh

Two parts Madame Streisand

Now pretend you're in a band

My, my, we're looking smug

Very very very very(chorus)

All you smug-starved millions in the thick of the search

Welcome to our church

Whatcha wanna solve?

We can help you evolve from merely self-righteous

To perfectly smug

Strike the proud pose of our country club brethren

Friendly as a tomb

Fragrant as the bottom of a locker-room broom

Now what's the matter?

Hey...get off your knees...that part don't come 'til later...God will not be pleased...

(chorus)

Hey mama hey mama lookee what your little babies all have become...

Rome is cooking

My, we're looking smug

Back in the Blogosphere

I finished a seven part series yesterday on the prophetic message of the Old Testament Book of Malachi with the RiverLife Church from Singapore. This conference took place in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. I presented this verse-by-verse study on Malachi around the prophetic theme of being recaptured by God. I experienced my own recapturing moment in the midst of these wonderfully passionate and humble Christians. I am reminded of the following prayer of Thomas Merton. I echo the sentiments in this prayer:

"Give me the strength that waits upon You in silence and peace.
Give me humility in which alone is rest,
and deliver me from pride which is the heaviest of burdens.
And possess my whole heart and soul with the simplicity of love.
Occupy my whole life with the one thought and the one desire of love,
that I may love not for the sake of merit,
not for the sake of perfection,
not for the sake of virtue,
not for the sake of sanctity,
but for You alone.
For there is only one thing that can satisfy love and reward it,
and that is You alone."

Thomas Merton. New Seeds of Contemplation. New York: New Directions Press, 1961: 45.

I will leave Singapore tomorrow on my way to Rome to lead a studies abroad trip on the Leadership of the Apostle Paul and Francis of Assisi.

In the Belly of Paradox

Here is a link to a marvelous talk given Parker Palmer on the function of paradox in the life and teaching of Thomas Merton: http://www.wpr.org/hereonearth/archive_070131k.cfm

It was Parker Palmer's wonderful little article on paradox, entitled "Living in the Belly of a Paradox" that helped me years ago to understand the apparent contradictions I struggle with in the toughts and writings of Merton. It is worthwhile reading: http://www.pendlehill.org/resources/files/pdf%20files/php224b.pdf

Paradox remain central to our quest to recover authentic Christian Leadership. Palmer writes: "The way of the cross reminds us that despair and disillusionment are not dead-ends but signs of impending resurrection. Losing our illusions is painful because illusions are the stuff we live by. But God is the great iconoclast, constantly smashing these idols on which we depend. Beyond illusion lies a fuller truth which can be glimpsed only as our falsehoods die. Only as we have the faith to live fully in the midst of these painful contradictions will we experience resurrection and the transformation of our lives."

Blog Absence

I am preparing for an upcoming trip to Singapore and Malaysia and thus have not been able to blog as much as I would like. I should be back in the "blog saddle" on Monday of next week.

In the mean time, here is a extract from a recent blog entry from John Michael Talbot's blog on the call to be an aunthentic witness:

Matthew 28:16-20Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations. Baptize . . . teach . . . And know that I am with you always, until the end of the world! vv.19-20

Jesus ascended to the Father in heaven, but he is still with us through the church and through the Spirit, and he will remain with us until the end of the world at the second coming.The Great CommissionTo whom is the special "great commission" given in today's Gospel? It was given in a specific way to the eleven disciples that Jesus chose and lived with during his earthly ministry. The first believers of the early church looked to them to settle questions of faith and morality. These apostles made sure to pass their authority on in "apostolic succession" to prevent chaos and confusion. It was out of this that a set of writings was compiled to give us a record of the earliest apostolic teaching. Because of apostolic authority we now have our Scriptures.

Actions Speak Louder than Words

This does not mean that the general promises of the great commission are only for the leadership of the church. We see in Mark's Gospel that many aspects of the apostolic charge are given to all who "profess their faith." So, how do we fulfill this charge? Although gifts are given by the Spirit to lay people for particular tasks or ministry, actions speak louder than words, and all of us are called to live Christianity before we preach it. Only then will it be believed.Billy Graham said that his preaching a crusade would be fruitless if the local Christians were not preaching by lifestyle first. Likewise, eight-hundred years ago St. Francis said simple people convert souls by their lifestyles and their prayers, and they will obtain a heavenly reward for the conversions of souls before preachers do.

Preach the Gospel at All Times*

How we live either preaches for Christ or against him. Preaching isn't something we do alone but as a body, as a people. Do your relationships and your way of life support the preaching of the church? Who are you preaching to with your lifestyle today?

