An Odious Movement
January 29, 2009
One of the Missional Tribe instigators Brad Sargent (aka futuristguy) brought to my attention a movement called The Seven Mountains.
Here is their guiding premise: “When we [Christians] lose our influence, we lose the culture, and when we lose the culture, we fail to advance the Kingdom of God.”
Now, I find this premise to be extremely disturbing, a completely non-biblical proposition and in opposition to the missional paradigm.
1) Jesus followers do not seek influence or power as The Seven Mountains movement advocates. Missionality is in part about being powerless. Not spiritual powerlessness, but material or temporal powerlessness.
2) We can’t lose something that is not ours. We live in a culture, we don’t possess it.
3) Not saying we don’t play a role, but the last time I check, God advances his kingdom, not us. And it certainly isn’t dependent on the culture one finds themselves in.
Speaking of Brad Sargent, he has just posted an excellent critique called Examining “The Seven Mountains” Movement. This is a must read in my opinion.
If you want to hear about this movement in their own words, check out this video.
Discussion question. How is the Seven Mountains movement a contrast or in opposition to the missional movement?
Posted in Loose Ends
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January 30th, 2009 at 2:54 am
What makes many Christians kind of scary is when we start mixing our metaphors. Like when the guy says “This is the time that God is giving territory to the kingdom people” What the heck does that mean? Are Christian’s literally getting land? It almost sounds like a declaration of war.
That being said, I think that if Americas banks were run by people of moral integrity we may not be in this awful recession. They would not have sacrificed the economic health of our nation for profit.
I’d also love to see educators that care about reforming the system so that children are getting quality education. So that students can learn to read, count, and think critically not just so they are taught that Noah hung out with dinosaurs.
Finally, I think they really miss the mark on their rhetoric about being the “Head and not the tail.” If there is like ONE thing that sticks with me while reading the gospels is the concept of the first being the last and vice versa. We are the head BECAUSE we are the tail. God values humility and submission so much more than power.
PS: I’d love to have me some ‘tribulation food.’ I hope it is like pub grub.
January 30th, 2009 at 6:04 am
Derus, you are spot-on regarding having people of moral integrity working in these places, but it is done one soul at a time. He extends the kingdom through the reconciling power of the gospel.
I wonder what that “tribulation food” is like :-).
January 30th, 2009 at 8:03 am
I think I just had tribulation food tonight. A little side note, froyo and beer do NOT mix well.
January 30th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
It’s so sad. I used to listen to a lot of that crap. It’s a new version of Kingdom Now theology which is another load of Crap that says we can take over and make things better.
The first century church changed it - disciple by disciple. Giving of themselves, pouring themselves out and loving. They did turn the world upside down - by loving - by giving - by christ likeness and sometimes by giving their own blood.
These people have the cart before the horse. The kinds of changes they want only come when we pour out ourselves in christlikeness and humble ourselves as servants - not as we try to put Christians in these key positions.
The advancement of the Kingdom of God becomes relentless - if seemingly a little slow sometimes.
I can’t watch stuff like this anymore. They forget that ruling and reigning are not the marks of the Christians. Slavery and Servanthood are. Let he who wants to be great among you be your servant.
January 30th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
“They forget that ruling and reigning are not the marks of the Christians. Slavery and Servanthood are.” Amen bro!
January 30th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
[...] This is a cross post from my blog at Missional Tribe. [...]