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Disruption

April 22nd, 2016 by Stephen Bauman

Disruption is all the rage. It’s everywhere in media. It’s the new thing everyone with an entrepreneurial spirit salivates for. Here’s a brief primer on the topic as presented in Wiki:

Many would love to be known as “disruptors”—people who are “game-changers” and other right-of-the-moment clichés. Successful disruptors are thought to make a lot of money, big money, money that in and of itself could be deployed disruptively (think the Gates Foundation, for instance…whether or not it has achieved this pinnacle descriptor).

We live not only in a time of change, but of disruptive change, change that is calculated to cause great leaps into an as yet fully disclosed future. Disruptors have taken on a heroic patina in our culture, to be emulated and replicated, as though disruption is the natural and best goal for the smart and clever set. I’ve even read a few things about “disruptive church.” (What do you imagine that might involve??)

I happened upon a pithy observation by Plato this week: “There is no harm in repeating a good thing.” I don’t know the context surrounding this understated and homely wisdom, but it strikes me as far less sexy than disrupting; yet more foundationally important.

Learning wisdom, becoming wise, involves the practice of repeating and mentoring good things, very likely old things. Human virtues come to mind, things like patience, forbearance, integrity, compassion, courage, kindness, and so on.

But now thinking about this for a moment, here’s an irony: sometimes it seems a wise and humble man or woman is the most disruptive thing of all…

Faithfully,

baumansignature
The Reverend Dr. Stephen Bauman

Stephen Bauman

Rev. Dr. Stephen P. Bauman is the Senior Minister at Christ Church.