dissertation

69
CHAPTER 3. LOOKING UNDER THE SURFACE:
‘PARADIGM’ IN THE EMERGING-MISSIONAL
CONVERSATION
3.1 Introduction
In 1992, Leith Anderson, then pastor of Wooddale Church, Minneapolis, 1 claimed that
a “paradigm shift” was needed for the church in the 21 st century. 2 “The only way to
cope and be effective during this period of structural change in society is to change
some of the ways we view our world and the church. It is what some call a paradigm
shift – a new way of looking at something. Such a shift will allow us to view our changing
world with new perspective. It is like a map. Old maps from 1950 may have sufficed
before the construction of interstate highways and the expansion of major cities,
but new maps are needed now. Likewise, we need a paradigm shift for the future.” 3 In
evangelical circles within the United States, Anderson was something of a trailblazer. 4
Roughly a decade later, the idea of the need for a shift in paradigm, or worldview, 5 has
become an integral element of the EMC – not just in America, but also worldwide. For
example, Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch, from their Australian context suggest that we
should “rethink and re-imagine what leadership and theological formation would be
like in a new paradigm [emphasis added].” 6
This chapter analyzes the concept of paradigm and evaluates how it is used in EMC
publications. 7 In scholarly interpretations of the EMC, this topic has not yet been covered,
as far as we are aware. It is, however, crucial to understand the EMC better, which
fits in well with the hermeneutical goal of this study. Moreover, the concept of paradigm
(and paradigm shift) is regularly used in much of the current discussion pertaining
1
At that time, Doug Pagitt, now an influential voice within the EMC, worked in the same church as a
youth worker.
2
Leith Anderson, A Church for the 21 st Century (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 1992), 17.
3
Ibid.
4
Note that one year earlier, the South African mainline missiologist David Bosch criticized the “spell” and
the “shadow” of the worldview of the Enlightenment, while pleading for changes in approaches to mission
in light of the “emerging ecumenical missionary paradigm.” David Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm
Shifts in Theology of Mission (New York: Orbis, 1991), 344 and 368 ff. This book was influential in shaping
paradigm thinking within the Gospel and Our Culture Network.
5
To mention one example: “If the word paradigm is a little hackneyed to you,” Ken Howard writes, “just
substitute world view, conceptual model or some other equivalent term.” Ken Howard, Paradoxy: Creating Community
Between Us and Them (Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press, 2010), 3.
6
Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch, The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st-century
Church (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2003), 154. We discuss the topic of leadership extensively in part B of
this thesis (chapters 7-8) and the topic of theological formation in part C (chapters 9-11).
7
Questions concerning the content of the claims – for example, is it helpful to speak in terms of a shift from
a ‘modern’ to a ‘postmodern’ paradigm or worldview in Western society – are addressed in the next chapter.