John Michael Talbot

*"Preach the gospel at all times,if necessary use words." ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

The Heavenly Good of Earthly Work

I read a great new book on the Spirituality of work last night, by Darrell Cosden. This is a helpful avenue to explore the redemptive nature of our calling to work, in the vein of the Benedictine maxim, "Ora et Labora" (prayer and work).

Here is the back cover description of Cosden's "The Heavenly Good of Earthly Work":

Does a person’s day to day work have any ultimate value from the perspective of Eternity? Should our work be seen as a discipline through which we connect spiritually with God and others? Is ordinary work the primary way that people can participate in God's mission to make all things new? What is the heavenly good of earthly work?

In this book Darrell Cosden takes us on a spiritual and theological journey of discovery exploring these questions. Creatively, constructively, and sometimes provocatively, he shows us that the heavenly good of earthly work really makes the gospel good news for ordinary people by offering the possibility of a genuinely purpose-full Christian life.

"Surprising, substantial, thoroughly informed, clear, and readable . . . a premier resource for understanding work in Christian perspective."—William Messenger, Director of the Mockler Center for Faith and Ethics in the Workplace, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

"[O]ur understanding of the Christian message has been immeasurably enriched [by this book]. Highly recommended!"—Brian McLaren, pastor, author and activist (anewkindofchristian.com)

"This is cutting-edge theology of the highest order. [It]... makes a vital contribution to the ongoing search for a new paradigm of the Christian mission in the twenty-first century."—Dr. David Smith, Lecturer in Urban Mission and World Christianity, International Christian College, Glasgow.

"This is an important, clearly written book."—J. Richard Middleton, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies, Roberts Wesleyan College

Darrell T. Cosden is Lecturer in Theology and Ethics at International Christian College, Glasgow. He is the author of A Theology of Work (Paternoster, 2005).

New Book on Jesus from Benedict XVI

The long awaited book by the current pope, Benedict XVI arrived in the US yesterday. I was able to get an advanced copy a few days back. Benedict makes several really important and insightful comments that offer an orthodox and Biblical, if pastoral response to the Historical Jesus Group. It is worthwhile getting.

The book description is as follows:

“This book is… my personal search ‘for the face of the Lord.’” —Benedict XVI

In this bold, momentous work, the pope—in his first book written as Benedict XVI—seeks to salvage the person of Jesus from recent “popular” depictions and to restore Jesus’ true identity as discovered in the Gospels. Through his brilliance as a theologian and his personal conviction as a believer, the pope shares a rich, compelling, flesh-and-blood portrait of Jesus and incites us to encounter, face-to-face, the central figure of the Christian faith.

From Jesus of Nazareth… “the great question that will be with us throughout this entire book: But what has Jesus really brought, then, if he has not brought world peace, universal prosperity, and a better world? What has he brought? The answer is very simple: God. He has brought God! He has brought the God who once gradually unveiled his countenance first to Abraham, then to Moses and the prophets, and then in the wisdom literature—the God who showed his face only in Israel, even though he was also honored among the pagans in various shadowy guises. It is this God, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, the true God, whom he has brought to the peoples of the earth. He has brought God, and now we know his face, now we can call upon him. Now we know the path that we human beings have to take in this world. Jesus has brought God and with God the truth about where we are going and where we come from: faith, hope, and love.”

The Future According to Jesus

I will be presenting a paper this upcoming July at the International World Future Conference (http://www.wfs.org/) in Minneapolis during a panel presentation on the Future according to Jesus with Jay Gary and Tsvi Bisk.

Here is a copy of the advertisement in the conference program:

Futurists often encounter religionists who hold views that undercut future-oriented behavior, including determinism, fatalism, or millennial beliefs. But as a Palestinian Jew, what was Jesus’ real view of the future? And how does that view compare with that of futurists who focus on “this world,” rather than the next? Drawing on historical Jesus research, this session identifies three driving forces of the first century, and argues that Jesus rejected the conventional and counter-futures of his time to envision a creative future for his generation. This first-century foresight will then be compared and contrasted with 21st century global scenario frameworks to consider how visionary leadership might shift society's deeply ingrained attitudes toward impending conflicts and catastrophes.

Who should attend: Any futurist who has encountered resistance to futures thinking from religionists.
What you’ll learn: Participants will learn how to ground foresight in the historical world of Jesus, and relate religious concepts to futures thinking and contingency planning.
How this knowledge can be applied: Attendees will learn how to generate “third way” scenarios that seek to transcend the clash of mainstream and side stream futures.

