Curve Ball

I have seen a trend in Christian education that attempts to provide pragmatic solutions at the cost of theology. I was sitting in a coffee shop across from a Christian college student and she said, “I don’t believe in theology.” When I pushed for more explanation, she said, “I don’t believe in theology, it is all wrong, I believe in Christ.” Her simple assumption about Jesus needed to be harvested. She liked the church she was going to because the pastor was giving steps on how to follow Jesus and “not theology.”

I believe this allergy to theology or theory about God drives our Christian education and programming. I'm afraid that too often we provide practical information in the classroom, but ignore a very important Biblical model of one-on-one discipleship.

Let me put it in different terms. When a baseball pitcher is learning to throw a curveball they have a few options. A pitcher can read a book about throwing a curveball, they can attend a class on the methods of throwing a curveball, or the pitcher can have a coach show them how to throw a curveball from the pitcher’s mound.

In each scenario the theory is important. The pitcher can read the book and learn the physics of how the ball cuts the air to create a curve in midair. The coach can show videos of examples of how to best throw a curveball. However the theory described in the book or demonstrated from the classroom does not make the practical a reality. The pitcher can read such a book and start throwing, attempting to accomplish a curve ball, though the likelihood of success is very low. However if the pitcher had a coach watch him throw, the coach could adjust him with every pitch. With each throw the pitcher gets better and better.

The analogy in each scenario implements the theory found in a book or classroom. With each throw, the theory dictates the reality. Each scenario may produce a perfect curve ball but the best scenario is when the theory of the curveball and the coach work hand-in-hand. I do not see the coach at the pitcher’s mound in today’s church. The theory about the curve ball can be taught from a book and a classroom but it must be coached from the pitchers mound beside the pitcher to experience best results. This is where the theory and practical come together.

The student I mentioned earlier had a tough time dealing with the theology or the theory about God, so she dropped it all together. Her only problem was she was still acting upon theology. If she had someone walk with her day by day making sense of the theology that she disliked or did not understand she would have seen the importance of engaging God with her mind as much as she did her heart.

How often did Christ tell a parable or have a teaching and then make sense of the parable after the fact to those he discipled. I have to encourage the church to not give easy answers. Let the practical be made manifest in the one-on-one relationships in the church. It is through intentional personal discipleship, not how-to programs, that the difficult task of doing theology is fully made practical in a person’s life. The temptation is to give the how to’s from the lectern to try and teach people how to follow Christ. However Christ himself was relational in his application and teaching of theology. We as leaders must take up this model and focus on those who are close to us and do the same. We need to help others think and let good theology dictate their actions not simply hand them a how to book. We must help them engage mystery, discover theology, and think theologically on their own terms. For whatever reason we have abandoned the one-on-one nature of growth in our churches.

I am convinced that disciplemaking without program is not a romantic notion. That training leaders to disciple leaders is the process in which we make theology and thought about God alive, active, and practical. I cannot expect someone to respond with passion to a 24-week program that inspires faithfulness. I can however expect them to develop a deep passion for the risen savior and let their response of faithfulness come out of that passion. I am convinced that this brand of passion comes from a Biblical model of disciplemaking modeled in the relationship of Paul and Timothy - or more so - Jesus and his disciples. When Jesus says in Mark 8:27, “who do you say that I am” he was speaking in relational terms. Jesus was asking questions that depend upon Peter’s present relationship with him. That is precisely what we are to do, be right beside those we lead and keep pointing to Jesus making sense of who Jesus is.

7 Comments »

1. Great job man! This is the exact reason why I have never lost thought about how important theology really is, is because of your passion for it. I’m reading through the Gospels right now and continually seeing Jesus speak of things that can only be learned by studying His Word. Thanks again!

   Comment by Matt - Jun 04, 2010 @ 10:44 AM

2. Not a new development, Dan.  Machiavelli and his predecessors have been with us for a long time.  But congratulations on finding a new way of reminding us and giving us a good analogy.

