The church
is accountable for acting upon the truth it knows, describing the situation
in society as it actually exists in truth (fact, reality, light). Information
precedes and breeds accountability. (Bob Waymire)
actualized
individual
An individual
living into a continual experience of creativity, transcendency, and synergy.
Living at a continuous peak-experience level. You can only achieve such
lifestyle with transcendent energy - such as an individual transformed
by the Holy Spirit. (Romans 12:2)
Adaptive
Deceptions
Deceptive
schemes adopted by the Enemy to replace earlier strategies whose powers
have waned. They may be viewed as necessary course corrections by us to
the Adversary's strategies. (George Otis, Jr.)
algorithm
A defined
process or step-by-step procedure that leads to and assures the desired
output from a given input.
alternative
futures
A possible
development. A futurist does not predict the future, he develops possible
alternative futures. These are modeled, simulated, and studied. From these
scenarios others can choose the future desired.
amonie
People without
an identity. Durkheim, the great French sociologist, argues that people
in the world were suffering from anomies, a condition of having no "name."
God calls us by name to participate in His creative purpose, thus identifying
us as unique. (see Genesis 35:10, I Samuel 3:4, and Acts 9:4)
animism
The belief
that all natural elements (mountains, rivers, trees, thunder, fire, stars,
animals, and human beings) are endowed with and linked to a conscious
spiritual life force.
anticipatory
democracy
A process
through which all groups can have the opportunity to influence the decisions
that will determine their future. (Toffler)
Bethel
Point
A point
or gate from which God breaks through to the physical dimension. A gate
to heaven. (Genesis 28:16-19)
biosphere
The realm
of life. The layer or community of living things in space or time. The
sphere of living organisms. (Teilhard de Chardin)
centration
The process
of matter becoming more and more conscious of itself. A deepening and
evolving awareness on the part of mankind of his or her place in the universe
and God's action through him or her.
channel
A link
used to transfer information or other form of energy between two nodes.
church
A
community (see community) transformed by grace that is the
Body of Christ in the world, actively redeeming the larger neighborhood,
city, and the world to bring God's Kingdom on earth. There are both
the Established, or Mainline, denominational) Churches and the Emerging
Churches. Mainline Churches act as the chromosones of the Kingdom,
providing history and stories of how God has acted in our world
in the past. The Emerging Church is free of this inertia, leading
in postmodern structures and paradigms that risk in the present
and question the past. Both are needed - as well as dialog between
both.
community
As
used here, it refers to a group of believers, acting together, to
bring God's Kingdom on earth; i.e., a church. A "church", however,
may not be a community. Community is a gift, given by God. The early
church in Acts was a community, with believers worshiping God with
one heart. "Doing Church" is not community. Coming together
for worship on Sunday is not community. Community implies a singleness
of heart, core values, mission, and purpose to the building of the
Kingdom.
complexification
The process
in which ever more elaborate systems are built up in an evolutionary manner
counter to the Law of Entropy.
complexity
The result
of a cosmic (time or space) flow of matter in opposition to the general
flow of entropy.
complexity-consciousness
The basic
tendency of the universe linking an increase in physical complexity with
a parallel increase in consciousness. The counter force to the Law of
Entropy. (Teilhard de Chardin)
Confluent
Event
An external
historical influence (such as immigration, military conquest, natural
disasters, and introduction of religious messages) that flow into and
permanently affect the life of the community. (George Otis, Jr.)
Contouring
Event
An internal
moral decision (often made at an election or town meeting) that significantly
influences the direction of a community's character and policy. (George
Otis, Jr.)
conjecture
A belief,
theory, or hypothesis concerning a situation or the future.
conviviality
Autonomous
and creative communication between an individual and his or her environment.
This in contrast with the conditioned response of persons to the demands
made upon them by others and by the man-made environment. (Illich)
covenant
An agreement
wherein God promises a blessing and man assumes an obligation.
cross-impact
analysis
An attempt
to study the various affects that developments have on each other. The
growth of service organizations, for example, has affected the growth
of information processing technology.
cybernetics
The study
of relationships between communication and control in organisms, machines,
and any type of system. Norbert Wiener coined the term during World War
II as applied to military and technological systems. Now, as a science,
it applies to the study of information systems and operations management.