Corné Bekker, associate professor of leadership studies, Regent University, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Tsvi Bisk, director, Center for Strategic Futurist Thinking; co-author, Futurizing the Jews: Alternative Futures for Meaningful Jewish Existence in the 21st Century and The Optimistic Jew: A Positive View of the Jewish Future (forthcoming), Jerusalem, Israel
Jay Gary, program director, M.A. in Strategic Foresight, School of Leadership Studies, Regent University, Virginia Beach, Virginia; foresight coach, PeakFutures, Colorado Springs, Colorado

key words: religion, futures methods, globalization, catastrophes

Leadership and Sin

I got word today that both my proposals for the International Leadership Association's (ILA) International Conference have been accepted. The conference will take place in Vancouver, Canada during November of this year. I am really pleased and grateful for this acceptance since these proposals reflect some of my thinking and writing that took place after my trip to India earlier this year. I came back from the conference in Spirituality and Organizational Leadership at the University of Delhi with a renewed sense of the importance to explore sin in Leadership and the promise of moral regeneration that the Gospel of Jesus offers to leaders.

Here follows the abbreviated abstracts of my presentations:

Presentation 1: Leadership Sins: Towards an understanding of Leadership Failure.
Moral developments during the advent of Christian-Judaic Monastic traditions provided early faith communities and organizations with a diagnostic matrix to understand, identify and remedy moral failure. Applying insights drawn from a philosophical and ontological exploration of sin to contemporary leadership contexts provides leadership scholar and practitioners with a conceptual base to locate and identify the contributing factors of moral failure in leadership and in doing so to strategically construct programs and environments that will facilitate the formation of moral leadership in organizations. This presentation aims to illustrate how a critical examination of our historical and philosophical roots can assist in addressing the myriad problems and implications of leadership failure.

Presentation 2: Leading from the Desert: The Christian Monastery as a Spiritual Organization.
Christian Monasticism has its origin in the organizational and societal crisis of the Church in the fourth century of the Common Era. The Desert Fathers and Mothers Movements of this time understood that societal and organizational development is only possible once personal inner transformation has taken place. In a theological sense they followed the call of the Spirit into the Egyptian and Palestinian deserts in an attempt to imitate Jesus as he faced certain leadership temptations in preparation for societal service. These Desert Fathers and Mothers constructed a diagnostic matrix in their quest to describe an ontology of leadership sin and in doing so provided the early Christian Communities with a conceptual framework for personal and organizational renewal and transformation. The word monk from this time came from the Greek word "monos" which at the same time means "one/alone" and "united". Thus, a leader could only be united with the followers in t he community/organization once he/she was able to be healthily alone, interiorly integrated and transformed. This presentation builds on the ancient wisdom of the beginnings of Christian monasticism and illustrates the principles of building healthy and effective spiritually-based organizations led by integrated and grounded leaders.

Program for Biblical Perspectives in Leadership Roundtable

I have been busy with several writing projects these last few weeks and so have not been able to blog as regularly as I wish. I am also preparing for the inaugural Research Roundtable for Biblical Perspectives tomorrow. I am excited about the topics and speakers for tomorrow and am looking forward to the opportunity to extend our knowledge and interest in this topic.

The following papers will be presented:

Theme A: Christian Leadership as a Counter-Cultural Option
Corné Bekker: “The Philippians Hymn (2:5-11) as an early, mimetic Christological model of Christian Leadership.”
Matthew Gordley: “Emperor Worship and Colossians: How Paul’s Portrayal of Christ Undermines the Claims of Caesar.”
Bramwell Osula: “Roots, Rock, Rebel: Exploring Leadership as Resistance.”

Theme B: New Testament Perspectives on Leadership Theories and Models
Jackie Faulhaber: “Virtue Development and Authentic Transformational Leadership: A Social-Cultural Analysis of 2 Peter 1:1-11.”
Brian Easley: “The Source of Transformation: Modifying Patterson’s and Winston’s Servant Leadership Model.”
Laurie McCabe: “Defining Jesus as an Agent of Change and Guidance: An Inner Textual Analysis of John 21.”

Theme C: New Testament Perspectives on Leadership Mentoring
Mike Oney: “II Timothy: Mentoring an Experiential Learner.”
Orlando Rivera: “Paul’s Mentor: Barnabas’ Seminal Role in Paul’s Early Apostolic Career.”

