Waving the Broom: A Leadership Parable (by Diana Butler Bass)
Several weeks ago, a pair of doves built a nest on a front windowsill at my house. My family watched as the mother bird laid two eggs, as they hatched, and as the young chicks feathered. We grew attached to the winged family who made their home with ours.
Two mornings ago, I was checking on the baby birds when a grackle (a large blackbird that a friend calls the "Darth Vader" of the bird world) swooped down and attacked the terrified mother. She flew off. Then, to my horror, the grackle plucked one of the babies out of the nest. Still in my pajamas, I ran outside with a broom yelling at the blackbird, hoping to frighten it and rescue the chick. But the grackle escaped with his prey. For a couple of hours, it circled around trying to collect the other chick. I stayed by the nest, however, waving the broom to save the remaining baby bird until its parents returned. Eventually, the much-calmer mother dove came back to one tiny offspring. When I called wildlife rescue, the volunteer told me that, "the days before a bird learns to fly are the most dangerous in their lives." Standing guard with the broom saved the other young bird's life.
This episode reminded me how fragile new life is—and that it needs to be protected by someone willing to wave around a broom to scare off predators who wish to destroy it before it can even fly.
New movements have the same need. Right now, as my friend Jim Wallis points out, a new religious movement for justice has emerged among evangelicals. Not only is this true, but parallel movements have birthed in other religious communities, too—among mainline and liberal Protestants, Roman Catholics, Jews, Buddhists, and Muslims. Some are not even faith voices, as new political, social, and broadly spiritual movements coalesce across racial, class, and religious divisions as many people are speaking out on behalf of God, the human future, and transformation. The movements for change are varied—and include politicians, artists, philosophers, scientists, activists, pastors, teachers, business leaders, students, and writers—and people are forming new communities, networks, and organizations to create paths toward global flourishing.
Because my work as a speaker takes me around North America, I am well aware of the voices for change, their longings and passions, and their increasing self-awareness of being part of something larger that is coming into being, of a cultural yearning for a new day. Like Jim, I am also convinced a new awakening has birthed in our time—a movement for justice and change that probably surpasses any that history has known, and whose inclusive scope can only be surmised.
But all this is new, very young, and still fragile—it does not yet know how to fly. For many people, the idea of a new movement will be exciting. For others, however, it will be threatening, and they will resist change with all their power.
During such days, leadership calls for many capacities: inspiration, imagination, risk, marshalling new resources, and reorganizing communities. But leaders must also be willing to wave the broom—to ward off dangers while the chicks are learning to fly.
Diana Butler Bass (www.dianabutlerbass.com) is the author of Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith (HarperOne).
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Comments
Why is the blackbird evil. they got to eat too.
Posted by: DITE | April 24, 2008 1:14 PM
Grackles are a painful reality of the avian world. I've had problems with them chasing all the other birds away from my bird feeder, then gorging themselves. A pack of grackles can go through 5 lbs of birdseed in a day.
So, who are these "Grackles" that threaten the "justice movement" that you want to chase away with a broom?
Posted by: Gordon | April 24, 2008 1:23 PM
Grackles are the libertarians in the avian world. They are the SUV drivers and the Iraq baby-killers and the wetlands fillers and the social-service cutters in the avian world. The suffering masses pray for a waving broom and they get Katrina.
Posted by: Patrick York | April 24, 2008 5:06 PM
All sorts of people and organizations do not want justice--those are institutions, parties, and interest groups who are comfortable as things are and otherwise benefit or profit from the status quo. And others simply fear change and will push it away, even if it will help them. As any movement for justice and inclusion grows, counter-balancing forces of maintaining injustice will also grow. No change happens without resistance.
Good leaders--and good pastors--especially in a time of exciting possibilities--need to prepare for such dynamics.
Posted by: Diana Butler Bass | April 24, 2008 5:27 PM
Posted by: Gordon | April 24, 2008 1:23 PM
So, who are these "Grackles" that threaten the "justice movement" that you want to chase away with a broom?
Need you ask? Two of them are dead and there many more that have had the 'broom' waved at them. The 'Grackles' are anyone that the broom doesn't like. It's not hard to figure that out.
Blessings -
.
Posted by: Moderatelad | April 24, 2008 8:00 PM
Posted by: DITE | April 24, 2008 1:14 PM
Why is the blackbird evil. they got to eat too.
Not if the broom does not want them to. How ever has the broom will make sweeping changes at will. The broom has the ability to sweep the undesirables under the carpet or into the wastebasket.
Beware the broom
Blessings -
.
Posted by: Moderatelad | April 24, 2008 8:05 PM
OK, Moderatelad, I'm dense tonight - which two are dead?
I did have some trouble getting the point of her parable - is it that the leaders of this new wonderful movement must be constantly vigilant to assure that it doesn't fail? Or is it that the Christian Left needs to take a broom to the naysayers who think it's a bad idea?
Posted by: Gordon | April 24, 2008 11:18 PM
Do justice
love mercy
walk humbly with God
Satan swooped at Calvary while Jesus picked up the cross and put that old grackle in a death grip as he rolled the stone away.
Let justice roll down like a river
and righteousness like a quiet stream.
Posted by: letjusticerolldown | April 25, 2008 7:59 AM
Posted by: Gordon | April 24, 2008 11:18 PM
OK, Moderatelad, I'm dense tonight - which two are dead?
