Thursday, July 9, 2009

The Monkey and the Fish

The Monkey and the Fish by Dave Gibbons. Grand Rapids: Zondervan (2009), 218 pp, $16.99 paper

Dave Gibbons builds a model of being and doing church that embraces global cultural blending and universal suffering, inviting church leaders to adopt a “Third Culture”. This vision soars off the page with J. J. Brazil’s brilliantly articulated forward before taking a nose-dive to preacher talk, charging the traditional church with the missional crime of cultural disengagement.

Gibbons describes the primary church culture in North America today as “First Culture”, that is, one ordered and understood through the dominant homogeneous culture. The “Second Culture” emerges in distinction of and opposition to First Culture, a counter-culture. Gibbons calls the Church to live among both the dominant and dominated cultures by embracing “a mindset and will to love, learn, and serve in any culture, even in the midst of pain and discomfort (p.38).”

Jesus is the incarnate Gospel and calls His followers to be salt and light in a world filled with pain and conflict. To Gibbons, “Third Culture” focuses outward, embraces diversity, and redefines norms. Third Culture churches, small by design, promote creativity in their focus to penetrate the world with compassionate service. The author advocates a question-driven ministry: Where is Nazareth? What is my pain? What is in my hand? Ministry aims to transcend the alleviation of suffering, rising to restore humanity to the sufferer.

The Monkey and the Fish illustrates this ministry approach with stories of transformation. Such communities have effectively reached into the art community, empowering new believers to use art as expressions of the Gospel. These churches have made impact among individuals in poverty, modeling how to be and do church by tangible reflections of God’s love and grace in action.

Reading this book lifts the reader’s awareness to “Matthew 25” ministries in expressing love for Jesus through serving others. Community mercy projects become more than simply helping others because “they” need it. We need it. Christian compassion is spiritual worship that restores those made in God’s own image to dignity to those serving and being served. Third Culture churches do represent one expression of church but (in my view) should not be confused as the expression of genuine community faith, as the book seems to suggest.

Hal Andre Bilbo, Missionary
Stanly Baptist Association
Albemarle, NC