Theme D: New Testament Perspectives on Values and Ethics in Leadership
Jay Gary: “What Would Jesus Lead? Identity Theft, Leadership Evolution, and Open Systems.”
Gray Keller: “Infusing Values Triangularly: An Exegetical Analysis of I Timothy 6:5b-11.”

Theme E: New Testament Perspectives of Foresight and Strategic Leadership
Jay Gary: “The Future According to Jesus: Exploring a First-Century Galilean Model of Foresight.”

I will place most of these papers online in the next few weeks.

Scripture as Source for Authentic Leadership Development

Here is an interesting and helpful quote from a suprising source: “I thoroughly believe in a University education…but I believe a knowledge of the Bible without a college course is more valuable than a college course without the Bible. Everyone who has a thorough knowledge of the Bible may truly be called educated.” - Dr. William Lyon Phelps of Yale University

May we return to a deep hunger, respect and zeal to study God's Word.

Transformational Leadership Seminar at Project Bridges (Washington D.C. - April 28)

I will be presenting a seminar on Tranformational Leadership with Dr. Bramwell Osula this Saturday, April 28, at Project Bridges from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at the First Baptist Church of Glenarden (3600 Brightseat Road, Landover, MD 20785).

For more information see the following link: http://www.projectbridges.org/welcome.html

Explore the Biblical and Christian Roots of Leadership

Greetings!

This is a short note to remind you of two exciting upcoming events that explore the biblical and Christian roots of Leadership.

May 8, 2007:
Biblical Perspectives in Leadership Research Roundtable
http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/conferences/bpl/home.shtml

June 15-24, 2007:
Studies Abroad: In the Footsteps of St. Paul and St. Francis of Assisi
(Italy: Rome and Assisi)
http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/abroad/

We still have limited space available for both of these events, so now is the time to register online or contact me at clbekker@regent.edu for more information.

Authentic Christian Leadership in the Face of Evil

I discovered the testimony of the Staines family yesterday. Randy Alcorn from Eterenal Perspective Ministries (www.epm.org) tells about the impact this family ha had on him:

"In April 2000 I had the privilege of speaking at a JESUS Film Conference in San Diego, California. There are many things I could say about the conference, many reports that gave me goosebumps, but let me just tell you about Gladys and Esther Staines. Nanci and I and our daughters had dinner with them one night and got to know them through various conversations.

In January 1999 Gladys’s husband and sons, Esther’s father and two brothers, were martyred for Christ in India. (Graham Staines, a missionary from Australia who specialized in work with lepers, had showed the JESUS film to many, thus the connection with the JESUS Film Conference.)

On January 23rd of 1999, Graham and his two sons, Phillip (11 yrs.) and Timothy (6 yrs.) were murdered by a large mob of militant Hindus. They had gone to a Christian camp in the jungle, where Graham was ministering. At midnight the mob attacked, setting fire to the jeep in which Graham and his sons were sleeping. They were burned alive. When the fire finally cooled, they found the charred body of Graham Staines with his arms around the bodies of his sons.

Graham served the Lord in the jungles of Orissa for over 34 years. He was described as 'a wonderful, gracious, self-effacing man of God, full of faith, confidence and humility; warm-hearted, and a wonderful father.' At his funeral, the streets were thronged with masses of people—Hindus, Muslims and Christians. They were there to show respect for Graham and his family and to show their solidarity against the actions of the killers. Despite the fact that persecution of Christians has increased in recent years, the president of India came forward and said, 'that someone who spent years caring for patients of leprosy, instead of being thanked and appreciated as a role model should be done to death in this manner is... a crime that belongs to the world’s inventory of black deeds.'

The response of Gladys and Esther was on the front page of every newspaper in India (with one billion people, soon to pass China as the most populous nation on earth). Gladys said, 'I have only one message for the people of India. I’m not bitter. Neither am I angry. But I have one great desire: that each citizen of this country should establish a personal relationship with Jesus Christ who gave his life for their sins...let us burn hatred and spread the flame of Christ’s love.'

Gladys shocked nearly everyone, because people assumed she and Esther would move back to Australia or somewhere else in the west. She said no, God had called them to India, and she would not leave. (In fact, she’d been very hesitant to even come to San Diego, as she didn’t want to leave the work even for a brief trip.) She said, 'My husband and our children have sacrificed their lives for this nation; India is my home. I hope to be here and continue to serve the needy.' When asked how she felt about the murder of her dad, Esther, as a thirteen year old, said (in words that sound straight off the pages of the book of Acts), 'I praise the Lord that He found my father worthy to die for Him.'