Fawell and Kennedy, (D. James not Teddy) one
more and they have a hat trick. When so much could be done if we could agree to be 'co-baligerants' on poverty, hunger, etc. But Sojo and Co. have determined that they need their scapegoat so to promote their issues and agenda and conservative, republicans and big business are the goats. (tee hee)
There is much that I could work with Jim on and would gladdy. But their gatherings seem to end up being such a love fest for liberals. The Bush Bashing comes as natural as reading the Gospel lesson in church on Sunday. So - I will continue to work with organizations in my own little way - devoid of political retoric.
Blessings -
.
Posted by: Moderatelad | April 25, 2008 8:06 AM
“Grackles are the libertarians in the avian world. They are the SUV drivers and the Iraq baby-killers and the wetlands fillers and the social-service cutters in the avian world. The suffering masses pray for a waving broom and they get Katrina.”
I never knew libertarians were responsible for Hurricane Katrina.
Posted by: DITE | April 25, 2008 8:40 AM
But their gatherings seem to end up being such a love fest for liberals. The Bush Bashing comes as natural as reading the Gospel lesson in church on Sunday.
Moderatelad, this characterization simply does not correspond in any way to what I witnessed at the Justice Revival last Wednesday evening. Not even close. The name of George W. Bush wasn't even mentioned, let alone was he criticized for anything. The love fest last Wed. was a Jesus love fest, not a political ideology love fest. Politics wasn't mentioned. Nor was anything mentioned regarding what the government should or should not be doing. Instead, Christians were enjoined to obey Christ by caring for the poor in our city.
Why do you repeat setting up this straw man and knocking it down again?
I have a deal for you. If Justice Revival comes to the Twin Cities, please make all effort to attend. In the meantime, please refrain from criticizing Sojourners this way. However, if you find that Justice Revival involves scapegoating, "Bush bashing," or "liberals" singing "Kum Ba Yah," then you are free to have at them. But provide examples from what you saw and heard to back up your charges.
Peace,
Posted by: Don | April 25, 2008 9:49 AM
Posted by: Don | April 25, 2008 9:49 AM
'...Revival comes to the Twin Cities...'
I will be there. If I do not have a commitment with my kids - I'll be there. Like I said in my post - there is much that I can agree with but Sojo, Wallis and Co have spent so much space on this site vilifying other organizations and their leaders that I personally believe are doing the Lord's work as they believe He has called them to do - I believe that I would be more or less personna non grata. So I will sit in the nose bleed seats and observe and maybe get a few ideas about what God would want me to do. (interesting - I do not remember seeing an article about Paul and Jan on here - maybe they are acceptable to Sojo and Co)
Raining again here in Mpls - guess the yard work will have to wait - shucks.
Blessings -
.
Posted by: Moderatelad | April 25, 2008 10:00 AM
"interesting - I do not remember seeing an article about Paul and Jan on here - maybe they are acceptable to Sojo and Co)"
Just out of curiosity, who is Paul and Jan? Or was that Jan and Dean? or Paul and Silas?
Posted by: carl copas | April 25, 2008 11:24 AM
Posted by: carl copas | April 25, 2008 11:24 AM
Humor - arc, arc!
Krouch of TBN fame. The Tammy and Jimmy of the west coast. The money behind the two movies Omega Code and Mageto. Jan wears make-up better than Tammy, although that is not raising the bar much. She also heald a conference for women on 'Plastic Surgery for the Christain Woman' after having she saggling lobes that hung toward hell had been lifted so that they again pointed towards heaven.
Blessings -
.
Posted by: Moderatelad | April 25, 2008 11:47 AM
Moderatelad: "Krouch of TBN fame. The Tammy and Jimmy of the west coast. The money behind the two movies Omega Code and Mageto."
Interesting. Have rarely watched TBN and never heard of "Omega Code" and "Megiddo" until I just now looked them up.
Thanks Moderatelad.
Posted by: carl copas | April 25, 2008 1:47 PM
Posted by: carl copas | April 25, 2008 1:47 PM
Both have great star power. A friend of mine was asked to direct Megiddo but turned them down because they were as said 'so far off the mark theologically'. I have seen them both and Megiddo is interesting. At the end of the movis with the 'Beast' is reveiled and he is cowering before the Almighty. In the Bible it says that the Beast says that 'Jesus Christ is Lord'. In the film the Beast say, 'Nazzerine, Nazzerine, You are Lord'.
I also love the Jan Doll that she sells to raise money - whatever. But I know that they are brought many to faith in Christ and I have some at my church. They have grown in their faith and realize that there is more to faith than they first knew. Now TBN plays a much smaller role in their lives. God is Good, all the time.
Blessings -
.
Posted by: Moderatelad | April 25, 2008 2:16 PM
"Amen Brother Don , and you begin to see the problem when you unite a political cause to a religion . Hence you may speaking to the Love of Christ , and your brother is still speaking to how you used Christ to injure his Belief and belief in the political course we should be on ."
Mick,
How does Don injure Moderatelad's belief? His belief (if it is strong or real) cannot be injured by anything Don said. The truth is that the grackles are the ideas, principalities and demonic strongholds that would come against the kingdom being seen. That's what Diana is getting at. Why can't we criticize ideas without attacking people. It's not that hard.
p
Posted by: Payshun | April 26, 2008 5:23 PM
My Dear Children, Please read the Bible again. you know I was always taught if you cant say a kind word about someone keep your mouth shut. Jesus said to love thy neighbor as thyself.And what about loving your enemy& to do good to those who spitefully use you. Dear ones please remember you're tongue is you're greatest enemy. So keep you're mouth shut & pray for those that offend you. Christ is love
Grandmother
Posted by: Grandmother | May 18, 2008 9:17 PM
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