At 80 years of age I am finally slowing down… and happily so.  For me it is actually not a matter of age or health but wisdom. I’m not sure that I have ever been an activist, even when I was in my 20s, although I had much more energy then, as well as the capacity (rightly or wrongly) to ‘burn the candle at both ends.’ Thinking back over my life, especially my life as a Baptist Minister, I suspect that my mantra (borrowing football terminology) has always been ‘let the ball do the work.’ Nevertheless, I am sure that at times (probably too many times) I have allowed myself to get caught up in the ‘oughtness’ imposed upon me by others or even self-imposed driven by the misconception that a faster pace means we’ll get more done.

In our church at Abbey we have a good number of Hong Kongers. They are delightful people and I am learning a lot from them. One is studying Chinese medicine and described the difference between Chinese medicine and western medicine in terms of effectiveness as well as speed. Western medicine, she suggested, certainly worked faster but often had hidden consequences, Chinese medicine, she acknowledged, was certainly ‘slow medicine’ but was usually more effective in the long run. Having availed myself of some of her ‘cures’ I think I would agree. In much the same way slow living is not about living our lives in slow motion; it’s about doing everything at the right speed and pacing instead of rushing. Slow living is not about losing time by going slowly, it’s about gaining time by doing the things that are most important.

I am currently reading Ruth Moriarty’s excellent book, Slow Wisdom: How do Baptists discern the mind of Christ at the Church Meeting? Although written primarily for Baptist-Christians committed to a more democratic approach to governing church procedures (Baptists like to think of it as ‘theocratic’ or collectively discerning the mind of Christ) it has a lot to teach us more generally about slow wisdom. I have to confess that I have increasingly become sick and tired of the drivenness, the activism, the pragmatism, the draconian ‘five-year plan’ approach of so many Christians, leaders, churches – much of it taken from the methodology of the business world rather than from God. Over the years every Ministers’ Fellowship I have belonged to, and every church I have Pastored, has had some of these people. Fortunately they are not too many – most of us are only too aware of our own inadequacies to keep reminding others of theirs – although those who are like this seem to make such a constant noise that there appear to be far more of them that think this way (and subliminally underline the ‘correctness’ of their views) than there really are. They are constantly in our ears, and the ears of others, with their criticisms, opinions and emphasises. They remind me of that infuriating character in the Harry Enfield and Chums TV show in the 1990s whose repetitive catchphrase was ‘You don’t want to do it like that! You want to do it like this!’

Inevitably such people make others feel worse about themselves – inadequate, failures, unspiritual – and at the same time undermine the work of Pastors and Churches by their attitude and approach. One wouldn’t mind if there was convincing evidence that such an approach actually worked. Experience over the years has taught me, however, that running around frenetically like a headless chicken rarely works. Pragmatism is no substitute for prayerful waiting upon God leading to Holy Spirit inspired activity. I know a lot of pragmatic church leaders and church members but I can honestly say that I don’t see God necessarily blessing their energetic activities any more than the rest of us. There may be occasions (mostly out there in society) where, like John the Baptist, we are called to ‘prepare a way for the Lord’ (Matthew 3:3). For the most part, however, we are called to ‘follow Jesus’ (Mark 1:16-19), to implement his plans and purposes rather than present God with our ideas and schemes and ask him to bless what we have decided he needs to do?! David Bebbington, widely known for his definition of evangelicalism, referred to as The Bebbington Quadrilateral, identifies four main characteristics defining evangelical convictions and attitudes: Biblicism, Crucicentrism, Conversionism, and Activism. Whilst each of these has value, I would suggest that they can also be abused. Activism in particular, I would suggest, has become the tool of ‘Christian’ bullies to make other Christians feel wretched and undermine legitimate ministry and mission in churches.

