Noted public theologian Stanley Hauerwas asked a provocative question: true or false, you can only act within the world in which you see? We answer this question in a resoundingly affirmative way—yes—you can only act within the world in which you see. The next, and, perhaps more important question from an LF perspective is this: how do you see?
The answer to that question changes everything.
Tellingly, Joseph Campbell helps answer the question of how you see by stating the following: “if you want to change the world, change your metaphor.”
It is this metaphor of conversion that informs the LF charism (God’s particular gift to us as an organization) and shapes every action from relationships to resources — seeing the city as God’s playground rather than a battleground.
Initially given to Rev. Dr. Samuel Shoemaker in Pittsburgh in 1962, this charism was then passed on to the founder of the Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation and first president of the LF Global Network, Reid Carpenter.
As a result of their faithful commitment to the LF charism, it has now echoed down through the decades to the 40+ LF affiliates throughout the world.
Seeing the city as a playground changes three critical realities that will both form and inform the kind of work you can do going forward:
- Theologically, "City as Playground" posits that God is a friend of the city rather than a foe, that God is the animator of the urban reality of the 21st century.
- Sociologically, "City as Playground" argues that your neighbor is a colleague rather than a competitor, that relationally accompanying people is the only way to truly heal a city.
- Economically, "City as Playground" imagines that we live in a place of abundance rather than scarcity. That there is, in fact, enough for all.
Extending the metaphor: cities do not come to us as ready-made playgrounds. They must be cultivated into playgrounds. Decisions and determinations need to be made about where the slides, sandboxes, and swing sets are located.
LF’s wheel of change is the method through which the city becomes God’s playground. Faithfully applied, the wheel of change has proven to make a permanent impact in helping cities become more like God’s playground.
