manipulation or mission?

great post from barky on how engaging in community transformation can become manipulative if it’s just the clothes hiding an agenda to convert people… as barky points out in the comments the place to find a theology that resonates in these kinds of contexts is from the likes of the dave andrews of this world…

I think it’s disappointing that at this period of history, having learnt so much from overseas missionaries and their aggressive approaches towards conversion, evangelism and obliterating local cultures that we still have people involved in community work in the UK who act as ‘Vampire Christians’ (a good Dallas Willard phrase – Christians who are only interested in the blood of Jesus) or Christians involved in their communities in order to see their churches increase. It just leaves me feeling dirty, needing to scrub the manipulation away from me.

while on barky’s blog take a look at the post before the one mentioned above that links to a selection of articles on networks. this is an absolute gem he has unearthed. network logic is a collection of essays by leading thinkers on networks. all the essays are available to download including an afterword by manuel castells. it’s published by demos think tank.

This Post Has 4 Comments

  1. Matt April 28, 2004

    I saw that post on networks too. I’ve been thinking a lot about that. In fact I know you because of network stuff…
    Pete Ward does a little bit on networks in Liquid Church and my thinking was whetted so I went and asked some folks what were the books that talked about the theory of all this. For what its worth Brad Smith says, ““Diffusion of Innovation,” “The Tipping Point,” and “Emergence, The Connected Life of Ants, Brains, Cities and Software” are the ‘trinity’ of network books.”

  2. barky April 29, 2004

    thanks for the links jonny. i wonder if the two are not unrelated – community transformation and network logic?

  3. Tony Cant May 3, 2004

    also see ann morisey’s new book ‘journeying out’. published by continuum.
    this is a very important new book on approaches to xn mission, that among other things, is highly subversive about the predominance of power hegemonies that xns use unwittingly in community mission strategies and activities.

  4. jonny May 3, 2004

    thanks tony – i’ll check it out….

Comments are closed.