Delphi
Method
A method
of soliciting individual opinions (primarily of a group of experts) to
arrive at a consensus view of what could happen in the future.
dunamis
A Greek
word meaning "power". Refers to the ability to do, not of control.
Dunamis generally refers to transformal power beyond the basic laws of
physics, an empowering of the Holy Spirit. For example, when Christ sent
the disciples out He gave them a dunamis power (Luke 9:2).
econometric
model
A mathematical
model of an economic system.
ecospasmic
economy
A monetary
system careening on the brink of disaster, awaiting the random convergence
of certain critical events which have not occurred simultaneously, so
far. (Toffler)
ecosphere
The natural
environment in which man lives. The term emphasizes the synergistic aspect
of the environment.
electronic
cottage
A home-based
work environment. The term was coined by Toffler to refer to home-based
businesses that utilize new information technologies to accomplish their
objectives.
enabler
A person,
tool, or process that helps another person to discover his or her uniqueness,
identity, and spiritual gifts.
entropy
The measure
of system disorder (see Law of Entropy). The universe (order) was created
from chaos (disorder, minimum entropy). Each time energy is converted,
some of it is lost, never to be recovered. With time, the universe will
run down (no temperature or energy gradients). Entropy is the cosmic force
that fights against those of complexity-consciousness.
envisioning
The process
of imaging possible futures. The goal of the envisioning process is to
create visual or mental images of the future that will motivate action.
eugenics
The selection
and recombination of genes that already exist in a gene pool of a population.
engineering
Purposeful
and directed modification of the information in existing genes in an organism
to lead to a desired phenotype.
euthenics
The science
of improving physical and mental well-being by modifying the environment.
evolution
The process
of change with time (see Second Law of Thermodynamics).
excluded
middle
A term used
to refer to the missing middle worldview layer of most of the Western
world. The non-Western world has three layers: the cosmic or transcendent,
the supernatural layer on earth, and the empirical world of our senses.
(George Otis, Jr.) The Western world, by omitting this layer, has trouble
enbracing a lot of what God is doing in the world. (Reality is limited
by our cause-effect paraidgm.)
expert
system
A type of
computer-based system that emulates the thinking process of a human expert
in a limited domain of knowledge.
extrapolation
Extending
of a variable into the future by assuming it will change at the same rate
in the future. Also called trend analysis.
feedback
The use
of part of the output of a system as input to control the output and keep
it within certain defined limits.
future
shock
Stress and
disorientation induced in individuals by subjecting them to too much change
in too short a time.
futures
research
A term used
to describe the study of the future.
futurible
A possible
development in the future.
futurism
A mood or
movement that emphasizes the need to think seriously about the future.
futuristics
The discipline
of study that deals with possible future developments.
futurology
The study
of the future.
Gaia
hypothesis
The theory
that the Earth's atmosphere is a circulatory system and regulating medium
maintained by and interacting with all life on the planet. The whole planet
is conceived as a single life form. The theory is named for Gaia, the
Greek goddess of the Earth.
gate
A portal
through which spiritual forces can act.
gatekeeper
A person
who lives and acts at a spiritual portal in a city, church, or region.
This person is the node in the community for information in terms of a
specific vision and controls access to information, discernemnt, wisdom,
knowledge, healing, and other spiritual gifts necessary for the vision
to happen. A gatekeeper and a watchman were not the same (2 Samuel 18:26).
genetic
engineering
The change
of genes by the process of directed mutation.
gestalt
The form,
pattern or structure of which the part is a whole.
gifts,
Pauline
Those spiritual
gifts mentioned specifically in the Pauline epistles.
gifts,
spiritual
The unique
part of our being that God gives us for his redemptive purpose. The primary
purpose of the Church is to help us discover our gifts and, in the face
of our fears, to hold us accountable for them so that we can enter into
the joy of creating. (Elizabeth O'Connor)
Harvest
Force
All organizations
(institutions) actively involved in the Great Commission enterprise, and
their activities, i.e. denominations., agencies, and parachurch organizations
having ministry in the specified area. (Bob Waymire)
Harvest
Force Data
(see Institutional
Data.)
heuristic
The technique
or assumption that aids in solving a problem but does not necessarily
guarantee a solution. Any rule that reduces the search space for a solution
to a problem.
holistic
Emphasizing
the interrelatedness or wholeness of a complex system in contrast with
focusing on a portion of the system.
holon
Any autonomous
system that contains within itself subsystems and is part of a large whole
(Arthur Koestler). A complex of holons is called a holarchy. A holarchy
could be contrasted with a hierarchy, which is bureaucratic and static.
