Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith

http://barefootmeg.multiply.com/reviews/item/36
I've mentioned Rob Bell and his book, Velvet Elvis a few times here in this blog and I finally got a review of the book finished today. Click through on the link above to read the review.

The Velvet Elvis is an SJ.

While reading Dan Kimball's book, I grew increasingly aware that what the Emergent folk were pulling away from was an SJ mentality.  To be honest, I'm not sure yet what personality type they're pulling toward.  I suspect the toward has more to do with the personality types of the Emergent leaders than the personality types of the so-called "emerging generation" or "emerging culture."  (NF, perhaps?)

I started reading Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis today.  I wasn't even 4 pages into the book when Bell stated this point exactly -- except that he doesn't at all attribute it to a difference in personalities. 

Here's what often happens: Somebody comes along who has a fresh perspective on the Christian faith. People are inspired. A movement starts. Faith that was stale and dying is now alive.  But then the pioneer of the movement -- the painter -- dies and the followers stop exploring.  They mistakenly assume that their leader's words were the last ones on the subject, and they freeze their leader's words.  They forget that as that innovator was doing this or her part to move things along, that person was merely taking part in the discussion that will go on forever.  And so in their commitment to what so-and-so said and did, they end up freezing the faith. -- Rob Bell, in Velvet Elvis

SJ's are the protectors.  They value tradition and continuity.  They are the ones who remind us how things have been done in the past, who help us remember and adhere to the rules, and who help us to stay on the pathway that we set out upon.  It makes sense that they "freeze" the faith at a point because that's the gift/personality that God has bestowed upon them.  Without them it would be easy for us to lose focus and wander away from the goals that we set out toward. 

NF's are visionaries.  Their gift/personality type is one that sees new possibilities, new ways of looking at things, new means of approaching old topics.  

NT's are intellectuals.  They analyze the ways things have been done and how they might be done better.  They innovate and challenge the status quo.  

All of these (and SP's as well, of course -- people the Emerging churches are often particularly targeting) are important and valuable perspectives and all are needed to keep a balance.  When a church is made up of all SJ's then yes, it will seem very dry and boring and dead.  It might not seem dead to the SJ's themselves, but to all of the other personality types that are biding their time in that congregation, it could be quite miserable. But when a church is made up all of NF's, anything goes.  You might never know where you'll be from one week to another (theologically, emotionally, etc.) and that might be exciting and refreshing for NF's, but for other personality types, that could be quite unsettling and even disturbing.  

God made us with different personality types so that we can learn from each other, so we can balance each other, so that we can guide one another and so that we can love one another despite our differences.  We need to learn to listen to each other rather than advocating one personality type over and above another. 

The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations (a book review)

http://barefootmeg.multiply.com/reviews/item/30
Click through to see my review of Dan Kimball's book on the Emerging Church.

Personality (Temperament) Types and the Emergent Church Movement

I've embarked upon a brief exploration into the world of the Emergent Church Movement.  Though the Wikipedia article sucks, imo, the book by Dan Kimball, the Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations is actually pretty good.  Dan explains not only some of the "distinctives" of the Emergent Church (not that he'd ever use that word), but he also explains why it's called Emerging in the first place. 

What struck me, though, as I read about this Emerging (or Postmodern) generation (characterized by a lack of belief in absolutes, an interest in the spiritual and mysterious, a strong distaste for institutionalized Christianity, a longing for authenticity and a need to experience a relationship with God rather than sitting back and being told about it) is that is sounds very much like the NF personality temperament type.

An NF: "searches for meaning and authenticity, empathetic, highly responsive to interpersonal transactions, keeps in close contact with others, highly personalized, gives and needs strokes freely."  (from Type Talk at Work, How the 16 personality types determine your success on the job by Otto Kroeger with Janet M. Thuesen and Hile Rutledge.)

While on the other hand, what Dan refers to as the Modern generation (characterized by adherence to absolutes as guide-stones in life (absolutes either from religion or science), a preference for structure, systems and institutions, and putting a high value on knowledge and formal education) sounds very much like the SJ personality temperament type.

An SJ: "strives to belong and contribute, prizes harmony and service, orderly, dependable, realistic, understands and conserves institutional values, expects other to be realistic, supplies stability and structure, more likely to reward institutionally than personally (trophies, letters, etc), can be critical of mistakes more easily than rewarding expected duties." (also from Type Talk at Work, How the 16 personality types determine your success on the job by Otto Kroeger with Janet M. Thuesen and Hile Rutledge.)

Is it just that NF's often lead the way into new movements and eventually SJ's take over and institutionalize the movement?  Or is Dan thinking that he's reaching a new and emerging generation when all he's really doing is reaching a specific subset of people that have been with us from time immemorial?

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Another good page on NFs.
Another good page on SJs.