After Gladys spoke at the conference, an Indian national leader stood up and said that the impact made by the response of Gladys and Esther has been amazingly powerful, with many Hindus coming to Christ because of their witness. The people of India have looked at this situation and asked, 'Why would a man leave his wealthy country and serve lepers in India for 34 years? Why would his wife and daughter completely forgive the killers of their family? Why would they choose to stay and serve the poor? Who is this God they believe in? Could it be that all we’ve been told about Christians has been lies? Could it be that Jesus really is the truth?' The people of India are seeing embodied in the Stains an otherworldly perspective and strength in Christ.

I look forward to meeting Graham, Timothy and Philip in the world for which we were made, the one made for us. And if I get there first, I’m putting in a request to be there for their reunion with Gladys and Esther.

The words of Hebrews 11:35-38 are appropriate not only of Graham and the boys but of Gladys and Esther. The passage speaks of the sufferings of God’s people: 'Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them.'

The world was not worthy of them....

Please pray for Gladys and Esther, as well as funding for the forty-bed leprosy hospital Gladys is hoping to be built in memory of Graham, Philip and Timothy.

If you would like to contribute toward the leprosy hospital, 100% of designated gifts to EPM will be sent directly to the Mayurbhanj Leprosy Home for the new hospital."

For more information on Randy Alcorn's ministry and the legacy of the Staines family see: www.epm.org

Forum on Science, Technology and Renewal

Science and the Spirit: June 2007 - Regent University, Virginia Beach Campus
What does Christian faith have to do with modern science? How does the worldview of Christian renewal fit, if at all, with a contemporary scientific worldview? What is the relationship between renewal theology and the religion-and-science dialogue?

The Regent University School of Divinity’s Ph.D. program in Renewal Studies announces its first forum on renewal and science. With funding provided by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation, a multi-disciplinary team of researchers has been brought together to explore the questions at the intersection of renewal Christianity and science. In conjunction with this research initiative, three public lectures will provide an opportunity for these scholars to interact more broadly with the Regent, Hampton Roads, and wider southeastern area communities on these issues.

Tuesday, June 19, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
“Screening the Spirit: Resonances between a Charismatic Epistemology and the "Supermedium" of Film”
James K. A. Smith
Associate Professor of Philosophy, Calvin College

Friday, June 22, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
“Beyond the Battlelines: Why Christians Need to Engage with Science and How We Can Do It Successfully”
Philip Clayton
Ingraham Professor, Claremont School of Theology and Professor of Philosophy and Religion at the Claremont Graduate University, and visiting professor Harvard Divinity School (2006-2007)

Thursday, June 28, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
“Divine Healing, Religious Revivals and Contemporary Pentecostalism”
Margaret Poloma
Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of Akron

All events will be held at the:
Regent University Library Auditorium
1000 Regent University Drive
Virginia Beach, Virginia, 23464

For more information: E-mail: raifhug@regent.edu | Phone: 757-226-4400

Women in Pentecostal-Charismatic Leadership Colloquium

The role of women in church ministry and leadership remains a major issue facing the Pentecostal/charismatic movement into the 21st century. Throughout the history of the movement, this issue has set Pentecostals apart from much of the rest of the Evangelical church while at the same time, galvanizing them. Yet though women have been vital in the movement since its inception, opportunities for leadership have gradually eroded and many highly-trained women are moving into traditions which provide them a more public role.

Leading scholars from around the world and from both within and outside the movement will join Regent faculty and Ph.D. students in a year-long colloquium designed to look at the historical struggles, contributions, current trends, and future challenges related to this issue which is vital to the future of the renewal movement.

The symposium on Women in Pentecostal/Charismatic Leadership is the first in a five-part series reflecting on major trends within this vital movement which has shaped not only American, but world Christianity in the 21st century.

Global Perspectives (June 9, 2007)

Gaston Espinosa, Ph.D. – Dr. Espinosa is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Claremont McKenna College. He is a graduate of Princeton (M.Div.), Harvard (M.Ed.), and UC Santa Barbara (Ph.D.). He served as manager of the $1.3 million Pew Charitable Trusts-funded Hispanic Churches in American Public Life (HCAPL) project, which surveyed the religious and political attitudes of 3,000 Latinos across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Espinosa is the author or co-author of four books, nineteen refereed articles, book chapters, and reviews, 54 encyclopedia entries, 76 scholarly keynotes and presentations, has made eight television and radio appearances, and has served as the director of six conferences. In 2002 he spoke at the National Hispanic Presidential Prayer Breakfast with President George Bush and Senator Joseph Lieberman. In recognition of his work, the Generations Center of Princeton named him one of the nation's 100 Positive Men of Color.
Paper title: "Third Class Soldiers: A History of Hispanic Pentecostal Women in Ministry in the United States"

