Every organization is made up of humans who make its decisions and are responsible for its success or failure, but these institutions tend to have a suprahuman quality. Although created and staffed by humans, decisions are not made so much by people as for them, out of the logic of institutional life itself...– Walter Wink
This is the third post thinking about emergence and its implications as a new community forms. The first two posts are here, and here.
Emergence theory names as real entities institutions, organizations and ideas as among the real entities which emerge from the interaction of humans. These entities have a life of their own and may take up as a goal their own survival. A sure sign that an institution has taken up its own survival as its primary goal is that entity ceases to serve the humans which make up the institution or the humans that are meant to benefit from the institution.
Institutions, ideas and organizations interact with each other in either symbiotic or parasitic ways. Symbiotic relationships benefit two or more entities. In parasitic relationships one is the primary beneficiary at the expense of the other. In either case the entities may or may not benefit humans, or only certain humans at the expense of others.
An idea that to me seems to have taken on a life of its own may be called Biblicism. Christian Smith the Notre Dame sociologist defines Biblicism as "a theory about the Bible that emphasizes together its exclusive authority, infallibility, perspicuity, self-sufficiency, internal consistency, self-evident meaning, and universal applicability." In very broad strokes, Biblicism emerged from the interactions of humans with a love for the Bible, who were responding to the challenges of modernity that questioned the authority of the Bible. These humans felt that the Bible was under assault and a system of defending the Bible emerged, that today could rightly be labeled Biblicism. There is of course much more to the emergence of Biblicism, but what is of particular interest to me here is the relationship of Biblicism to the branch of Christianity called Evangelicalism.
This is the third post thinking about emergence and its implications as a new community forms. The first two posts are here, and here.
Emergence theory names as real entities institutions, organizations and ideas as among the real entities which emerge from the interaction of humans. These entities have a life of their own and may take up as a goal their own survival. A sure sign that an institution has taken up its own survival as its primary goal is that entity ceases to serve the humans which make up the institution or the humans that are meant to benefit from the institution.
Institutions, ideas and organizations interact with each other in either symbiotic or parasitic ways. Symbiotic relationships benefit two or more entities. In parasitic relationships one is the primary beneficiary at the expense of the other. In either case the entities may or may not benefit humans, or only certain humans at the expense of others.
An idea that to me seems to have taken on a life of its own may be called Biblicism. Christian Smith the Notre Dame sociologist defines Biblicism as "a theory about the Bible that emphasizes together its exclusive authority, infallibility, perspicuity, self-sufficiency, internal consistency, self-evident meaning, and universal applicability." In very broad strokes, Biblicism emerged from the interactions of humans with a love for the Bible, who were responding to the challenges of modernity that questioned the authority of the Bible. These humans felt that the Bible was under assault and a system of defending the Bible emerged, that today could rightly be labeled Biblicism. There is of course much more to the emergence of Biblicism, but what is of particular interest to me here is the relationship of Biblicism to the branch of Christianity called Evangelicalism.
Evangelicalism is currently the most common expression of Christianity in the US. The British historian David Bebbington has said that Biblicism is one of four hallmarks of evangelicalism. Based on emergent theory, I am positing here that both Biblicism and Evangelicalism have a life of their own, and as real entities they relate to each other. And then I am asking; What is the relationship between the two real entities Biblicism and Evangelicalism?
The answer from my perspective is that Biblicism largely exists in a parasitic relationship to evangelicalism – that is it draws life from evangelicalism at the expense of evangelicalism (and again this has nothing to do with how either Biblicism or evangelicalism relates to humans). For the moment I want to look at the movement I was most recently a part of, and then in later posts I will look at other telling examples that I believe points to a parasitic relationship.
The answer from my perspective is that Biblicism largely exists in a parasitic relationship to evangelicalism – that is it draws life from evangelicalism at the expense of evangelicalism (and again this has nothing to do with how either Biblicism or evangelicalism relates to humans). For the moment I want to look at the movement I was most recently a part of, and then in later posts I will look at other telling examples that I believe points to a parasitic relationship.
The movement I was most recently a part of has self-defined as evangelical, and I believe within that movement I have seen the parasitic nature of Biblicism (again it is crucial to get that I am saying that Biblicism based on emergence theory is a real entity with a life of its own – so I am not speaking of humans – I am speaking of this real emergent entity called Biblicism). There is an apocryphal story that I have heard from two different people regarding the Biblicist statement of faith that the movement adopted, that makes me believe that the story is more than apocryphal. The story is that as the statement was being written the founder of the movement was approached, by at least two different people and they said regarding the Biblicist statement, “Why are you including this statement? You don’t even believe it.” To which the founder replied, “I know, but we have to include this statement or we will lose the evangelicals.” I think this is a profoundly illuminating statement, and illustrates how the emergent idea, Biblicism attached itself to a movement. It also illustrates the truth of the chilling statement above from Wink “decisions are not made so much by people as for them, out of the logic of institutional life itself.” I contend that Wink is dead on and this was less about the founder of the movement making a pragmatic decision, and much more about the real entity Biblicism making the decision for the founder. I am naming the relationship between Biblicism and evangelicalism as parasitic, because of the way Biblicism attaches itself to evangelicalism, and then depends on evangelicalism for its survival while damaging its host. Within my former movement from my perspective Biblicism repeatedly damaged the movement in how it operated to ensure its’ (Biblicism’s) survival within the movement.
Within the past decade when the movement moved to open all levels of leadership to women the biggest obstacle to overcome was the opposition of Biblicism. From my perspective Biblicism forced a number of churches within the movement to leave, and forced those who were making the move to open up all levels of leadership to women to frame the opening in Biblicist terms. In other words Biblicism simultaneously damaged the movement while ensuring its own survival within the movement.
I am interested as I dream about becoming a part of a new community in recognizing both the inevitability and power of emergent entities and acting as wisely as possible in light of these realities.
Within the past decade when the movement moved to open all levels of leadership to women the biggest obstacle to overcome was the opposition of Biblicism. From my perspective Biblicism forced a number of churches within the movement to leave, and forced those who were making the move to open up all levels of leadership to women to frame the opening in Biblicist terms. In other words Biblicism simultaneously damaged the movement while ensuring its own survival within the movement.
I am interested as I dream about becoming a part of a new community in recognizing both the inevitability and power of emergent entities and acting as wisely as possible in light of these realities.
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