Hirsch offers (p. 75) a short introduction to the second section, in which he presents the core piece for the rest of the book – mDNA (missional DNA). He states on p. 76:
“With this concept/metaphor I hope to explain why the presence of a simple, intrinsic, reproducible, central guiding mechanism is necessary for the reproduction and sustainability of genuine missional movements. As an organism holds together, and each cell understands its function in relation to its DNA, so the church finds its reference point in its built-in mDNA. As DNA carries the genetic coding, and therefore the life, of a particualr organism, so too mDNA codes Apostolic Genius (the life force that pulsated through the New Testament church and in other expressions of apostolic Jesus movements throughout history).”
So what are the key elements of Apostolic Genius? The six distinctives identified by Hirsch (and illustrated more extensively in the diagram above which you can click on for a larger view) are:
1. Jesus is Lord
2. Disciple Making
3. Missional-incarnational Impulse
4. Apostolic Environment
5. Organic Systems
6. Communitas, Not Community
After introducing these six elements Hirsch then moves in chapter 3 to the heart of Apostolic Genius (and the reason it is at the core of the diagram) – “Jesus is Lord.” I found much to like about this chapter. I enjoyed Hirsch’s insights on how the early church, in order to survive in the context of persecution, had to “jettison all unnecessary impediments” such as an institutional conception of the church. Additionally, in the midst of persecution Hirsch maintains that the church had to “travel light” in regards to a simple Christology (essential conceptions of who Jesus is and what he does).
I also appreciated Hirsch’s discussion on the Shema and the consistency that is to be found between it and Christ. Moreover, the implication that “christocentric monotheism” has for bringing to an end the false dualism of things sacred/secular. However, for sake of brevity I thought the best summary of Hirsch’s overall purpose for this chapter was in the following paragraph from page 94:
“At its very heart, Christianity is therefore a messianic movement, one that seeks to consistently embody the life, spirituality, and mission of its Founder. We have made it so many other things, but this is its utter simplicity. Discipleship, becoming like Jesus our Lord and Founder, lies at the epicenter of the church’s task. It means that Christology must define all that we do and say. It also means that in order to recover the ethos of authentic Christianity, we need to refocus our attention back to the Root of it all, to recalibrate ourselves and our organizations around the person and work of Jesus the Lord. It will mean taking the Gospels seriously as the primary texts that define us. It will mean acting like Jesus in relation to people outside of the faith.”
What resonated with you the most from this chapter? How does Christology define what you and your church “do and say?” And how do we refocus our attention back to the Root of it all?
I too was encouraged by the idea of recovering the centrality of Jesus. It is so easy to either add on or take away from the basic and core foundation of “knowing Jesus and Him crucified.”
One of the ways our community seeks to keep Jesus central is by reminding ourselves daily of Our Calling, which is simply to follow Jesus. The invitation of Jesus to be his disciples is what propels us. (It is as simple and as hard as that.)
I also liked what he had to say about the down side of creating “sacred spaces”. When we create a “sacred space” with candles, art and Anonymous 4 playing softly in the background, what are we saying about the space immediately next to our “sacred space?” Is God not fully present there as well? What makes any space “sacred”?