No Time to Cower

General Ferdinand Foch, regarded as a World War I hero, sent the following dispatch to his superiors at a time when his army was in deep trouble: Hard pressed on my right. My center is yielding. Impossible to maneuver. Situation excellent. I attack.

Foch’s words illustrate courage instead of fear, faith instead of capitulation, and resolve instead of paralysis. And his counter-intuitive counter-attack successfully thwarted a strategic enemy advance. Could these be useful words for men and women of spiritual influence in these days of economic meltdown?

When things get scary (and they are) the instinct of most church and organizational leaders is to circle the wagons, cut back, and wait out the difficult times. That is the business way, and it usually makes sense.

But Ferdinand-Foch-type leaders also use crises; they recognize that bad times can produce fresh ideas and new ways to pursue the mission of “making and growing disciples,” something the Christian movement hasn’t been doing very well lately.

Two biblical moments come to mind.

The first moment, a sad one, came when Israel, reaching the borders of the Promised Land, chose to cut and run when the majority report of the 12 spies described a land beyond their means to conquer. Their fear-based decision cost them forty miserable years and a generation of fearful people. Our Christian movement could do that, too.

The second moment, an exciting one, came when Jesus talked with his disciples on Mount Olivet (Matt. 24-25) and described the coming meltdown of Temple religion and the uncertainties that would be caused by war, natural disasters, and severe human suffering.

For Jesus the coming bad times were not times for caution and restraint, but rather a time to say, “I attack” in risky new ways. The Lord clearly had in mind a picture of Pentecost and the launch of a new global movement called the church.

Consider the possibility that we are on the cusp of a massive change in the direction and strategies of the Christian movement. This may be shakeup time.

What convinces me?

We’re seeing a massive rearrangement of economic realities. There appears to be a dramatic change in political direction in the United States promising exciting possibilities and potential threats (but think most about the possibilities). A globalized Christianity has come about with new spiritual leadership coming from places like Korea, Nigeria, and certain Latin American countries. Within a short time China and maybe India will challenge America’s position of world leadership. And who knows what befalls us if terrorists have their way or we ignore concerns like global warming, energy dependence, and poverty?

The worldwide economic crisis seems the most immediate challenge. Worst case scenario? Many churches will not survive (it’s happened before). Christian schools and seminaries will gasp for air; some will suffocate. Parachurch and missions organizations will find themselves in a Darwinian struggle for funding. Theological ideas built on prosperity, American superiority, and asset accumulation will be severely tested.

Wild times lead people to pursue spiritual realities. Look for an uptick in prayer, spiritual friendships, greater curiosity about what the Bible says about life’s priorities. Wild times humble the arrogant and acquaint us with the struggles of the poor. Compassion and generosity take on a new meaning. That’s not too bad.

There are two possibilities here. One is that I simply don’t know what I’m talking about, and it’s full steam ahead into business-as-usual. The other? That these conditions do indeed call for a courageous response like Foch’s approach to turbulent times: “I attack.” A bold advance.

That’s what I pray the Christian movement will do. Not retrenchment! But a bold advance involves dramatic change: in leadership, in ways of doing Jesus’ work, in innovative new thought about the meaning and impact of the gospel. Again, I say: attack!

What could that possibility mean to people of spiritual influence in these days? Several experimental ideas:

Let’s go back to the Bible and rediscover what godly people said and did when the sky was falling in their generation. New insights, possibly?
Let’s make sure we have something substantial to say to those who are victimized by this economic tsunami: those losing their jobs, those who thought they were economically secure in their old age and discovered they aren’t, and youth who might be fearing that there’s no dream out there for them.
Let’s reappraise our priorities of generosity and make sure that the giving-dollar goes to efforts that advance Christian ministry in enduring and deepening ways. Enough of the silly ways the Christian-dollar has been raised and wasted.
Let’s think repentantly about how a lot of us have allowed ourselves to be caught up in a global financial system that was largely based on greed and falsehood. Lots of Christian organizations are crying about what has been lost because of this flawed financial system. But we ought not to forget it was that same system that helped those organizations get a lot of what they had. What goes up often comes down.
Maybe it’s time to seek new ways of doing Christian service, ways less dependent upon money and bricks and mortar and more dependent upon unadulterated spiritual power. The early Christian movement, it seems to me, knew a lot about this.
We need to ask ourselves if we have any kind of message rising from the words and life of Jesus that would be significant to those in our larger world who thought they had a better way than Jesus’ way. Revival time?

Confession: I have never been a great proponent of “revivals” because too many of them (the modern ones anyway) seemed contrived. But maybe—just maybe—we’re at the brink of a real one.

The great 1859 revival that touched America and large parts of Europe was anything but contrived. And that revival was framed in an economic disaster that was as bad as this one, maybe worse.

An American by the name of Jeremiah Lamphere suggested opening the doors of churches at noon each day for people to come and pray. Soon churches were flooded by people on their knees. Many found Jesus. You could say that they organized their lives around Christ, not cash.

In a sense Landphere said, “I attack.” Maybe Marshal Foch got his idea from him.

Gordon MacDonald is editor at large of Leadership and interim president of Denver Seminary in Colorado.