Radical Transparency
Just read the cover article in this month's issue of Wired magazine. It's titled Get Naked: Why Exposing Yourself is the Future of Business.
In my opinion, authenticity is the postmodern apologetic. Its one key to reaching emerging generations. People care less about how much you know than how real you are. I just think it's interesting that the business world is talking about it. Thought I'd share a few excerpts and a few thoughts on radical transparency.
"Smart companies are sharing secrets with rivals, blogging about products in their pipeline, even admitting their failures. The name of this new game is radical transparency and it's sweeping boardrooms across the nation."
I don't want to overuse the word--but sounds like open-source business. The church doesn't just need to follow-suit. We ought to lead the way!
"Transparency is a judo move."
Ever notice that people stop making fun of people who laugh at themselves? It's judo. Ever notice that people stop criticizing people who admit their failures? It's judo. Ever notice that people believe people who admit their doubts? It's judo.
One of the interesting observations in the article was a cultural shift between what's private and what's public.
"A generation has grown up on blogging, posting a daily phonecam picture on Flickr and listing its geographic position in real time on Dodgeball and Google Maps. For them, authenticity comes from online exposure."
Chief Reputation Strategist for PR firm Weber Shandwick, Leslie Gaine Ross, says, "Online is where reputations are made now." She says that a single Google search determines more about how you are perceived than a multi-million-dollar ad campaign. "Google is not a search engine. Google is a reputation-management system. Online, your rep is quantifiable, findable, and totally unavoidable."
Honestly, I think part of the magnetism of Jesus was his authenticity. He was touchable and approachable. He was holy, but he wasn't holier-than-thou. He was down to earth. He even cried in public! And that radical transparency is what drew people to him.
We could definitely use a dose of radical transparency in our churches. Isn't that part of what confessing our sins to each other is about? The enemy loves it when we keep secrets! The greatest freedom is having nothing to prove!
Radical Transparency!
In my opinion, authenticity is the postmodern apologetic. Its one key to reaching emerging generations. People care less about how much you know than how real you are. I just think it's interesting that the business world is talking about it. Thought I'd share a few excerpts and a few thoughts on radical transparency.
"Smart companies are sharing secrets with rivals, blogging about products in their pipeline, even admitting their failures. The name of this new game is radical transparency and it's sweeping boardrooms across the nation."
I don't want to overuse the word--but sounds like open-source business. The church doesn't just need to follow-suit. We ought to lead the way!
"Transparency is a judo move."
Ever notice that people stop making fun of people who laugh at themselves? It's judo. Ever notice that people stop criticizing people who admit their failures? It's judo. Ever notice that people believe people who admit their doubts? It's judo.
One of the interesting observations in the article was a cultural shift between what's private and what's public.
"A generation has grown up on blogging, posting a daily phonecam picture on Flickr and listing its geographic position in real time on Dodgeball and Google Maps. For them, authenticity comes from online exposure."
Chief Reputation Strategist for PR firm Weber Shandwick, Leslie Gaine Ross, says, "Online is where reputations are made now." She says that a single Google search determines more about how you are perceived than a multi-million-dollar ad campaign. "Google is not a search engine. Google is a reputation-management system. Online, your rep is quantifiable, findable, and totally unavoidable."
Honestly, I think part of the magnetism of Jesus was his authenticity. He was touchable and approachable. He was holy, but he wasn't holier-than-thou. He was down to earth. He even cried in public! And that radical transparency is what drew people to him.
We could definitely use a dose of radical transparency in our churches. Isn't that part of what confessing our sins to each other is about? The enemy loves it when we keep secrets! The greatest freedom is having nothing to prove!
Radical Transparency!
12 Comments:
I think a transparent church/Christian is valuable in reaching unsaved people. Too often the image of "having to be good" to be a Christian is portrayed more than the "come just as you are, you're saved by grace." I feel a transparent church that shows themselves to be human, that most of the time we're not perfect, that we are a work in progress being saved each day...that it's a divine God working in us and that we're dependant on Him--I feel that draws people in b/c in essence we're lifting Christ up.
I can't help be see a great parallel with strong marketing. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean manufactured authenticity, but being intentionally real. It is a POMO (post modern) reality.
Today, audiences enjoy voyeuristic-style entertainment. Hollywood access shows. Reality TV. People want to see real people in real situations. They want to see people laugh and cry. Audiences find a connection - he cries, I cry too. She hurts, me too. She makes mistakes, so do I.
Marketing is about finding a connection. It's about locating where people are. In this day radical transparency, I believe we have a better chance than ever to reach a lost people where they are.
Do you read Fast Company too? I love that magazine.
Lisa,
One of my favorite magazines :)
Mark
Your points are well taken, but doesn't transparency and authenticity become posing when they become the center of an image we're trying to promote?
Nice post Mark. You have articulated something that I have been thinking about lately - thanks :-)
This is so true, and one I've been "on mission" to communicate with people. First we have to authentic with God, and then we need to be authentic with people (including ourselves). I get to work with people who make a decision (or recommitment) to follow Christ at my church and one of the greatest tools in helping them build the foundation for their faith-walk has been for me to be real with them about the mess God's been cleaning up in my own life. It's opened up powerful doors of ministry...very cool. :)
reminds me of the final scene of 8-mile...caught it on tv a couple of months ago and I was so struck by the power of the lead in this movie totally disarming his "battle" opponent by rapping about his faults and failures...
Be careful how much we use the term authentic, or transparent. I think that it is very important to be open and honest with people but maybe being authentic is an open door to being openly sinful and not caring. I don't think its so much about being authentic but about being more like Christ. As a Christian, our authenticity is not to be more like us, but to be more like Christ.
I think Paul says it best: "Your life is not your own. You were bought with a price."
*Props to J. Britt for his inspiration.
Great post! It's scary when the world is applying biblical principles more than the church is! Authenticity carries so much influence, more than any words could say. I think it's the revolution of the impact of "things unsaid".
Read that article last night. I'm glad you posted about it.
I'm continually getting ideas from that mag about how to communicate.
This month's cover is kinda cool, too.
Mark,
Great great topic. Near and dear to me. I started writing last year about my life weaved itself around my faith. At the time I couldn't find much of a voice for those stories, so I stared a blog/magazine called "Transparent Christian Magazine."
One of my bigest frustrations was meeting people that were 'plastic and perfect' in the church but were hurting inside and scared to discuss why.
It's been an amazing 3 months for the magazine, and apparently what you are talking about is resonating with folks. Please keep it up...by being honest with each other, and seeking God together, we can truly support each other in our walk and grow.
Thanks for listening!
Jason Elkins
TransparentChristianMagazine.Com
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