A holarchy is dynamic, living, and organic.
human
secularism
A type of
religion in which the person is elevated in importance and viewed as able
to become perfect within his or her own resources. Human secularism evolved
from early Roman and Greek philosophy, eventually reaching most of southern
Europe. (see Schaeffer, Francis, How Should We Then Live?)
intentional
communities
A community
that has definite visions, purposes, and goals toward which energy and
resources are mobilized. With churches, the term is used in contrast with
storekeeper communities with little direction or overall goals.
intercessory
prayer
Petitions,
entreaties, and thanksgivings made on behalf of another. Intercession
involves the act of standing between the object of prayer and spiritual
forces. Where God is involved, the positioning is taken in order to submit
requests. In the case of Satan, it is to deflect his attacks.
inward
journey
That part
of our spiritual pilgrimage that is in dialogue with ourselves, God, and
others. Living into a life of contemplation, meditation, and with a growing
awareness about life and its relationship with God's work in the world
(in contrast with the outward journey).
kairos
The essential
period, the decisive period in time, the God-given moment. It is an opportunity
imposed on us by God. We can know what it is, but fail to act on it. Kairos
is not our own time that we choose and arrange for ourselves, but is the
commanded opportunity, a definite step in God's previously conceived plan
of salvation for mankind.
Law
of Entropy
The second
law of thermodynamics that states that the universe is essentially "running
down", to its original chaos and disorder. Man alone stands outside
of this dynamic, and only to a limited degree (see complexity-consciousness,
complexification).
link
A communications
path between two nodes, a channel. (see network, node).
linkage
A passive
system of nodes and links. A human linkage is a community of people with
resources and needs. The linkage (unlike a network) remains passive unless
it is pushed. It has no common objective or goal, and responds to link
needs and resources as it is pushed. The Internet, for example, is a linkage
- not a network.
meme
The basic
unit of cultural evolution. Examples of memes are musical tunes, certain
phrases and words, ideas, clothing fashions, architectural models, etc.
(Richard Dawkins)
meta
A prefix
meaning "beyond", "higher", or "transformed."
In an expert system, for example, a meta rule is a rule about other rules.
A "metacrawler" search engine on the Internet is search engine
that takes your phrase and searches multiple search engine databases.
modeling
The use
of algorithms, mathematical equations, or games to simulate the real world
processes or behavior.
multifold
trend
A many-faceted
trend in which many variables change that are interrelated with each other.
Kahn and Wiener use this term in describing the Western culture of the
last few centuries.
myth
A traditional
story that has universal meaning. Used to illustrate a person's world
view or personal paradigm, and may or may not have occurred historically.
natural
languages
A spoken
or written human language. This is contrast with a computer language,
such as Pascal or Forth.
Nehemiah
Factor
This is
aligned closely with the Accountability Factor. The Nehemiah Factor
deals with getting the right information, in the right form, into the
right hands, at the right time. Nehemiah received information relating
to the state of the children of Israel, applied the information, and worked
in partnership with God. He became the prophetic voice that rallied the
nation. (Bob Waymire)
network
An integrated
system of nodes and links to accomplish a specified objective. A human
network is a collection of people that share a common goal. It is active,
in contrast with the passive linkage. (see linkage).
node
A specified
connect point in a network for creating, editing, receiving, or retransmitting
messages. (see link, network).
noosphere
The realm
of the mind or reflective thought. The "human" level in space-time
evolution beyond that of the biosphere. (Teilhard de Chardin)
Omega
Point
Teilhard
de Chardin's final point in the evolutionary process. A state of high
synergy, unity, and oneness between man, God, and the universe.
outward
journey
The part
of our spiritual pilgrimage that is in dialogue with the world. Living
into our calling, uniqueness, mission, and destiny in a risk-style life.
