The Dragon or the Lamb

Over a year ago, I had a series of conversations with a friend of mine on the issue of power. We didn’t intend to talk about it but that was where the discussion led and it was very enlightening. We talked about the church situation we had left, the current church environments we were in, our society and politics, companies and global institutions. The common denominator we found was the question of power and how humans handle it. We recognised power was a good thing but living in a fallen world it was all too easy to be tempted and use power corruptly. Our main concern was the Church and even there we quickly realised there were serious problems with how power is used. There are models and approaches to power that were not biblical or godly yet they were completely accepted in the Church. Part of the problem is the Church is poor at discerning what power is as it comes in many shapes and forms. Our inability to judge and use it wisely has caused so many scandals and difficulties in the Church. On account of these challenges and the importance of the issue of power, I was really grateful when I came across this book by Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel, The Way of the Dragon or The Way of the Lamb: Searching for Jesus’ Path of Power in a Church that Has Abandoned It.

I first heard of this amazing book in Christianity Today where it was highly praised. I almost ignored it but I came across an interview of the authors about their book on my favourite podcast and I was blown away by the biblical and grounded wisdom they had to offer. They covered the same issues, and some, with greater depth than the conversations about power my friend and I had been having.

One major plus of the book is that it is not preachy but the story of the authors’ spiritual journeys. This resonated with me a lot because the discussions we were having were prompted by and were a part of our journey and growth. I am yet to read the book but just listening to interviews and reading reviews has been so edifying. The most comprehensive interview of the book I found was over at Seminary Dropout, a great Christian podcast. Please take the time to listen and share what this very important work has to offer.