In these posts about Dr. Chloe Lynch’s trailblazing book, Ecclesial Leadership as Friendship, I am trying to convey something of the fullness I encountered in reading it.
It is not my intention to do an extensive review of her book. I’ve tried to come up with the words or images that beautifully capture the profound richness of her theology of ecclesial friendship in the overall picture of contemporary egalitarian relationships and evangelical theology.
Beyond the Shallow End of the Egalitarian Pool
I didn’t know who Chloe Lynch was when I began reading other than the typical biographical information included in the book. By the end of the book, I had no doubt she has emerged as one of the foremost friendship-theologians in the twenty-first century. She is no second-class intellectual when she explores friendship moving beyond the shallow end of the egalitarian pool.
She courageously offers a critical reflection on “lead first, be friends second” unlike any other evangelical thinker (man or woman) I have read. I have read women who have dared to enter into a predominantly masculine space (theology of friendship). But I do not know of any female evangelical theologian who has invited us to go deep into the heart of Christian friendship like Lynch does in this book.
In this remarkable breakthrough for evangelical leadership, she takes us from the shallow end of the egalitarian pool into new shared depths. I use this imagery of the shallow end of the pool because egalitarian theology typically reserves mutuality for ecclesial togetherness. “Lead first,” (deep end of the pool), “be friends second” (shallow end of the pool).
We see this in David Fitch’s book on the church, Faithful Presence. Dave answers the question as to how God changes the world: “The Bible’s answer to this question is the church. God’s plan is to become present to the world in and through a people, and then invite the world to join with him. How does this happen? In the simplest of terms, a group of people gather and become present to God.”
And when Dave appeals to seven practices in the church in this book (one chapter per practice) friendship is not included. This has been typical for egalitarian theology. “Mutuality,” and “equality,” and “church” are for the deep end of the pool. Ruth Haley Barton’s book, Pursuing God’s Will Together is another example. So too, is Aaron Niequist’s The Eternal Current.
Now don't get me wrong. I love ecclesial gatherings. These are wonderful books with a spirit of mutuality undergirding them. Also, hear me out. Egalitarians focusing on mutuality at the deep end of the pool can deeply care about their friends. But with almost exclusive theological attention toward ecclesial togetherness egalitarian theology barely scratches the surface for divine-human friendship.
The more I became a student of friendship-theology over the years, the more I observed this mindset in the heart of egalitarian leadership, lead first (deep end of the pool), be friends second (the shallow end). There is this hidden hierarchy present in this ecclesial togetherness that comes with fine print.
As I see it, this is like doing a theology of the Trinity and devoting a lot of deep thinking about the Father and the Son while ignoring the Holy Spirit. Or doing a theology of anthropology and ignoring psychology.
Perhaps many theologians/pastors felt because there was so much attention toward “mutuality” a deep theology of friendship was unnecessary. Perhaps they thought “mutuality” and friendship were so interchangeable in ecclesial togetherness, a deep theology of friendship would be redundant. What more could be said? After all, egalitarian friendships were happening. How could I say friendship was consigned to the shallow end of the egalitarian pool?
Deep End Observation #1
Lynch knows her self to be a friend of Jesus. This became more and more evident as I worked my way through the book. Trust me, when I make this observation that I am not talking about a popular Christianized self-help awareness. Nor does her knowing resemble a kind knowing Jesus as a me-and-Jesus-personal-relationship-we-got-our-own-thing-going-on. She's not quoting Gospel verses and talking about her closeness with Jesus.
But yet, one of the boldest things about this book is this sense that she knows her self to be a friend of Jesus. Yes, this is an academic book that is full of analysis. But she brings more than just abstract ideas or theoretical knowledge to this. She pours her full personhood into this book. This is no disembodied, detached presentation. These arguments flow out of her female body. Make no doubt it Chloe knows Christ as a friend and enjoys Christ leading as a friend.
From the beginning of the book to the end that she has this deep knowing of her self and a deep knowing of God as her friend. For Lynch to point us to ecclesial leadership as friendship this deep knowing is foundational for everything else. Because of this knowing, she boldly and beautifully leads us into deeper treasures, deeper riches, and new shared depths in ecclesial leadership.
She not only leads us out from the shallow end, she utterly reshapes the egalitarian pool!. By diving deep into theological reflection about the friendship she leads us from the backyard swimming pool to an Olympic-sized pool.
Deep End Observation #2
As someone who has studied theology and friendship the past twelve years, I know there are both men and women who write about mutuality who dabble here and there with some references to deep thinkers about friendship. This is common among egalitarians who write books about mutuality or mutual submission and church life.
Then there are your serious friendship scholars. There is no doubt in my mind Lynch is not just a friendship scholar but she is worthy of revered respect as such. But she's not working from the same framework as a secular friendship scholar. This is where her book makes this outstanding contribution to a theology of friendship.
Why would theologians, leaders, and scholars want to read this book? Do you love and enjoy friendship? Are you called to leadership? Do you have any curiosity how you could embody ecclesial friendship?
But wait.
Those questions only scratch the surface for stirring interest in why you would want to read this. This book wasn’t written by a male theologian. Do you have a burning in your heart as a leader, as a theologian, as a deep thinking Christian to see a female scholar make bold arguments for friendship-leadership after centuries of patriarchy and sexism? Do you have a hunger in your heart to see how a female theologian-leader takes friendship and leadership seriously at the same time? How she can deeply question the “lead first, be friends” model?
Okay, so let’s go back to her knowing her self to be a friend of God. She shows her bold and unique Chloe-self by introducing you to her “conversation partner,” Ray Anderson, a former professor from Fuller Seminary. Then you see her theological depth, her unique-Chloe self turning toward the incarnate Christ in his unique personhood in theological fullness as the ground for her argument.
Then we witness her reviewing the two dominant “lead first, be friends second” leadership models. First, the very popular servant-leader. Second, the managerial-leader. Through this and through the rest of the book we witness her unique Chloe self process things as a deep thinker and as God's friend.
And while she is doing that page after page she is taking us on a tour from the shallow end of the egalitarian pool to the deep end—unprecedented new shared depths.
More to come.