All of life is a movement between the inward and outward journeys.
paradigm
A pattern,
example or model. paradigm shift - a change in the accepted cultural paradigm
on the part of a large portion of the culture. In the late eighteenth
century there was a paradigm shift from an agricultural age to an industrial
age. Today, another paradigm shift is occurring. The new paradigm has
multiple names, depending upon the futurist with whom you are talking.
peak-experience
A subjective
experience of creativity, wonder, and awe. Lost in time, space, and transcendency.
(see actualized individual). (Abraham Maslow)
post-industrial
A culture
in which manufacturing has declined in importance and work becomes more
centered in service industries. The term is used today by Daniel Bell
to describe the new social phase emerging today.
postmodern
A common
expression of the new paradigm that is emerging and both challenging and
redefining the church. It has raised our consciousness in terms of what
is the purpose of life, brought in the missing excluded middle (see excluded
middle) that includes mystery, the supernatural, and spirituality.
It questions our core values, with a tendency toward moral relativism.
It is primarily evident in the under-35 age group.
Power
Points
Specific
natural or man-made locations that are widely regarded as bridges or crossover
points to the supernatural world. Such sites are often made numinous by
the investments of faith offered over time by large numbers of people.
Prayer
Expeditions
Long-distance,
trans-territorial prayerwalks along strategically developed routes. Intercession
is offered for entire countries and regions.
Prayer
Journeys
Intentional
prayerwalking in cities other than one's own. Sites often include capitals
and ideological export centers.
Prayerwalking
The practice
of on-site, street-level community intercession. Prayers offered by participants
are in response to immediate observations and researched targets.
prediction
A statement
that something will happen in the future. Implies more certainty than
forecasting or conjecturing.
productivity
A man's
ability to use his powers and to realize the potentialities inherent within
him. (Erich Fromm)
prophet
A person
with a spiritual gift of speaking the mind of God. It may be forth-telling;
that is, predicting the future, but is is more likely simply speaking
God's word (see rhema) into a given situation or life. Sometimes
the prophet may have an extreme mercy gift, taking the sins of a church
or community upon himself or herself as if the sins were their own (as
Jeremiah, Nehemiah). In our contemporary world, prophet leaders such as
John Dawson and Bob Becket have led in breaking past bindings with the
Native American cultures by taking the sins of the past upon themselves,
This is known as idenificational repentance. With this, God is able to
break through to the present in miraculous ways.
radial
energy
The energy
or driving force that increases the complexity and consciousness of man.
Love is one form of radial energy. (Teilhard de Chardin)
forecasting or conjecturing.
rhema
The spoken
word of God with power to create change. This is in contrast with logos,
which is the word as truth or existence (from John: In the beginning was
the logos, and the logos became flesh and dwelt amoung us.) The world
was created from the spoken (rhema) word of God. God spoke each day into
existence. Jesus healed by speaking the rhema word. At the temple gate,
Peter healed the lame man with a rhema word. In Ephesians 6, the only
offensive weapon the Christian carries is the sword - the rhema word of
God.
scenario
An interrelated
sequence of events (script) that might possibly occur in the future. A
projected model or simulation.
Second
Law of Thermodynamics
A basic
and fundamental law of science that says the universe is "running
down", or returning to the chaos from which it was created. An organism
can only evolve to a higher form if energy is applied from outside the
system or if the energy is "stolen" from another system. This
law contradicts Darwin's concepts of evolution. Man alone stands outside
of this law, with God acting from outside the system into our world in
the past, present, and future through Christ and then each of us to establish
His kingdom.
Shalom
A Hebrew
greeting that is often misinterpreted as meaning simply "peace."
The word really reflects the coming of God's perfect Kingdom, and in speaking
the word you are claiming authority in the coming of that Kingdom. It
better translates a wholeness, completeness, or healed.
Shilo
Site
A place
where Vision is given from God, strategies to that vision are mapped,
and prophecy is given in terms of the vision.
simulation
(see modeling)
softspace
The information
boundary of an individual or organization. The center is the human mind
or a collective human consciousness. The boundaries of a softspace are
like membranes, admitting certain information and blocking other types.
