3.3. Andrew Root - Place-sharing youth ministry
Andrew Root of Luther Seminary conducted his PhD on Incarnational Perspectives of ministry, and has since become an authority figure on the topic in ministry.
Like Ward, Root believes relationships are central to ministry. However, whereas Ward believes relationships serve as a platform to ‘share the Good News about Jesus with young people’ (1992:32), Root sees the relationship itself as the final goal (2004:99). Root criticises the views of thinkers like Ward and Borgman for using the incarnation as a ‘strategy of influence’ (2013:43-44) and epistemological leverage (2004:99). He uses the words incarnational and empathetic interchangeably, developing a concept through Bonhoeffer’s Stellvertreter or place-sharing.
One of Root’s most helpful contributions to our discussion is his critique of the incarnational theology present in youth ministries. As a Young Life trained worker …show more content…
3.3.2. Understanding the Incarnation
For Root, the Incarnation was three things:
1. God taking on bodily humanity in its fullness. This was surrendering ‘all that it means to be a created being’ as an expression of God’s heart ‘yearn[ing] to be near to humanity’ (2007:89).
2. God in human form as the concrete place humans encounter him. This is experienced in ‘the nearness of our fellow sisters and brothers’ who genuinely bear His presence (90).
3. Jesus as the expression of true humanity. This is a contrast to sin, which Root calls ‘antihumanity’. We encounter Jesus as the God who ‘takes upon [himself] the suffering of the world’ as an ultimate act of divine empathy (90-94).
It is immediately apparent that Root has a fuller respect for the initial doctrine of the Incarnation as it interacts with his approach than is seen in any other advocate of its theology within youth ministry approaches. However, there are some
Andrew Root of Luther Seminary conducted his PhD on Incarnational Perspectives of ministry, and has since become an authority figure on the topic in ministry.
Like Ward, Root believes relationships are central to ministry. However, whereas Ward believes relationships serve as a platform to ‘share the Good News about Jesus with young people’ (1992:32), Root sees the relationship itself as the final goal (2004:99). Root criticises the views of thinkers like Ward and Borgman for using the incarnation as a ‘strategy of influence’ (2013:43-44) and epistemological leverage (2004:99). He uses the words incarnational and empathetic interchangeably, developing a concept through Bonhoeffer’s Stellvertreter or place-sharing.
One of Root’s most helpful contributions to our discussion is his critique of the incarnational theology present in youth ministries. As a Young Life trained worker …show more content…
3.3.2. Understanding the Incarnation
For Root, the Incarnation was three things:
1. God taking on bodily humanity in its fullness. This was surrendering ‘all that it means to be a created being’ as an expression of God’s heart ‘yearn[ing] to be near to humanity’ (2007:89).
2. God in human form as the concrete place humans encounter him. This is experienced in ‘the nearness of our fellow sisters and brothers’ who genuinely bear His presence (90).
3. Jesus as the expression of true humanity. This is a contrast to sin, which Root calls ‘antihumanity’. We encounter Jesus as the God who ‘takes upon [himself] the suffering of the world’ as an ultimate act of divine empathy (90-94).
It is immediately apparent that Root has a fuller respect for the initial doctrine of the Incarnation as it interacts with his approach than is seen in any other advocate of its theology within youth ministry approaches. However, there are some