Reply to the main thread of at least 2 different peers. In your replies, choose 2 of the following tasks to guide your replies: (1) someone to whom you can add a significant contribution to his/her thinking, (2) someone who makes a point which you do not understand, or (3) someone you disagree with on a point and can challenge in a loving/considerate manner.
Please use significant thought and complex terminology within the replies. In Modules/Weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8, you are required to reply to 2 other classmates' threads. Each reply must be at least 200 words.
Reply to William
To answer this question of "is the cross a good foundation starting point for understanding Christian leadership ?" I would have to answer with a big YES! The foundation of our faith, the church and all that we do as Christians is nailed to what Christ did on the cross. Christ is the corner stone in which the church foundation is laid. Leadership in the church is absolutely subject to this same foundation rooted in the cross. Some might say that there is a better foundational starting point for a theology of leadership and many have and because of this it is easy to see some theological importance being swept under the rug as they lead their church. Instead of Christian leadership, the environment and church turns into a corporate style managerial leadership system. A church and its leaders must keep their hearts and minds guiding their leadership in a Christ centered way and reason. In Shaw's text, it is mentioned best I think when he states that because we get away from the cross centered theology based leadership there soon becomes an theological literacy and doctrinal clarity lacking and its happening all across the land[1]
Having a solid theological foundation in the cross and in who Christ is and what he did allows for us to lead by knowing why it is and who it is we are leading for. Bonhoeffer states about the nature of Christ and the knowledge of who Christ is (both human and divine) " this is a living assertion about Christ that goes beyond all conceptual forms and everything is encompassed in its very clear yet paradoxical agility[2] he then later stats that because of the cross we can do nothing on our own, and it is only through God that we can do anything[3] . Everything we do and set out to do in the church as we lead the church is based on our assertion of who Christ is and what the cross means to each of us. It is the theology of the cross that will allow us to champion God in our ministries as we lead.
As we each lead the church in our various leadership positions, having the cross as our foundation that our hearts are focused on, we then can start building on top with all the great examples/attributes founded in Christ as our example for who we need to be and how the church needs to see us as. Our hearts need to have a passion for Christ and what He did on the cross and what only the cross can do for others. Our eyes must be focused on leading by reaching other with the gospel.
[1] Shaw, Mark. 10 Great Ideas from Church History. Downer Groves: InterVarsity Press, 1997, 17.
[2] Nichols, Stephen J. Bonhoeffer on the Christian Life. Wheaton : Crossway, 2013,
[3] Ibid.,
Bibliography
Nichols, Stephen J. Bonhoeffer on the Christian Life. Wheaton : Crossway, 2013.
Shaw, Mark. 10 Great Ideas from Church History. Downer Groves: InterVarsity Press, 1997.
Reply to Cameron
As I was taking in the direction of this assignment the spirit led me first look up the definition's of Theology and Leadership as these terms can at times be misinterpreted in the execution in which they are utilized. Leadership is defined as the action of leading a group of people or an organization. The second term Theology is simply the study of the nature of God and religious belief. Understanding the these terms can lead to full comprehension of the blood that Jesus shed on the cross for us to do what we do everyday.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer understood the importance of these terms as it pertained to the cross and knew that he was made in God's image and meant to be the example for believer's and non believers. Bonhoeffer lived by the standard that "living unreservedly in life's duties, problems, success and failures and perplexities(pg.22). This is why the cross is imperative to our day to day to life and what God has intended for since the beginning when he created mankind. Bonhoeffer accepted that there will be issues that will manifest in our day to day life but he lives's to "not obey man but God". Living for the cross is a action that requires complete humility and submission to a purpose that goes beyond our understanding.
Standing firm by the cross (Shaw,1997) is something that many struggle to do in this society today. God has given me the prestigious honour of working with Homeless or formally homeless individuals every day and I witness some of the individuals that have stood firm on the cross as soon as their circumstances change for the better they take full advantage and other's they continue to live by things that Jesus did not die for. My occupational function is to take homeless of the street and attempt give them a apartment to reside in. Living by faith (Nichols pg. 23) is truly a unique gift in itself as it is difficult at times to stay grounded in these things that God has personally ordained for each of every one of us.
When we decide to fully commit to the cross it is amazing how God can brings the best out of us even when we don't see it in ourselves. This is what the Cross represents that Jesus saw good in all us even though we were not living up to our fullest potential and expectation's.
Nichols, S.J (2013)-Bonhoeffer on the Christian Life: From the Cross, for the World.
Shaw, M-1997-10 Great Ideas