Pamela M. S. Holmes, Th. D. (candidate) – Pamela Holmes is an ordained pastor who has ministered in Edmonton, Alberta, Ottawa and Trenton, Ontario. Spurred on by concerns arising from both her own and other women’s experiences, Holmes returned to school to work on an advanced degree in systematic theology focusing on the possibilities of a dialogue between feminism and Pentecostalism. Her dissertation entitled “Feminist Critical Theory of Religion and Pentecostal Spirituality and Praxis: An Examination of Select Themes” explores the relationships between ideology and power particularly as it influences and affects Pentecostal women in leadership positions. Currently she is teaching and overseeing the Field Education programme at Queen’s Theological College, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario an ecumenical, United Church of Canada college. Pamela and her husband, Tom, reside in Trenton, Ontario and are the proud parents of two sons and two daughters-in-law and one baby granddaughter.
Paper title: "Canadian Pentecostalism and its Ministering Women: A Pentecostal Feminist Critique"

Deidre Helen Crumbley, Ph.D. – Deidre Helen Crumbley is an Associate Professor of Africana Studies in Interdisciplinary Studies at North Carolina State University. Her forth coming book, Sprit, Structure and Flesh: Gender and Power in African Churches, explores the interplay of gender, power, doctrine, and ritual in African Instituted Churches (AICs). Her current research project focuses on the intersection of race, gender, migration, and religious innovation in the rise of an African American, female-founded storefront church. In addition to her terminal degree in anthropology from Northwestern University, Dr. Crumbley also holds a Masters of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School. She is on the editorial board of Religion, an international and interdisciplinary journal, and she is an active member of the Society for the Anthropology of Religion.
Paper title: "Sanctified Saints – Impure Prophetesses: A Cross-Cultural Study of Gender, Purity, and Power in Two Afro-Christian Spiritual Churches"

Julie Ma - Ph.D. - Julie C. Ma served as a faculty member of Anthropology and Biblical Theology of Missions at Asia Pacific Theological Seminary, Baguio City, Philippines (1996-2006), while serving as a field missionary with her husband, Wonsuk, since 1981. She has also served as editor of Journal of Asian Mission (2003-2005), published When the Spirit Meets the Spirits (Peter Lang, 2000) and Mission Possible: Biblical Strategies for Reaching the Lost (Regnum, 2005), and edited with Wonsuk Ma, Asian Church and God's Mission (2003). She is now preparing a third book, Pentecostal Mission in Asian Context. Her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Intercultural Studies and Theology are from Fuller Theological Seminary. Currently she is serving as Research Tutor of Missiology at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies.
Paper title: "Phenomenological Change of Woman's Image in Global Setting and It's Influence on the Role of Women in the Church"

Here is a link to this Colloquium: http://www.regent.edu/acad/schdiv/newsandevents/women_colloquium.shtml.

Reclaiming the Covenant Service

The Egyptian Desert Fathers of the Fourth Century on the Values of the Christian Teacher

"The same Abba (father) said that a teacher ought to be a stranger to the desire for domination, vain-glory, and pride; one should not be able to fool him by flattery, nor blind him by gifts, nor conquer him by the stomach, nor dominate him by anger; but he should be patient, gentle and humble as far as possible; he must be tested and without partisanship, full of concern, and a lover of souls."
- Philokalia.

New Book on Charismatic Leadership in the Old Testament

There is a new book out on stages of characteristics of Charismatic Leadership in the kings of the United Kingdom of Israel. The book by Tamás Czövek, which is an edited version of a dissertation from the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, is entitled "Three Seasons of Charismatic Leadership: A Literary-Critical and Theological Interpretation of the Narrative of Saul, David and Solomon." It is published by Regnum Studies in Mission (Oxford, UK: Regnum Books International, 2006)

Here is a link to Czövek's dissertation abstract: http://www.ocms.ac.uk/abstracts/pdf/2002_czovek.pdf

What blinds the eyes?

How does one find happiness and fulfillment in life? How does the call to authentic leadership factor into this search? Why do I want to lead? Jesus addressed this human, existential cry for meaning with a paradoxical approach: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." (Luke 9:23-24, NIV).

