navigating power in partnerships mary lederleitner & jose de dios
TRANSCRIPT
Navigating Power In Partnerships
Mary Lederleitner & Jose de Dios
No matter how full the river is it still wants to swell more.
- Congolese
Accumulation got the giant rat killed.
- Malawian
Mighty things from small beginnings grow.- John Dryden (1631-1700) British poet
Take only memories, leave only footprints.
- Native American
A flea can trouble a lion more than a lion can trouble a flea.- Kenyan
The less power a man has, the more he likes to use it.- Chinese
Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.- Lord Acton
(1934-1902)English Historian
Beggars can’t be choosers.
- United States
He who pays the piper calls the tune.
- United States
Tall branches are apt to be broken.- Korean
An elephant which kills a rat is not a hero.- Cameroonian
Power is like being a lady… if you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.
- Margaret Thatcher(The Iron Lady of the UK)
Be nice to people you meet on your way up, because you’re going to meet them all on your way down.- Jimmy Durante
United States
Remember, even monkeys fall out of trees.- Korean
Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.
- Abraham Lincoln
Can you think of any other proverbs or parables about power from your partnership contexts?
What Do The Parables Reveal?
• All humans have some level of power.
• All humans can employ the power they
have.
• All humans are at risk of abusing their
power.
• All humans at time bump up against the
limitations of their power and, when they
do, it can be a frustrating and difficult
experience.
A Gap I Was Facing In Myself
Imago Dei & Image Bearing
In this theological construct I have found
the capacity to partner better and more
fruitfully when things get difficult.
The Wycliffe Global Alliance & Missio Dei
• God is a missionary sending God.
• He has a plan for the world.
• He is “on” mission.
• The mission is “His” and not ours to
control.
• Our responsibility is to follow Him on that
mission.
The Link Between Imago Dei and Missio Dei
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our
image, according to Our likeness; and let
them rule over the fish of the sea and over
the birds of the sky and over the cattle and
over all the earth, and over every creeping
thing that creeps on the earth.”
Genesis 1:26-28 (continued)
God created man in His own image, in the
image of God He created him; male and
female He created them. God blessed them;
and God said to them, “Be fruitful and
multiple, and fill the earth, and subdue
it….”
The Link Between Missio Dei & Imago Dei
Critical to God’s sending mission has always
been that human beings would model His
nature, values and character in all we did as
we are sent into the world.
Missio Dei & The Distorted Image Bearer
We know the sorrow of Genesis 3 and the misuses
and abuses of power that have happened since that
time. People began perverting their own use of
their power to deceive, manipulate, exploit and
even kill others who were made in the image of
God. They also stopped relying on God as their
true source of power and identity, and began
looking to idols.
Theological Reflections About Imago Dei
Although there are many theological
interpretations of what it means to be
created in God’s image and how sin has
impacted image bearing (Dyrness 2008, 43-
51), “in recent years it has generally been
agreed that the Bible nowhere speaks of a
loss of the image” (Bray 2000, 575).
Theological Reflections About Imago Dei
“At the outset the concept of man as the
image or likeness of God tells us that”
humans are “to mirror God and to represent
God” (Hoekema 1986, 67). This is core to
their identity.
Theological Reflections About Imago Dei
We are not to design or craft graven images
or idols (Exodus 20:4) because God “has
already created an image of himself: a
living, walking, talking image” (Hoekema
1986, 67).
Theological Reflections About Imago Dei
“Power is all about image bearing-
reflecting and refracting the creative power
of the world’s Maker into the very good
creation. And image bearing is for
flourishing” (Crouch 2013, 67).
Theological Reflections About Imago Dei
Before sin entered the world imago Dei was
wholly evident. “After man’s fall into sin, the
image of God was not annihilated but
perverted…. Because of the Fall, therefore,
the image of God in man, though not
destroyed, has been seriously corrupted”
(Hoekema 1986, 83).
Theological Reflections About Imago Dei
“In fact, the very greatness of man’s sin
consists in the fact that he is still an image-
bearer of God.” That is what makes sin so
heinous. “Corruptio optimi pessima: the
corruption of the best is the worst”
(Hoekema 1986, 85).
Theological Reflections About Imago Dei
Thankfully through His work on the cross, Christ
paid the penalty for the sin of humanity. Through
Him there is forgiveness, redemption and
renewal. We know He is the true image of the
invisible God (Colossians 1:15). As we follow
Him we are drawn into a journey of renewal and
transformation through the work of the Holy
Spirit (Rom. 8:1-16; Gal. 5:16-25).
Theological Reflections About Imago Dei
What was perverted “is being rectified, is
being set straight again” (Hoekema 1986,
86). “This renewal is both God’s gift” and
each human beings “task” (Hoekema 1986,
89).
Theological Reflections About Imago Dei
“The renewal of the image of God,
therefore, is not an experience in which”
human beings “remain passive, but one in
which” each person “must take an active
part” (Hoekema 1986, 91).
Theological Reflections About Imago Dei
“Likeness to God is still” each person’s
“true identity and so fuller participation in
this reality” remains each person’s “true
calling. These twin motifs, namely identity
and participation, are important” (Robinson
2010, 15).
Reflection
So how in the world does an understanding
of the theological construct imago Dei
(a.k.a. – image bearing) help us gain greater
capacity to partner well in difficult
situations so we will use our own power
appropriately?
Difficult Things
Our capacity to forgive lies in our
remembering how much He has forgiven us
(Matthew 18: 21-35).
Our capacity to love our enemies lies in our
remembering how God treats the
unrighteous (Matthew 5:44-48).
Difficult Things
Our capacity to endure hardship lies in our
remembering Christ’s example on the cross
(Hebrews 12:1-3).
Our Eternal Destiny
In the midst of all the missional work God is
doing in the world He is deeply concerned
that His sons and daughters follow the path
of obedience so we learn how to once again
reflect His image, and become like Him in all
we do and in all we say as we work with Him
in His mission.
The Power Of Seeing
Forgiveness is almost impossible. Loving one’s
enemies is almost impossible. Enduring
hardship gracefully is almost impossible. What
makes it possible? A crucial step for lasting
transformation lies in “seeing” His example
and accepting His call to bear His image as we
work in global partnerships.
The Ultimate Transformation
“Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has
not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that
when He appears, we will be like Him, because we
will see Him just as He is.” – 1 John 3:2
That ultimate, complete seeing will seem to be the
catalyst for lasting and ultimate transformation.
For now even partial seeing produces good fruit.
Small Group Exercise
1)Take a few minutes to describe to
someone else how God has partnered with
you.
2)Discuss how His example in your own life
might shed light on how to address a
challenging issue in your partnership or
ministry context.
Bibliographic References:
• Crouch, Andy. 2013. Playing God: Redeeming the gift of power.
Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
• Dyrness, William A. and Veli-Matti Karkkainen, eds. 2008. Global
dictionary of theology. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.
• Bray, Gerald L. 2000. Image of God. In New dictionary of Biblical
theology: Exploring the unity and diversity of Scripture, ed. T.
Desmond Alexander, Brian S. Rosner, D. A. Carson and Graeme
Goldsoworthy, 575-576. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
• Hoekema, Anthony A. 1986. Created in God’s image. Grand
Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans.
• Robinson, Dominic. 2010. Understanding the “imago Dei” thought
of Barth, von Balthasar and Moltmann. Surrey, England: Ashgate.