The Psalmist exhorts us to ‘Be still and know that [God] is God!’ (Psalm 46:10). In the English dictionary ‘be still’ implies ‘not moving, being quiet’ but from a biblical perspective these two words take on a much deeper meaning. The Hebrew means ‘to stop striving, to let go, to surrender’ especially since the Psalm begins and ends reminding us that ‘God is our refuge’ and that letting go and resting in God to provide help, strength and safety is the way to go rather than striving. This way of being is echoed by Jesus himself in the dramatic story of ‘The Calming of the Storm’  (Mark 4:35-43) where Jesus stills a violent storm on the Sea of Galilee (threatening the lives of Jesus himself and his companions) with the words ‘Peace! Be still!’ (v.39). This story (also told in Matthew and Luke) portrays an extremely busy day in which Jesus, exhausted and overwhelmed from ministering to the endless crowds of people who came to him for healing, deliverance, and understanding, sought refuge in a boat to take him away from all the hubbub and unrelenting demands upon him to the other side of the lake. On the journey, a huge storm rolled in. The disciples, panic stricken, looked to Jesus for help and found him fast asleep from exhaustion. They were terrified because of the storm and woke Jesus up. According to Mark’s account, Jesus was far from happy at this sudden turn of events and, in his frustration, yelled at the storm, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ (v.39 TNIV). The storm and the huge waves, we are told, stopped immediately. A literal translation of the Greek is: ‘Be quiet! Shut Up!’ I am reminded of the analogy of the proverbial, family road trip. You know the one, with the kids in the back seat of the car saying, ‘Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?’ Finally the father (or mother) snaps and shouts, ‘Be quiet! Shut up!’ I confess that many a time I have wanted to say to shout at certain ‘Christians’ cursed with the bullying spirit of activism who make my life, and the life of others I love, wretched: ‘Be quiet! Shut up!’

The act of being still, being quiet, becomes more of a challenge in this hectic world we live in. The world demands us to be busy. God, however, asks us to be still so that we can receive the guidance, the peace of mind, the knowledge that we are loved, and that God-given sense of direction and purpose we all need. As we read in Isaiah: ‘They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint’ (Isaiah 40:31). Slow wisdom is important for us as individuals, and slow wisdom is important for us as church. There is a big difference between ‘knowledge’ and ‘wisdom’ although they are related. ‘Knowledge’ is the acquisition of facts and information whereas ‘wisdom’ is the ability to make best use of those gathered facts and information. The two do not necessarily corelate. Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit and not a vegetable but wisdom means you don’t put a tomato in a fruit salad. Furthermore, there is no such thing as ‘McWisdom.’  

It takes time to transition from being knowledgeable to being wise. True wisdom is attained slowly. This kind of wisdom differs sharply from the kind of knowledge that characterizes the ‘Information Age.’ Information is not wisdom. Information can be looked up on Google, summarised in bullet points on a PowerPoint presentation, or stored on our iPhones. Information can be forgotten for a time and retrieved when we need it. Much of what passes for education these days is primarily the passing on of information. What do we need to know for the test? How much information can we cram into our heads long enough to pass an exam (only to be forgotten immediately afterwards)? The growing sense among educationalist that this trend is heading in the wrong direction has spawned what has become known as ‘the slow education movement.’ Based upon the Socratic approach to teaching (involving dialogue between the teacher and students, designed to stimulate critical thinking) slow education is partly a reaction to the overly compacted course content requirements which many educators are finding students cannot cover in sufficient depth in a single year.

The term ‘slow education’ derives from the broader Slow Movement, which began in the 1980s with ‘slow food’ (from the distinction between slow food and fast food or junk food) in Italy, and food journalist Carlo Petrini’s horrified reaction to a McDonald’s opening next to the elegant Spanish Steps in Rome. The parallels are obvious. Instead of hurriedly scoffing the educational buffet like ravenous customers at a fast-food restaurant, we slowly savour each dish, genuinely appreciate what’s on offer, enjoy the flavours, chew thoughtfully. That’s the quintessence of slow education… and slow wisdom is much the same, an approach that focuses on the acquisition of wisdom above the absorption of information.

Slow wisdom is important for us as individuals. Oftentimes, alongside the busyness of life run confused, fearful and anxious thoughts. I read somewhere recently that we have upwards of 50,000 thoughts a day. Those thoughts are not always helpful: I’m confused? I don’t know what to do? I’ve messed up! I’m an idiot! I can’t do it, It’s too hard! I’m too old! I’m too young! What if I get it wrong? How do we control our fearful and anxious thoughts?

When Jesus calmed the sea he immediately asked his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you so little faith? (Mark 4:40). Quieting our minds, controlling the endless stream of thoughts and questions, resisting the various pressures to react immediately rather than engage with the processes of slow wisdom is not easy, however. It is an acquired art that begins by seeing through, and resisting, the pragmatism of this modern age and the ‘oughtness’ either self-imposed or imposed upon us by others. Having determined to do that, we now deliberately engage in the practice of slow wisdom. 

One effective way to do this is by practicing meditation. For whatever reason, meditation has not been a major ingredient for Christians, particularly Evangelicals. Prayer and Bible reading are encouraged, as well as personal and intercessory prayer, but there is not much mention of meditation. Jesus, John the Baptist, and others, however, went off to meditate, took themselves away from the hectic world, and prayerfully waited upon God. Paul exhorts us, ‘Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity’ (Romans 12:2 JBP). Like King Hezekiah (in the Old Testament) we need to learn to lay out our concerns before the Lord and then wait thoughtfully and prayerfully for wisdom from on high to be imparted (2 Kings 19:14-19).  

