Spider, or Starfish?
Skype has been a friend as of late. I’ve been able to talk with friends living in Mexico all the way up to Chicago who are trying to show others the joy of living the Christ-life. Skype is a simple “internet phone” tool that anyone with a computer and an internet connection can use and is an incredible means of sharing ideas right across the globe. And I am humbled! Men and women much older and more experienced at life than I am have been cross-pollinating dreams with me and each other and has sparked my imagination more than once. We are truly living in an incredible age.
I’m reading a book right now titled Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything (Check out this link to help contribute to the book!). Simply put, it is a book that describes how ideas are shared in the world we live in. Gone are the days of the entrepreneur personality that used his expertise to solve every problem and steer every ship into the harbor. Now we are seeing tools like Skype, Wikipedia, YouTube, Flickr, and more invade our consciousness - and we will never be the same. Blogs are changing politics, business, the Church and beyond. I liken it to the Gutenberg press that 500 years ago made books commonplace in our lives; finally anyone could be an author…sort of. Now the bar has been lowered once again, only this time anyone who has access to the internet can change the world.
Some call the world we live in the World of the Starfish. The Starfish and the Spider is another book that describes this world we now live in. The metaphor goes: cut off the leg of a spider and you have a lame spider. Cut off the head of a spider and you have a dead spider. BUT! Cut off the leg of a starfish, and what do you have? TWO STARFISH! The starfish has no head and therefore can never truly be killed.
The best organizations in the world we live in today are “starfish organizations”. These kind of organizations have no central headquarters, no visible leader or system of hierarchy, and yet grow and multiply infinitely quicker than any “spider organization” out there.
Recently Congress entertained a bill that would make all identifiable religious organizations on a level legal playing field with lobbyists. Basically, that means that many of the rights and/or privileges of churches today would be taken away (mostly regarding financial breaks, etc). This will probably not pass, but it is a sign of things to come in the near future. The knife is at the spider’s neck.
But, praise God, the Kingdom is not a spider - it is a starfish! Movements of Christ’s body are spreading like a virus right across this country, and right across the planet. More around the world are becoming Christians today than ever before, and the majority of them are poor, DON’T have any church property to be taxed in the first place, and for the most part live under the radar. This is the fire of the Spirit spreading across the earth. These are exciting times.
Last 5 posts by Mark
- Brain Dump - October 8th, 2008
- God is Wholly - October 2nd, 2008
January 19th, 2007 at 10:27 pm
Amen! Amen! Amen!
January 19th, 2007 at 11:35 pm
Starfish. Interesting concept. Especially in terms of the church being a tax-free, govt-tied entity.
Makes a lot of sense.
February 1st, 2007 at 2:33 pm
[...] This is our first attempt at living as a “starfish“. Wikipedia learned that when you release people to talk about what they are experts in, you see a huge proliferation of genius and breadth of insight. Of course, you also have to sort out the wackos… Nevertheless, I believe that the Spirit has something to say in each of us, and that we are missing out when our “church meetings” involve a singular “sage on the stage”. Why can’t every person who feels invested in God’s life share what he’s been up to, and benefit the whole body? In a sense, Wikicclesia is only the beginning. [...]
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:34 pm
[...] If we think about the Kingdom of God as Jesus taught about it, what might change in how we live as followers of Christ? It might mean we see growth as slow and insignificant - rather than splashy and impressive. It might mean that we are not just on earth to be “nice” to everyone and everything, but rather to help upend and nonviolently overthrow the prevailing systems that dominate and oppress humanity and creation. Maybe it means we spread like a disease, or a terrorist group, or a clan of starfish. (an earlier post on that here). [...]