The Preeminent Pantocrator
Connection vs Contention
Connection vs Contention
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God,
"who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
Revelation 1:8 NASB
Christós-Pantocrator--Χριστός-Παντοκράτωρ
We think that the time
is coming for a diversity of colleagues to come together intentionally,
visibly, and practically on behalf of global integration (GI).
GI put simply is how we skilfully integrate our lives and values on behalf of
the issues facing humanity. Likewise we think that the time is coming for
colleagues to carefully reflect and act on what it means to
be good global learners-practitioners--to seriously consider
what it means to be what we are calling global integrators (GI-People).
*****
This entry continues the
focus on how values are a core part of the lives/work of global integrators. It
builds upon the previous entry on values (17 June 2015) and specifically looks
at an ultimate, highest value.
For many colleagues in the faith-based community, the highest
value is actually a person—God. For Christians like myself, knowing, loving, and
serving God is understood to be the foundational value in life. So this spiritual value is not simply a minority or dissenting, "view" within humanity, as Christians of all backgrounds make up over
one-third of the world’s population--not to mention the great majority of the world--nearly 6.5 billion--who profess a religious faith (Christianity 2015, Johnson et al., IBMR, January 2105).
One of the titles for God and Jesus Christ that I especially find meaningful is the Pantocrator. It means “The Almighty".
This term is used throughout the Old Testament (Septuagint version--Greek) and
10 times in the New Testament (included in this entry’s opening quote). More information
here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_Pantocrator
Concerning Jesus Christ, the New Testament is replete with
other descriptions that are in line with the references to His being the Almighty,
such as this by Paul: “…all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He
is before all things, and in Him all things hold together…so that he might have
the first place in everything.” (Col. 1: 16-18, NASB). So it is ultimately His “first
place”/and "preeminence" in everything—His glory as the Almighty—that can be seen as the guiding,
foundational value for Christians. Christians who are global integrators are thus
intimately linked to Jesus Christ the Preeminent Pantocrator as they seek to concretely emulate His
love for all people.
Is this emphasis on Jesus Christ divisive for GI?
Hopefully not. Rather, it can be a great way to openly share values (including ultimate
values--putting them on the table) as we work together and pursue “common ground for the common good.” I remain
positive: I see relationship with the Pantocrator and modeling His love as being a helpful way to connect with GI colleagues from all backgrounds. So I approach this core life value with respect for others' values/worldviews, and thus it is usually an aligning point of connection more than an alienating point of contention.*
Final Thought
“For many [colleagues], healthy spirituality,
including faith in God, is fundamental to their well-being and work
effectiveness. For others, it can involve transcendent principles rather than referencing
God per se. Some examples of these principles would be to “do good and do no
harm” as derived from the Hippocratic Oath in the health-care fields, the “humanity
principle” of the International Red Cross /Red Crescent Movement and similar
groups which emphasizes protecting life and health without discrimination, the
social responsibility commitment in the business/corporate sector to both “do
well” (making money) and to “do good” (helping humans) (e.g., see Crutchfield
and Grant 2012), the guiding sociopolitical value of“enlightened self-interest”
emphasizing the well-being of others as one seeks his or her own benefit, or
other benevolent principles reflected in one’s life philosophy. The point is
that there are lots of points—connecting points—when crossing sectors!” Charting Your Course Across the Sectors, Kelly O’Donnell, page 9,
Global Member Care (volume
2): Crossing Sectors for Serving Humanity (2013)
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Note from November 2015: We changed the title of this entry and the term for Christ--from "precious" to "preeminent" in order to better fit what Pantokrator means. Christ is still just as precious of course!
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*For more information on religious values in GI-related work, see
the materials in the August 2015 Global Integration
Update, Faith-Based Partners in Transformation. Some examples:
--Sacred Aid:
Faith and Humanitarianism, edited by Michael Barnett and Janice Gross
Stein (2012)
--Faith, Secularism, and
Humanitarian Engagement: Finding the Place of Religion in Support of Displaced
Communities, Alastair Ager and Joey Ager (2015)
--Faith
and Religion in Humanitarian Action: Improving Cooperation and Effectiveness, Webinar organized by Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and Protection (June 2015)
--Faith-Based
Humanitarians, Wilfred Mlay, Humanitarian
Exchange, July 2004Note from November 2015: We changed the title of this entry and the term for Christ--from "precious" to "preeminent" in order to better fit what Pantokrator means. Christ is still just as precious of course!
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