The self-denial that Jesus is speaking about is the denial of the false, illusion-driven self that shadow us, self created in our quest to be the source of our lives. Thomas Merton in his great book, "The New Seeds of Contemplation" gives a great description of the nature of the false self and how it is the origin of dysfunctional, sin behavior: “All sin starts from the assumption that my false self, the self that exists only in my own egocentric desires, is the fundamental reality of life to which everything else in the universe is ordered. Thus I use up my life in the desire for pleasures and the thirst for experiences, for power, honor, knowledge, and love to cloth this false self and construct its nothingness into something objectively real. And I wind experiences around myself and cover myself with pleasures and glory like bandages in order to make myself perceptible to my self and to the world, as if I were an invisible body that could only become visible when something visible covered its surface.”

Who do we struggle to focus on the inner presence of Jesus as the source of our lives? For me, one of the better descriptions of this often misdirected focus on that which is outward and external, is found in the lyrics of Sam Phillips' great song, "Five Colors" (from Fan Dance - 2001). Even though Phillips is obviously speaking about her own struggle within the music industry, the lyrics do speak poetically about the futility of following the "false self" and the promise of the "small, forgotten road":

I don't mind if I am getting nowhere
Circling the seed of light
I've been greedy for some destination
I can't get to where are you?
Turning reverie to perfect solids
Bone and shells to hide ourselves
I tried but can't find refuge in the angle
I'll walk the mystery of the curve

Five colors blinds the eyes
See the world inside
Amazed alone

Opening my hands

closing wounds I made myself
Raise the dead and bury all my fears
Listen to the rain
And the bells that ring in my dreams
Turning time to break it's line from here
To the small, forgotten road
Where we see the concrete world disintegrating

Authentic Christian Leadership starts with the denial of the "false self" and the acceptance of the "true self" created in the Image of God through Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul gives us clear directions: "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. " (Ephesians 4:22-24, NIV)

The Power of the Small Way

In our increasingly competitive and pragmatic world we often think that is is doing large and impressive deeds that provides us with measure for effective leadership. So leadership meetings are often oppertunities for parading our strengths and insights. I am not better. During a providential discussion this morning I was reminded of the power of doing small things for the love of God. Thérèse de Lisieux (1873-1897) was a simple Christian leader that valued the power of child-like simplicity in her approach of spirituality and leadership: "Sometimes, when I read spiritual treatises, in which perfection is shown with a thousand obstacles in the way and a host of illusions round about it, my poor little mind soon grows weary, I close the learned book, which leaves my head splitting and my heart parched, and I take the Holy Scriptures. Then all seems luminous, a single word opens up infinite horizons to my soul, perfection seems easy; I see that it is enough to realize one's nothingness, and give oneself wholly, like a child, into the arms of the good God. Leaving to great souls, great minds, the fine books I cannot understand, I rejoice to be little because 'only children, and those who are like them, will be admitted to the heavenly banquet'."

For Thérèse the power of the "small way" starts in our relationships with others: "Love proves itself by deeds, so how am I to show my love? Great deeds are forbidden me. The only way I can prove my love is by scattering flowers and these flowers are every little sacrifice, every glance and word, and the doing of the least actions for love." For me the "small way" includes accepting advise, admonition and rebuke from our brothers and sisters. To have the humility and grace to accept when we are wrong, the willingness to be corrected and the constant desire to learn from the those around us.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta who was deeply influenced by the "small way" of Thérèse de Lisieux once summarized this approach of leadership as follows: "Small things with big love. It is not what you do that is important, by how much love you put into it that matters."

Anima Christi (Easter Prayer from the 14th Century)

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O good Jesus, hear me.
Within your wounds hide me.
Suffer me not to be separated from You.
From the malignant enemy, defend me.
In the hour of my death, call me.
And bid me come to You.
That with Yours saints I may praise You.
Forever and ever. Amen

Easter Poem attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153 AD)

O sacred Head, now wounded,
with grief and shame weighed down,
now scornfully surrounded with thorns, thine only crown:
how pale thou art with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage languish which once was bright as morn!

What thou, my Lord, has suffered was all for sinners' gain;
mine, mine was the transgression, but thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior!
'Tis I deserve thy place;
look on me with thy favor, vouchsafe to me thy grace.

What language shall I borrow to thank thee, dearest friend,
for this thy dying sorrow, thy pity without end?
O make me thine forever; and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love for thee.

Easter Letter from John Michael Talbot

The following is the entire text of the 2007 Easter Letter from John Michael Talbot. JMT makes several really good points here:

Peace and Good in Christ!