   Comment by Kiz - Jun 04, 2010 @ 03:53 PM

3. I see now you changed. You should be sorry for making fun of me, at Frazier HS.
   You and your jock friends. I don’t see any sorrow on things you have done in the past. However, I see change and hope you stay to it. See you later in the up coming class reunion.

   Comment by Greg - Jun 07, 2010 @ 11:35 PM

4. Greg a lot has happened since high school. I hope that my life now can reveal that Christ changes peoples lives. I hope in a more appropriate time and venue to apologize and ask for forgiveness face to face.

   Kiz thanks for the nice words and the Machiavellian reference.

   Matt it is my time with you and with others that convinces me that discipleship should be personalized.

   Comment by Dan Turis - Jun 08, 2010 @ 03:28 PM

5. Great Article Dan. 

   I think one of the issues in an informal intentional discipleship is that we, the mentors, is that we want a clear return on investment.  We want the person to influence 2-3 more, or become a leader in the ministry.  What if we had a Kingdom mindset?  I have a student that I have discipled many years, no ‘return’ in the ministry but in the Kingdom, his is changing the world through his service in his calling. 

   Just a thought

   Comment by Jerry - Jun 09, 2010 @ 09:30 AM

6. Absolutely Jerry.
   Program has to set up the goal of faithfulness for a broad audience and then have that whole audience reach that broad goal. By proxy the goal becomes generalized and impersonal.
   Often it is for a program that is only self serving. For example I see churches have leaders in the church prepare people to do what they are already doing. For example a worship leader will start to train a worship leader to lead worship. A Sunday school teacher will train someone to do Sunday school. Though it is an after thought to think that the leader should train personally for the sake of the person’s role in the Kingdom of God. This takes patience and sometimes does not bear immediate visible results, possibly for years. Unfortunately program only affords people the opportunity to grow who are able or willing to run the program. The leader should disciple for the sake of the Kingdom of God not the program that is presumed to build the Kingdom of God.
   If you consider Jesus as the primary example of disciplemaking. I simply do not see him preparing the 12 to develop programs. I see Jesus develop the 12 to love Him deeply and respond to that love with their very life. That is exactly what we should do. We must help people love Jesus so deeply that they respond with every second of their life out of gratitude to Jesus. That is to say, whatever God calls them to do they will be faithful because of their deep love for Jesus.
   This can’t be done impersonally.

   Comment by Dan Turis - Jun 09, 2010 @ 10:52 AM

7. Jerry,

   Interesting concept.  The guy who used to disciple me (Justin) once asked me, what areas in my walk with God I wanted to learn about.  I responded, “I want to study the great men of God - Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, etc. - to see what they have in common and what they have to offer, as if they were discipling me as well.”  He shot straight to the heart of the issue: “It sounds like you don’t want to study great men - you want to be a great man.”

   He followed up with the following scenario.  “Suppose God spoke to you in such a way that there was no possible doubt it was Him.  He told you, ‘I want you to go live in the desert for the next 60 years, never meet another soul or have an impact on your world.  i will provide your living needs until the end of those 60 years, then you will die.  and this will bring me more glory than anything else you will do with your life.’  How would you feel?”

   I suggested the decision would be difficult, but I’d like to think I would go.  I’d probably be upset, lonely, bored, etc.  The feelings would get worse with time.  But if that’s what God wants, that’s what I’d like to do.

   That was the wrong answer.  (1) I failed to believe that God alone could fill me and satisfy my heart’s greatest longings - in theory, those 60 years should be the best years of my life, if I have a proper view of God.  (2) [more to your point], my answer showed that I beleived I was entitled to have some mark on my world.  I believed that God owed it to me to let me do work and see a return on my investment.

   His final thought to me was, “Nobody has been made great except those who have first become content to be made nothing.”

   Comment by John R-B - Jun 29, 2010 @ 11:54 PM

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