Now that I've got your attention...I don't believe a word of it! (Except
Christianity is led by Christ). So please relax and stay with me, OK?
The following is not an attempt to criticize or get you "saved." I just
wanted you to see a little of the resistance I'm getting from my own
church community.
As I said in my LO introduction, I am a Southern Baptist Evangelical
Christian Fundamentalist (guilt by association only.) If I told my
fellow church members what I've just told you...The stones will fly
(John 8)...and they have! You see, many in the "Christian Community"
consider Organizational Development, Systems Thinking, and "personal
transformation" to be an all out evil "New Age" cult trying to take
Jesus out of the loop (sorry for the NASA lingo)! For proof, go into
any Christian book store and buy a book called "The Deceivers." That is
if you can find it among all the other, what I've come to call
"Anti-Christ" books published by Christians that are not so Christian.
To me, the Fifth Discipline is more of a "Pro-Christ" book than they.
The question is why do I not feel truly connected to "the church"
anymore? Am I backsliding into "The World" again? Am I being sucked
into a cult? They say disillusionment is part of the maturity process
and I'm just going through a phase. "Maturity" seems to mean
resignation to the status quo. Is that what I want?
I want to thank all of you for participating in this thread so
explicitly. We have had similar threads on the Deming Electronic
Network, but it was more implicit. I do not ask, what the difference is
between Jesus, Deming, and Senge? I ask, what is God teaching me
through these people, what do they mean in the context of my peak
experience with God, and what am I to do with this integrated knowledge?
Why do I feel a stronger sense of belonging on the computer than I do
in my own church?
I too have been struggling against reductionism. Jesus gave me a
foundation for my faith. Deming's Profound Knowledge helped to
"reunite" science and the humanities. My peak metanoic experience with
God helped me "reunite" the various branches of religion. Senge has
helped me get a little closer to "reuniting" science, humanities, and
spirituality. David Steindl-Rast and Fritjof Capra, in Belonging To The
Universe, have helped me see that they were never separated.
Imagine a maple tree in full bloom. See the leaves as tools, methods,
and techniques. See the branches as various disciplines (science and
humanities) and theories, all united at the top of the trunk. See the
roots as the different branches of religion and theology all united at
the bottom of the trunk, under the dirt by our deepest peak experiences
with God. The trunk itself is a tall, strong gap between our deepest
experiences with God and science & humanities.
The trunk is the best place to pound in the tap to get the best flow of
sap (if I remember correctly from driving the roads in Pennsylvania).
Tapping the tree at the leaves would be ridiculous...but business does
it by focusing on tools, techniques, and how-tos. Tapping the tree in
the roots or the bottom of the trunk...would be difficult because they
are hidden under the dirt...but the church does it and wonders why the
world won't listen! Tapping the tree at the top of the trunk is
better...Deming did this and helped to reunite science and humanities.
Senge tapped the tree a little lower on the trunk by going to the deeper
learning cycle and almost talking about our deep experiences with God.
David-Steindl Rast, Capra, and others have tapped the tree in the
perfect spot...dialogue on the frontier of science and spirituality,
raising religion and our peak experiences out from under the dirt
joining forces with science, humanities, tools and techniques.
If exploring this dialogue on the frontier of science and spirituality
is a cult, then sign me and Christ-in-me up! All I can tell you
is...my heart is grateful for all of them and all of you. Salvation of
the world will not come by sitting in a church praying and judging.
Salvation of the world will not come by reading management books and
managing change. As Senge says in the Fifth Discipline, "The truth will
set us free." I was taught that Christ meant "The Truth" will set you
free. Why then is long-faced religion the norm? Why is the burden
heavy? I now see that "truth" is- honesty about ourselves and with
others...a humble openness to allow others, through love and dialogue,
help us all to become all God wanted us to be! This truth allows God to
freely move and unite. This is the truth that set me free from
long-faced religion! This is the great adventure!
When I or anyone speaks the truth and exposes themselves on these
Internet lists...do you not feel set free? Do you not feel an
overwhelming sense of God? How then can we separate Christianity (and
others) from the Fifth Discipline, or truth?
Have a Great Adventure!
Don Kerr
--"Kerr, Donald" <Donald.Kerr@alliedsignal.com>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>