We enter into Holy Week starting with Palm/Passion Sunday, going through Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and culminating with Easter Sunday. It is a journey that most of us have made many times. Yet each year the Lord has something new for us.

The word "holy" means "separated; set apart." In that spirit, this week we are called to set aside time and space to walk through the Passion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, both as a gathered Church, and in a very personal way. We are to "set aside" this week as a special time of prayer and conversion.

This year I have read much in the religious press about "religion vs. spirituality," and how religion can sometimes actually hurt humanity. Some statistics show that the more religious a culture is, the higher its crime rate (especially drugs and sex), and the more warlike that culture tends to be. This is a shocking statistic. It is true that religion either brings out the best or the worst in human beings. When it works it can be wonderful. When it does not work, it can be like a bad dream.

The journey through the Passion of Christ also addresses this reality: Jesus was rejected by the most "religious" people of his time, and handed over by them to be crucified by the Roman government. Indeed, as the gospel stories unfold during the last days of Lent, we see a growing confrontation between the spirituality of Jesus and the religiosity and legalism of the Jews of that time.

This conflict gives me pause to reflect on a song I recorded on my first Christian recording in 1976 entitled "Would You Crucify Him?" I must ask myself: Would I crucify Him if He were among us today? Each of us must ponder that question during this Holy Week. Of course, Jesus founded the Church and her "religion," and bestowed upon us the Holy Spirit to guide us. Yet, there are plenty of examples from Church history of terrible popes, bishops, clergy and laity who were obviously very far from the teaching of Jesus in their own lives. So none of us are above the question.

Religion can tend to rely upon zealous fanaticism and legalism. In contrast, spirituality relies on enthusiasm in the Spirit and divine love. Simply said, religion is about law, while spirituality is about love. Religion tends to judge, while spirituality forgives. Religion, especially fundamentalism of any kind, can breed religious fanatics. Spirituality calls its followers to be wholesome and balanced radicals. While religion tends to produce fundamentalists, healthy spirituality develops solid fundamentals. There is a huge difference between the two. Most of us can tell the difference in the inner recesses of our heart, even though it is sometimes hard to verbalize. Somehow we just "know" when it is right-when it is in balance. This is the work of the Spirit within us.

How do we get to that righteous balance that is true spirituality? I personally get there through personal and communal prayer that is confirmed and strengthened by good teaching, receiving the sacraments, and dedicating myself to a life of prayer and charity. For me this takes on the expression of daily charismatic thanks and praise which fills me with positive rather than negative thoughts and emotions, and seated meditation using what I call "breath prayer," which allows me to physically, emotionally, and intellectually become still enough to allow the last vestiges of self- preoccupation to simply fall away from me. These practices give a whole new meaning to my daily life, permeating everything from doctrine to sacraments. Then doctrine, sacraments and daily life are "born again" as I am born again daily. These help me to more totally let go of my old self so that my actions in daily life slowly become more like Jesus. Though there may be initial periods of breakthrough, these practices are most often part of the normal lifetime journey toward deeper spiritual growth. For me, this is a powerful process.

After much reflection, I realize that what many others might deem a dichotomy between "religion versus spirituality," is in truth more about "vain religion" versus a "spiritually rich religion" that comes from and glorifies God. The true issue is not so much a matter of semantics or doctrine as it is a matter of the heart. It is upon the human heart that the new covenant of God is written by real relationship with and in the real Jesus.

What then is the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Remember, it is good news! We have only to look at the Beatitudes, or St. Paul's chapter on love in I Corinthians: 12, or to the fruit of the Spirit in Paul's letter to the Galatians. These scriptures describe the divine gift that every human being longs for in the depths of their heart. We are created for such God-glorifying love.

I believe in the wonderful news that the old man or woman can die with Christ on the cross, be totally forgiven our sins, and the person God really wants us to be can be raised up as a "born again" child of God through the resurrection of Jesus. The essential message of Jesus and call for Christians is nothing more complicated, but nothing less challenging.
This year we must make a decision: Are we going to settle for just being "religious," or will we really be born again, and let Jesus make us into the person God originally made us to be? Will we crucify Him by our stubborn adherence to vain religion, albeit under the name of "Christian" or "Catholic," or will we "let go and let God" by allowing Him to raise us up as a new creation-- a new man, a new woman? That process will help bring about a return to the original purpose of spiritually rich religion.

I will pray with you this year as we all make the journey through this Holy Week.

In Jesus,

John Michael Talbot

Founder, Spiritual Father and General Minister

The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage