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Season 2 is officially HERE. As two pastors with zero combined experience using technology more advanced than a fancy microwave, we decided it would be only natural to dedicate an entire season to ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

And by "we," we mean "Brad."

John was ALSO (very) skeptical at first, so we couldn't think of a better introduction to Season 2 than to force Brad to make the case for how this quixotic idea could possibly be within the scope of "remapping culture and rethinking leadership for a liminal age." It turns out that digging into AI and all it's implications holds at least as much promise for deeper understanding of what it means to be HUMAN as it does potential for profound societal DISRUPTION.

Welcome back to our Liminal Age and let the "Skynet" jokes commence!

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RESOURCES

(NYT) A Valentine's Day Conversation with Bing's Chatbot by Kevin Roose

(NYT) A Wellness Chatbot is Offline After a 'Harmful' Focus on Weight Loss 

(PODCAST) “The Quiet Catastrophe Brewing in Our Social Lives” with Ezra Klein 

Western culture has long celebrated the individual. But the global pandemic accelerated the pervasiveness of individualism within our long-held institutions, like churches. This has led to an incredible burden on individuals to make meaning and a deepening polarization of tribes. In other words, it’s not good.

In March 2022, Brad Edwards gave a talk called “PLANTING CHURCHES THAT FUNCTION AS GREENHOUSE INSTITUTIONS” at the Spanish River Church Planting Conference. 

In his talk, Brad diagnoses the warning signs of individualism solidifying in our culture and churches, and offers three mindset shifts for planting churches (and growing institutions) that grow people out of individualism, rather than further solidifying them in it.

RESOURCES:

The Patient Ferment of the Early Church: The Improbable Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire, by Alan Kreider

Panel:

Al Barth – Director of Church Planting at SRC

David Cassidy – Lead Pastor at SRC

Rick Hunter – Director of City Church Project

Moussa Intiga – Lead pastor at Christ Central Church in Soweto, South Africa

Was this episode helpful or encouraging in some way? Great! Then you won't want to miss what's next so SUBSCRIBE now and send this episode to a friend! We appreciate it! 🙏

You can also leave a review (it really helps), or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram to join the conversation!

RESOURCES

(BOOK) The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back? by Mike Graham & Jim Davis

(NYT) Does the U.S. Government Want You to Believe in UFOs? by Ross Douthat

Dr. George Yancey is a sociologist and professor of sociology at Baylor University. His 2006 book, Beyond Racial Gridlock, introduced a model for race relations beyond the false dichotomy of colorblindness and anti-racism. When George Floyd's death sparked a resurgence of interest in his model, Dr. Yancey developed it even further with Beyond Racial Division: A Unifying Alternative to Colorblindness and Antiracism. His work is a robustly researched vision of race relations beautifully charts a path toward unity in a radically polarized world.

Join us as Dr. Yancey walks us through what it means to reject coercion, listen well, and lead adaptively in an age eager to fight for rights and avoid responsibility!

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You can also leave a review (it really helps), or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram to join the conversation!

RESOURCES

(BOOK) Beyond Racial Gridlock: Embracing Mutual Responsibility

(BOOK) Beyond Racial Division: A Unifying Alternative to Colorblindness and Antiracism

There are few voices on leadership with as consistent of a track record in anticipating needed shifts in our approach to leadership as Dr. Tod Bolsinger. As the author of multiple books (including one we've referenced heavily - "Canoeing the Mountains") and Associate Professor of Leadership Formation at Fuller Seminary, he brings a rare combination of academic depth and practical breadth to "rethinking leadership."

Listen in as we pick his brain on everything from the need for institutions to adapt, the uselessness of "casting vision" in a liminal age, and how to know when we need "build greenhouses" or "burn our canoes" to draw new mental maps...

Do you have any questions after listening to Season 1? Tell us HERE. Keep tuning in and we'll answer these in a future episode!

Was this episode helpful or encouraging in some way? Great! Then you won't want to miss what's next so SUBSCRIBE now and send this episode to a friend! We appreciate it! 🙏

You can also leave a review (it really helps), or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram to join the conversation!

RESOURCES

(BOOK) Canoeing the Mountains, by Tod Bolsinger

(BOOK) Tempered Resilience: How Leaders Are Formed in the Crucible of Change by Tod Bolsinger

If Part 2 felt heavy... good. That means you're feeling the weight of what it is leaders are called to. It's not for the faint of heart!

Here's the good news: Part 3 is all about moving from surviving to thriving. It's all about giving up on being SUPER-human in order to become FULLY human. Thankfully, that's not only possible, it's promised. 

Was this episode helpful or encouraging in some way? Great! Then you won't want to miss what's next so SUBSCRIBE now and send this episode to a friend! We appreciate it! 🙏

You can also leave a review (it really helps), or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram to join the conversation!

Resources

(BOOK) Leadership on the Line, by Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linksy

(PDF) Executive Summary for Leadership on the Line, at Transform Leaders

(BOOK) Canoeing the Mountains, by Tod Bolsinger

Adaptive Leadership essentially means having an Institutional Mindset - seeing your role and responsibility as cultivating environments and communities where technical and adaptive growth happens. In other words, leaders build GREENHOUSES.

Unfortunately, "building greenhouses" is far from safe. It requires pruning and pruning invites sabotage. According to Tod Bolsinger, "Acts of sabotage are not the bad things that evil people do to stop good being done in the world. Acts of sabotage are the human things that anxious people do because they fear they are losing what little good is left in the world." (from Tempered Resilience)

So if leaders should expect change to be dangerous, how do we respond in the moment? How do we SURVIVE leadership?

Was this episode helpful or encouraging in some way? Great! Then you won't want to miss what's next so SUBSCRIBE now and send this episode to a friend! We appreciate it! 🙏

You can also leave a review (it really helps), or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram to join the conversation!

Resources

(BOOK) Leadership on the Line, by Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linksy

(PDF) Executive Summary for Leadership on the Line, at Transform Leaders

(BOOK) Canoeing the Mountains, by Tod Bolsinger

If Leadership is "the art of disappointing people at a rate they can handle" (John Ortberg), then how do we think about leadership when everyone's starting point is disappointment? Because "life in a liminal age" is one of unpredictability, disappointment will be far more normative right when we feel far less able to handle it. 

How then, do we rethink leadership in a Liminal Age?

While there is no quick fix or silver bullet, there absolutely is a framework to help us navigate challenges and opportunities with clarity and wisdom. Whether you're trying to lead a team, organization, your family, or just yourself, these principles of "Adaptive Leadership" are as timely as it is timeless. 

Was this episode helpful or encouraging in some way? Great! Then you won't want to miss what's next so SUBSCRIBE now and send this episode to a friend! We appreciate it! 🙏

You can also leave a review (it really helps), or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram to join the conversation!

Resources

(BOOK) Leadership on the Line, by Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linksy

(PDF) Executive Summary for Leadership on the Line, at Transform Leaders

(BOOK) Canoeing the Mountains, by Tod Bolsinger

Even before our Liminal Age, Christian orthodoxy is has been largely rejected as too narrow by the culture… and yet, it is now just one of many orthodoxies. Whether the social justice movement, right-wing conspiracy theorists, or both pop and academic humanism, they all function as implicit or explicit orthodoxies. Their adherents sincerely believe the rest of the world should share, with the more fundamentalist among them leveraging social pressure (“cancel culture,” boycotts, etc.) as a kind of non-religious, social excommunication of those whose orthopraxis doesn't line up with a their orthodoxy (i.e. right ideology).

Trevin Wax says that we’re in the midst of an ideological “battle royale” for the right to determine future norms and set consensus. So how in the world can we resist getting sucked into that vortex? How do leaders resist the myopic temptation to just “pick a side” for clarity’s sake? What difference does Christian orthodoxy have a hope of making in that cacophony?

We asked Trevin all those questions and more, and found his answers even more encouraging (and convicting) than we’d hoped.

Was this episode helpful or encouraging in some way? Great! Then you won't want to miss what's next so SUBSCRIBE now and send this episode to a friend! We appreciate it! 🙏

You can also leave a review (it really helps), or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram to join the conversation!

Resources

(BOOK) The Thrill of Orthodoxy: Rediscovering the Adventure of Christian Faith, by Trevin Wax

(BOOK) The Multi-Directional Leader: Responding Wisely to Challenges from Every Side

(PODCAST) Reconstructing Faith

“The real problem of humanity is the following: we have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, & god-like technology.” - Edward Wilson

There is likely no greater catalyst in our Liminal Age than social media. A recent study showed that 57% of teen girls say they experience "persistent sadness or hopelessness" (vs 36% in 2011). Internet expert and author of the new book, The Wolf in Our Pockets: 13 Ways Social Media Threatens The People You Lead, Chris Martin says that's because social media has turned us into consumers not just of content, but of people. This "Darker Consumerism" is deforming our sense of self, distorting our view of reality, and subtly sapping our capacity. Join in as Chris helps us understand the depth of the problem as well as imagine a more hopeful, practical, and wiseapproach to the "wolf in our pockets."

Come for the incredible content

and stay for... John's new "Horse Abscess Charity"?

Was this episode helpful or encouraging in some way? Great! Then you won't want to miss what's next so SUBSCRIBE now and send this episode to a friend! We appreciate it! 🙏

You can also leave a review (it really helps), or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram to join the conversation!

Resources

(BOOK) The Wolf in Our Pockets: 13 Ways Social Media Threatens The People You Lead, by Chris Martin

(BOOK) Terms of Service: The Real Cost of Social Media, by Chris Martin

(ARTICLE) Social Media is a Major Cause of the Mental Illness Epidemic in Teen Girls, by Jonathan Haidt

(ARTICLE) How Social Media Fosters Distrust in Institutions, by Brad Edwards & Chris Martin