|
Christian |
Pluralistic |
Dialectic |
|
LED by the SPIRIT |
DRIVEN by felt NEEDS |
DRIVEN by "felt needs" & organizational OUTCOMES |
Includes |
Christians from all nations. |
All who want to belong & are accepted. |
Diverse (spiritually & culturally) members willing to dialogue.
|
Foundation |
God's Word and Spirit. Members come with knowledge of God's absolute, unchanging truths. |
Felt needs; natural desire for friendship & belonging. Members come without absolute truths, willing to yield their assumptions for the greater goal of unity based on "common ground." |
A pre-planned strategy and outcome aimed at personal & social transformation. A diverse group comes together -- some with their faith in the Bible, others with faith in other gods and forces. All must learn to put their assumptions "on the table" for all to examine and evaluate. Members pick and choose what they "feel good about," then blend the new input with their own evolving beliefs. They must be willing to seek the greater goal of "common ground" -- a key to oneness. |
Goal |
Fellowship and unity in Christ. |
Build relationships, pursue multicultural unity, meet “needs,” make friends & have fun. |
Continual change or transformation toward oneness: an evolving group synthesis or consensus. |
Ground Rules |
Biblical: speak the truth in love. |
Determined or understood by the group: civility, tolerance, etc. |
Be open-minded and empathetic, respect all opinions, maintain a "safe place" (don't offend by offering absolute facts or Biblical answers & solutions), empathize with contrary beliefs, values and lifestyles... |
Result |
God is glorified, members are edified. |
Personal gratification, friendships. |
Bonding, dialectic “learning,” new beliefs & values, group conformity, new vision of the social "unity" of all. Hostility toward "divisive" people who cling to old absolutes and refuse to adapt and change. |
Show others: |
God's truth & agapeo love |
Human phileo love |
Unconditional acceptance and "respect" for all positions, empathy, compassion, togetherness, and the power of the process. [see note] |
Ultimate goal |
Eternity with God |
Rich relationships |
Achieving the vision of global solidarity. |
Note: To understand this dialectic process -- the key strategy to transformation of individuals, churches, organizations, communities, nations and the entire world, please read the following articles:
Kurt Lewin: “Group Decision and Social Change”
Reinventing the World Part 2: The Mind-Changing Process
Deceived by the Dialectic Process | The Dialectical Imagination
Cry, our beloved America: Sliding Down the Communitarian Slope
Assaults on Faith and Family: Mandatory Training in Orwellian Thinking?
Assaults on Faith and Family - Part 3: The Ominous "Success"of Re-Education
Small Groups and the Dialectic Process | Training students to rethink God's Word
Faith-Based Partnerships Ban Truth & Freedom: Selling our souls in the name of service?
From Freedom to Servitude - Part 2: "Service Learning" through Soviet Brainwashing
From Freedom to Servitude, Part 3: Deceit, Delusion and the Destruction of America
Using dissatisfaction as a tool in social transformation | Soviet System of Control
The Crowd: A study of the popular mind | Mind Change and Collective Service
Adorno, Lukaks & other links | Praxis | Soviet System of Control