Peter Rollins’ main goal is to figure out what Christianity might look like in post-Christian and post-modern western Europe. In many ways Europe helps us see into the future of American culture. It is for this reason that I suggest that perhaps there may be something to be learned by his insights.
In this short video Rollins suggests that a Christian leaders should be one that refuses to lead. For Rollins, a leader refuses to give answers to people, pushing those questions back on the person, thereby making them find the answerer for themselves. He believes that this is seen in the life of Jesus where people ask, “Who are you?” and Jesus answers by asking, “Who do you say that I am?” For Rollins, Jesus is an excellent example of a leader who refuses to give answers, thereby causing people to wrestle with there own question and come to their own conclusions.
He also suggests that one of the reasons we push questions back on the one asking is because we must refuse to be manipulated. This manipulation takes on many forms but the main way that this manifests itself, as Rollins points out, is by a congregation merely wanting a leader that will affirm their already held beliefs. For Rollins, the position of leadership is easily manipulated by the wants and desires of those we are supposed to “lead.” When leaders refuses to lead by the whims of those that they are “leading,” true leadership takes place. In the leaders refusal to lead he/she truly leads.
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ReplyDeleteYour link is broken to the video-Here is the video I watched http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJuUy0x1ag4
ReplyDeleteBrian,
ReplyDeleteRolllins rightly emphasizes that many times a leader must use strategic questioning to lead. I agree that this is often modeled in Jesus’ ministry. But this model is not the only model presented in the ministry of Jesus. Take Jesus’ interaction with Nicodemus (John 3). Jesus directly asks many questions in response to Nicodemus’ questions—“If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” I agree that often the message that leadership carries is not an easy one (think cost of discipleship-you must die to follow Christ) and often requires a “pushing” of the congregation, often through the use of intentional questions. Rollins is correct that many churches “pick” leaders that are simply “yes men/women.” But where many may be uncomfortable is how Rollins philosophy would play out with new Christians. In that case, asking, “what do you think” may not be the best course of action. There is a time to tell people what they “ought” to think, instead of simply questioning them. But this too may rub against what people think is right. And that may be exactly what Rollins is getting at.