Sociologist Brene Brown once said, “What we know matters, but who we are matters more." This applies to our understanding of Christian discipleship. As Christians, we often struggle with the balance between orthodoxy (right knowledge or doctrine) and orthopraxy (right practice or action). This is the challenge that James presents when he writes, “ But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.” (James 2:18, NIV) Both right belief and right action are necessary in the life of a follower of Christ, but can one get in the way of the other? Historically, Baptists have been very good at communicating information about the Bible and the faith. They delight in asking questions of scripture that exegete the text in an attempt to understand the who, what, how, and why of the passage. We are less open to letting the text speak to us. For e...
Leadership has been a popular topic of discussion down through the ages. There has been an ebb and flow of emphases—authoritarian vs. participative; task vs. relational and many more. Take your choice. A recent graphic by Kavit Haria that caught my attention exemplifies two contemporary approaches to leadership. Haria suggests that many people tend to think that leadership is two things: giving orders and always having an answer. He then presents a broader understanding of what leadership actually is. Here are his suggestions: Making people feel safe. Individuals contribute more to an organization when they feel that they are safe physically, intellectually, and professionally. If a person fears or dreads coming to work, something is wrong. A feeling of safety facilitates participation and personal investment. Coaching. A good leader calls forth...