The acceptance and rejection of information is based on certain keys,
which are in turn defined by our specific needs.
spaceship
earth
A paradigm
of the world emphasizing unity, closed system aspects, and the necessity
for ecological balance for survival.
Spiritual
Mapping
The discipline
of diagnosing and responding to the spiritual dynamics at work in a given
community. Otis: The process of superimposing our understanding of forces
and events in the spiritual domain onto places and circumstances in the
material world. Victor Lorenzo: The sum of divine revelation, plus research,
plus proven facts, whose objective is to provide complete and accurate
information about the identity of spiritual powers that rule over a region,
their size of operation, and the forms and methods they use to influence
the people and church of that region."
Spiritual
Quest Sites
Any natural
or man-made location that facilitates spiritual investigation, ritual,
or worship. Examples include temples, mosques, sacred mountains, and metaphysical
bookstores.
stewardship
A level
of accountability with respect to resources. "Now all of Christianity
is agreeing that they were wrong about something so basic as God's first
instruction to the human race on how people should behave and act here
in the earthly world. They are saying they were wrong for two thousand
years and that now dominion has to be redefined in terms of stewardship.
This is a revolution, a theological revolution. It's a profound transformation."
(Jeremy Rifkin)
stronghold
A mindset
impregnated with hopelessness that causes us to accept as unchangeable
situations that we know are contrary to the will of God. (from Victor
Lorenzo). Ideological fortresses that exist in the mind and objective
territorial locations. They repel light and export darkness. (Otis)
synergy
The action
of a number of parts working together so that the result is greater than
the sum total of the separate action of the parts. The Church, as the
Body of Christ, is a synergistic institution.
technicism
A world
view or philosophy of life in which security is placed in human reason
and rational or logical thinking. Obedience is to the mystification of
social and technical tools. Metaphors, myths, and symbols are extensions
of the non-human world (especially machine and communication theory).
The individual is reduced to a machine, with rational explanations for
all behavior.
technological
forecasting
The forecasting
of potential future technological developments, and uses such tools as
operations research, cost-benefit analysis, systems analysis, and computer
simulation.
telecommuting
The use
of telecommunications, information technology and electronic cottages
to replace or reduce travel to a work space.
teleconferencing
Any type
of conferencing system using electronic communication channels.
time
horizon
The greatest
distance into the future to which an organization, church or individual
plans.
topology
The geometric
arrangement of nodes and links in a network. The primary topologies are
the bus, star and ring.
Toynbee
Crisis
Internal
destruction of a community or culture, in part from its failure to learn
from similar patterns of the past. So-called from Arnold Toynbee's observation
that nineteen of twenty-two great civilizations have been destroyed from
within.
transformation
A changing
of form, shape or consciousness. Futurists use it to refer to a basic
cultural paradigm change. For a Christian, if refers to the changed life
through the dunamis of the Holy Spirit.
A person
who is uniquely sensitive to how God is working in a particular region,
city, or church (Isaiah 62:6). He/she sees the vision of what God is doing
and can prophetically pray that vision into existence (see Numbers 11:10ff).
He/she then strikes as a weapon in actualizing the vision (Isaiah 49:1).
The watchman has the responsibility of communicating the vision to the
gatekeeper (2 Samuel 18:26).
weavers
Those who
can take new ideas as they are introduced and link them with existing
concepts and approaches. (Robert Theobald)
win-win
strategy
A game strategy
in which both players win, producing synergy so that both are richer.
zeitgestalt
A time-phase
or plan in which an organism forms or evolves. "All living things
have this in common: they begin to live as an organism at a definite moment,
they develop according to a very definite plan, acting and reacting to
their environment, and finally as an organism they vanish. The permanent
factor in the process - that which actually forms the personality is not
the matter out of which the organism is made; for this changes constantly
during life, as is well known. Far more characteristic of a particular
organism and the constant factor in its life is the plan according to
which it is formed and evolves - its time-phase or zeitgestalt...Each
living being has its own time-formation. (Theodor Bovet)
zero-sum
game
A game
based on win-lose models in which one person wins at the expense of another
losing. Futurists work toward designing win-win models. (see win-win
strategy)
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