By Milan Homola
Originally published in Cultural Encounters: A Journal for the Theology of Culture
We have a warm place in our hearts for the quote, “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” whether you find that inspiration from Scripture or the famous Lincoln speech. Yet we live in a world where the practicalities of such quaint truths appear wholly impractical and outmatched by a complicated vast society. If the quotation were to reflect current reality it might read more like, “A house divided against itself is inevitable and often beneficial for brand recognition and political momentum.” There is no shortage of statistics to paint a picture of growing division in this country both inside and outside the Christian community. At times these studies not only give a snapshot of reality but they seem to deepen the divide by giving us new divisive groupings and vocabulary.
This is the critical moment we find ourselves in and Rooting for Rivals is the book we need in this moment. The book brings the reader face to face with the realities within our own hearts and organizations. With honesty, authenticity, and Kingdom values the authors give us both the “why” and “how” of collaboration in a twenty-first century that needs to see The Way.
“There is no shortage of statistics to paint a picture of growing division in this country both inside and outside the Christian community. At times these studies not only give a snapshot of reality but they seem to deepen the divide by giving us new divisive groupings and vocabulary.”
Greer and Horst lay out an argument based on their own positive and negative experiences in the nonprofit world. Their argument forces us to check our priorities. They write about the “grand mission” and ask leaders if they can be part of the mission that is above their own organizational mission. The centerpiece juxtaposition is an easy-to-understand 2×2 chart that measures Kingdom vs. Clan thinking and Abundance vs. Scarcity attitudes (p. 67). The book raises the strikingly obvious question for followers of Jesus: “If we are all part of one body that has one mission with Jesus at the head, how can we compete and begrudgingly nod at each other across the room, street, city?”
We have gotten to a place where we blindly grow and protect our clan without seeking first the Kingdom, which ought to crush our selfish clan building. We have gotten to a place where we have forgotten that God is a God of abundance; so often, we act with tight fists and litigation because resources are scarce. Will we continue to see ourselves as individual grand murals or beautiful pieces in a grand mosaic? As Greer said in a recent webinar, “The world looks in at a divided church and has legitimate reason to question what we believe.”
“The book raises the strikingly obvious question for followers of Jesus: “If we are all part of one body that has one mission with Jesus at the head, how can we compete and begrudgingly nod at each other across the room, street, city?””
Authors Peter Greer and Chris Horst are activists and practitioners of all they speak of and write about. Both men are at Hope International where Greer is President and CEO while Horst is the Chief Advancement Officer. They both have extensive nonprofit leadership experience, especially in international development. Greer and Horst teamed up before in 2014 for the successful Mission Drift: The Unspoken Crisis Facing Leaders, Charities, and Churches. During their research for that book, they came across hundreds of nonprofit leaders who helped them see various leadership styles that would become the foundation of Rooting for Rivals.
The book is laid out in two parts: part 1, “Why we root for rivals” and part 2, “How we root for rivals.” In the opening part they clearly lay out “the why.” They present the good, the bad, and the ugly with leadership in churches and nonprofits. After making a practical and biblical case for unity, the final two chapters of part 1 lay out the details of foundational juxtaposition of kingdom vs. clan and abundance vs. scarcity. The 2×2 is the key visual that will be used throughout the remainder of the book with mostly effective results.
Vices and Virtues in Ministry
In part 2, the authors give the reader a very creative layer of structure that brings the 2×2 to life through the contrast between seven vices and seven virtues. This is one of the most creative and appealing elements of the book. They take the seven deadly sins and “organizationalize” them. The authors craft punchy definitions for the seven vices and seven virtues that apply to an organization. The given definitions are not only informative but incredibly effective and convicting at times.
The seven contrasts are pride vs. humility, greed vs. generosity, gluttony vs. temperance, lust vs. love, envy vs. contentment, vengeance vs. grace, and sloth vs. steadfastness. Each of these contrasts has its own chapter that typically starts with a story or two and works in their own compelling definition for the vice and the virtue and then concludes with four or five practical steps/examples of how a leader/organization can practice the virtue.
A particularly potent chapter is chapter 7 on gluttony vs. temperance. At first glance, one might wonder, what does gluttony have to do with organizational leadership? Isn’t that a vice related to overeating? The definition they give for organizational gluttony is as follows: “an insatiable appetite, obsessing over growth and expansion rather than quality and impact” (p. 125).
Juxtaposed is the invitation to temperance, a virtue that reflects kingdom over clan: “A culture of temperance creates an environment for celebrating successes” (p. 134). This chapter sets the context with a story about Chick-fil-A, which focused more on quality than quantity by drastically limiting the number of new stores that it opened per year. By practicing temperance, they were able to avoid the seductive cancer of gluttony. This truth speaks to the heart of all of us leaders who love what we do, believe its effectiveness, and want to share it far and wide.
“You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.” -Jesus
Rooting for Rivals has many strengths. I always appreciate clear historical examples, which they use early on to point out the need to avoid dangerous divisions: Amish, Rwanda, Nazis, and Massacre River in the Dominican Republic. There are personal stories, industry stories, and interviewee stories, and of course no Christian leadership book would be complete without a Lord of the Rings reference (p. 142). There is an abundance of punchy one-liners as highlighted in the pride chapter. “Individual arrogance breeds organizational arrogance” (p. 95); the definition of sloth: “a deep-set, despairing apathy about the world within and beyond our organizational boundaries” (p. 193).
If the key chapter contrasts weren’t enough, there are more layers with examples like ownership vs. stewardship and knowing vs. doing. And as mentioned, the practical how-to suggestions at the end of each chapter are solid and go well beyond fluffy cookie-cutter “thou shalts.”
There is one key area of weakness with the book. As the chapters in part 2 went on, I got more and more confused by the multiple layers of subtitles, categories, and groupings of the vices and virtues. Unfortunately, the incredibly effective and simple 2×2 got complex and confusing when the authors added more and more layers of groupings. They introduce a more complex 2×2 on page 78 and then begin each subsequent chapter with a visual of the new more detailed 2×2. The readers might, like me, find themselves trying to gain clarity without much success in the midst of each chapter by referring back to the image at the beginning of the chapter. As I have described the book to friends and colleagues and listened to Peter Greer on the webinar, it’s clear that these subsequent groupings of the seven vices/virtues do not help drive home what is already a simple and compelling point.
In conclusion, the strengths vs. weakness scale tips overwhelmingly to the side of effectiveness. The conclusion of the book is dramatic in its brevity. A simple retelling of the grand mosaic found among the first disciples: rivals become one in Christ which shows the world that even two polar opposites can combine in community and mission. Where else could a tax collector and a zealot cross the aisle and live in harmony? It forces us to ask: “Where else could a Republican and a Democrat, a liberal and a conservative, a person of poverty and a person of luxury come together as one?” This is our moment to show a better way and Rooting for Rivals gives us a helpful tool for the journey ahead. As the authors so aptly open their book, I would like to conclude this review in the same manner: “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.” – Jesus (Mt 5:9 The Message)
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Homola, Milan. “Rooting for Rivals: How Collaboration and Generosity Increase the Impact of Leaders, Charities, and Churches by Peter Greer and Christ Horst.” Cultural Encounters: A Journal for the Theology of Culture. 14.2 (2019). 102-105. Print.
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