We Need Healthy Heretics (pt. 1)
We don’t tend to have a very positive image of Heretics (someone smell smoke?) However, Heretics are absolutely critical to Churches, Organizations, and Teams being all that they could be. Heretics challenge, push, turn upside down, and ask that ever annoying question of “WHY?”
Heretics help us see what our success or assumptions have blinded us from seeing. They see through what we’re doing or not doing to what we could do, and sometimes…what we must do.
Know any good Heretics? I do. While I do on some days consider myself one, I have friends who have their PHds in Higher Heretics. My friend Doug Scott comes to mind. In the 7 years I worked with him at Axis he was constantly pushing and challenging our assumptions. He was never as satisfied as we were with our accomplishments. Like our own little Pythagoras he saw a round new world when all we saw around us was flat (to our credit, we were in Illinois – everything there is flat). He was absolutely necessary to our efforts, and his contribution to our ministry is immeasurable.
The question for you is not whether your Church or Team should have Heretics, but…ARE THEY HEALTHY?
- Healthy Heretics…
- :: Can Challenge without Personally Attacking
- :: Can back up Challenges with stories, examples, facts, and ultimately Vision
- :: Are always ultimately working to make things “better” vs. simply tearing down what they don’t like
- :: Are at their best on a Healthy Team
- :: Actually Do Something on the team (other than wax heretic)
- :: Are ultimately committed to the Kingdom of God more than Their own agenda
- :: Are ultimately committed to the Kingdom of God more than Your Church, Team, or Tradition
The evolution of the church has happened throughout history with the help of Heretics (some healthy, some not) Challenging, and Pushing us all into many times what God is already up to.
We Need Healthy Heretics.
- Do you know any? Do you lead any? Are you one?
We would love to hear about your experiences with Heretics, both Healthy and Otherwise.
In the next post we’ll look at how a Ministry or Team can seek out, listen to, and grow from Healthy Heretics.
Jon Peacock
I love this post…very though provoking. So how do you become a healthy heretic, or a person who practices "positive deviance" for the good of the organization w/o hurting others?
Thots?
Aug 13, 2009 @ 9:12 pm
ryan guard
I know a bearded heretic. Rhymes with Shmurzell.
Aug 14, 2009 @ 1:09 am
Chris Magnuson
hmmm… was Jesus a healthy heretic? (love the blog btw)
Aug 14, 2009 @ 1:52 am
Kelly
Loved this post – I'm a heretic; becoming a healthy one has been such a journey. A note to Jon above, I know from experience, you don't deviate "for the good of the organization." Ever. Any deviation MUST be for the Kingdom of God, and it must be done in tandem with His Spirit. (James 3 – the wisdom from above being first pure, peaceable, willing to yield, full of every good fruit…) A healthy heretic sees hearts before agendas, and understands the fact that God's sense of timing doesn't always mesh with his own when it comes to changing things and people. A healthy heretic is willing to live the life he is called to without expecting others to choose that life themselves. I think he must also trust God's work in the lives of others without dismissing them. Paul prayed that people would "grow in grace" and "in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." Healthy heretics must allow a healthy dose of grace for others to grow; we must remember where we have been. It is enough to be filled up in pursuit of Christ. The rest follows, for it is His work, isn't it?
Aug 14, 2009 @ 11:58 am
Jarrett Stevens
I'd love to hear from some other cats on this.
I do know this – It's a lot harder to do "Healthy" in a Large Church or Organization.
Can I get an amen?
Aug 14, 2009 @ 3:17 pm
duregger
it's a tough balance… a lot of time heretics are categorized, pigeonholed, et cetera as the trouble makers, the ill-contented… it is this stereotype that hurts us "healthy heretics" who see those outside the church as the ones who need the Christ (not the other way around). I have said before that heresy is contrary opinion to orthodox belief and this isn't a bad thing… as sometimes our orthodoxy (traditional opinions/beliefs) need to be questioned, prodded, and pushed to evolve to meet a postmodern orthopraxy (the practice of our belief).
So. I guess my overall point is this… if the renegades on your church staff are pointing toward Christ, just in a different direction than you… I would listen to them and not fire them. Just my thoughts!