Slow wisdom is also important for us corporately, as church. Ruth Moriarty’s excellent book Slow Wisdom, referred to earlier, has the subtitle: How do Baptists discern the mind of Christ at the Church Meeting? Baptist-Christians subscribe to ‘congregational government’ (as against the ‘’episcopal’ or ‘presbyterian’ models of church government practiced by other Christian denominations or groups) where ‘church members make decisions for their local congregation by discerning the mind of Christ together’ in church meeting (rather than have decisions imposed upon them either by Clergy or Denominational HQ). Although this approach is often far from perfect it remains (in my opinion) the ‘best worst option’ and is to be preferred to the draconian rule of a so-called ‘apostolic’ figure, a group of elders, or (worst of all) disconnected administrators at denominational HQ. Those of us who are ‘charismatic’ personalities, however, need to be especially careful not simply to impose our views and ideas on our congregations by the power of our personalities. Offer leadership and direction yes, but always make sure that there is room for the congregation to come to their own conclusions rather than simply submit to what we are suggesting (because it is the easier thing to do).

Ruth Moriarty’s book is written to help Baptist-Christians make the best of Church Meetings but intriguingly is proving to be of value of others who recognise that (whatever the particular form of church government they subscribe to) we have to take the people with us if we are to progress in any church’s journey forward. Even here, however, slow wisdom is needed. Despite its allegiance to congregational government too many local Baptist Churches are dominated by leaders or individuals to both the detriment of hearing the corporate voice or the benefits gleaned from slow wisdom. All too often decisions are either rushed (driven by pragmatic dominance) or delayed (held back by intransigent dominance), and made at poorly attended church meetings (because a significant number of church members feel they have no voice and therefore no longer attend church meetings). One of the hall marks of slow wisdom, however, is that (without standing still) it allows time for decisions to be thoughtfully and prayerfully made, decisions on issues where everyone is allowed to express a view or opinion and not simply the dominant few.

Adjusting to using slow wisdom takes time. Surprise! Surprise! The clue is in the name. We do not slip into slow wisdom overnight. Like patience it takes time to adjust especially if, by nature or nurture, we are activist or pragmatists. Nevertheless we have to learn to ‘go with the slow’ as someone once put it. Many people are intimidated by slowness or silence. Slowness or silence can force us to address issues that we might be running from. It’s easy to fill each day with busyness and then block out concerns through hours of mind-numbing television viewing, internet surfing or reading magazines. None of these activities are bad. However, if they are used to fill a void that is not being filled, over time, the toll will manifest itself in the form of lost relationships, lost opportunities and lost dreams never being fulfilled. One of the great benefits of slowing down is reclaiming the time and tranquillity to make meaningful connections with people, with culture, with work, with nature, with ourselves. There is more to life than increasing its speed. It has been suggested that ‘nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.’ At the same time exercising slow wisdom means that we control the rhythms of our lives. We are in control of deciding how fast we have to go. Slow wisdom isn’t about avoiding being active – it’s about finding a better way to do it. I think it was Mae West who once suggested: ‘Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly.’ Exercising slow wisdom is not really about adopting a particular style of approach but more about a deeply personal mentality. According to the Chinese philosopher, Lin Yutang, ‘Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone.’ In life, in the Christian life, in Church life, we rarely, if ever, reach a point where we think we have completed the task assigned to us… there will always be more. Slowing down – exercising slow wisdom – is sometimes the best way to speed things up.

For me, slow wisdom at its height, is the slow kind of knowledge that is gained through patiently following the Lord and his ways. Even those who claim to have been given a spiritual gift of ‘wisdom’ (1 Corinthians 12:8) have to persevere in the spiritual life and grow into the gifting they have received. There is no substitute for time. Ignatius Loyola speaks of ‘savouring’ the Word of God, going back over it again and again, deepening our understanding and taste for the Word. Over time, he suggests, this repetition and savouring will start to affect the one who takes time in the company of Jesus, the Prophets, Saint Paul, Saint John, etc. Little by little, one gains ‘the mind of Christ.’ This is an acquired taste. Wisdom is gained when we stop to taste the things of God. There are no shortcuts. In fact, if we try to bypass the slow process of slow wisdom, we are sure to miss out on wisdom altogether.

Jim Binney