Paradigm shifts

In his book A New Kind of Christian, Brian McLaren talks about paradigm change in this transition that we’re in. I don’t want to take the time to go into all about transition time vs. change, nor defend the idea of our time as one of transition and paradigm change (first because I’m not sure I know enough to do so, and second because of space). What struck me so much was this model of paradigm change. It starts open and comfortable, as that paradigm begins to feel claustrophobic we move into a kind of funnel. At the beginning of that funnel we primarily look backward at the original paradigm and how much it fails you. Further into the funnel we begin to look forward to what a new paradigm might be. And finally, hopefully we find ourselves in a new paradigm which will work better for us and for society for a time. This kinda describes the transition from modern to postmodern. We don’t all go thru this, we don’t go thru it at the same time, etc.

The amazing thing for me is in that funnel. I know plenty of United Methodists who are so frustrated with the church. They spend their time criticizing, complaining, and judging and quite frankly have irritated the hell out of me. How can we expect to be a force for good and change in the world for Christ if we are busy bickering with ourselves. It doesn’t make our faith very appealing. But this model that Brian McLaren describes allows me to have more sympathy for people in this stage. I always tried to remind myself that the church is a hard place and that people need an outlet, but it is more than that. People are dealing with wholesale change that so far has no complete recognizable paradigm. They see all the negatives of their current world and work, but have not seen the possibility and hope of a new paradigm. They are looking back and haven’t gotten that monkey off of their back, so to speak in order to look at something different. And in some ways, perhaps they are scared not just of their own change, but for the church itself. For if more of the church doesn’t make this shift, perhaps it will die.

Just for the record, I don’t believe it will die. I am filled with hope (at least at the moment) for the future. There are others like me, and like you, and like Brian McLaren out there who are seeing God in whole new ways. The Methodist church may lose some power and size, but it will learn to see and seek God in incredible new ways! In fact, it already is.