Love what you guys are doin!
Aug 14, 2009 @ 3:39 pm
almost an M
Great post. I really like the idea, but I think we may stumble over the term based on the nature of what we are about. I really like the last two points in your list that there is a deep, abiding commitment to the Kingdom of God over and above all else. Also, I agree that a healthy heretic must be a doer. This makes his/her heretical questions and probing more likely to be received well.
Aug 14, 2009 @ 7:07 pm
Jarrett Stevens
Howard Cosell?
Aug 14, 2009 @ 3:16 pm
Gaye B. Marston
A healthy heretic is one who's gutsy & surrendered, admitting his/her own woundedness (from original sin and imperfect earthly relationships) and honest about how every urge within strives toward self-salvation. A healthy heretic genuinely says, "I once loved (whatever…power, sex, pot, my goodness)but now, because of Christ, I can see what that did to me." That kind of transformed life brings glory to God. A healthy heretic supernaturally reveals a transformed life rather than trying to convince others of the truth. A healthy heretic doesn't set out to reveal the Kingdom, but reveals the Kingdom because of a steadfast focus on it.
Aug 14, 2009 @ 7:31 pm
Justin Wise
We need more people who can lovingly look at others and say, "You are dead wrong … And here's why…" Love where you're going with this. It might be a good post for you to explore what happens when that healthy hereticism is met with unhealthy marginalization, ostracism, and demonization.
Great stuff.
Aug 14, 2009 @ 7:50 pm
Jarrett Stevens
Very Well Said. We can end this discussion on that!
Great thoughts.
Aug 14, 2009 @ 9:10 pm
Jarrett Stevens
Great thoughts Kelly.
So rooted, so right.
Love that you are a Healthy Female (!) Heretic.
And I love the way you approach it all.
Aug 14, 2009 @ 9:12 pm
Jarrett Stevens
Agreed. I have done many (and have been guilty myself) of Heretic'ing without doing or offering any healthy and helpful options or solutions.
Aug 14, 2009 @ 9:13 pm
Jarrett Stevens
You guys are taking this SOOO Much Deeper than the original post. I love these thoughts. Great Stuff. Keep it up.
Aug 14, 2009 @ 9:14 pm
Jarrett Stevens
I think you shold write that post. Sounds like you have a lot of thoughts (and potential experience) with what you've laid out there at the end.
Aug 14, 2009 @ 9:16 pm
Jarrett Stevens
Justin,
I think you should definitely write that post! Sounds like you have a lot of thoughts (and potential experience) with what you've laid out there at the end.
Aug 14, 2009 @ 9:16 pm
Jarrett Stevens
Chris,
Your stealing my thunder – I think Jesus is challenging example of a Healthy Heretic.
Check today's post for more on that.
Aug 14, 2009 @ 8:39 pm
Nick Richtsmeier
Hard to say for me. I know that I was at my unhealthiest in a small organization. I got isolated, didn't know how to engage the confined relational dynamics that emerged. In a large organization sometimes you can find crooks and crannies to get support, healing and truth to face your own unhealthiness in the light of grace. In small organizations (my experience) the people involved need to have places of transformative grace and truth away from the organization so that honest, healthy (sometimes heretical) engagment can ensue within. Everyone in the circle must have an honest place where they can face themselves and face Jesus. Sometimes that's inside the organization, often its not. But when everyone has that place and commits to it, we can all be heretics for each other: calling out our false assumptions, wounded rigidities, and forces of habit that keep us from creatively expressing the Kingdom together.
Aug 15, 2009 @ 4:09 am
Doug Scott
Jarrett…
I'm honored you consider me a healthy heretic. I love the conversation that has ensued around this concept. My contribution to this string echoes something that has already been said, but I'll repeat is here in my own words:
In order to be a health heretic, one must be invested as a contributor and not merely a critic. For quite some time at Axis I would place myself in the critic category. It was only after reading a quote on the wall of my boss' office (the quote: cynicism lacks courage) that I switched to being a contributor. My heart posture changed from that point forward.
Love you guys.
Aug 16, 2009 @ 11:40 pm