The dangerous cult of perfectionism

Reading Hugh McKay's book, "Advance Australia...Where?" I came across these quotes: "From the perfect latte to the perfect storm, the idea has taken root in our culture that perfection could be within our grasp if only we had enough money, enough persistence, enough beauty, enough talent, enough charm, or enough luck." I suspect that what McKay refers to as the dangerous cult of perfectionism has the church within its grasp too. It makes me go back to Paul who said: "But this precious treasure - this light and power that now shine within us - is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. so everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own.

"I saw the angel in the marble and I chiseled until I set it free." -- Michelangelo. What an incredible thought. In our work with people with disabilities this is so true, but it applies in so many situations. To see the potential that exists within people, and to work with them to discover and release their abilities.

It's probably a good description of the role of a Christian leader: It incorporates vision (I saw the angel); a recognition of the difficulties and challenges (the marble); hard work (I chiseled) and the empowerment of God's people (until I set it free).

Headship of Christ (3)

If Christ is the head of the church how is the church to keep in touch with it’s head? Clearly, it’s pretty easy to lose touch because we can’t see Jesus but we see lots of people, some of whom are pretty persuasive. It would seem that if the headship of Christ is a practical reality we need to build this into the church structure.

I have yet to see an organisational structure that has Jesus at the top. But if we were to do this as a practical reality (not just a theoretical concept), I wonder how it work?