Fifth column

by Joe Noland

The term “Fifth Column” suggests disloyalty, secretiveness and something sinister. I like the positive, perceptive spin Gordon Cotterill puts on it in a post titled, The Salvation Army’s Fifth Column (June 21, 2008). I also reference it in one of my previous posts, “Jesus Movement” (June 12, 2008).

Gordon writes, in part:

“For a fifth column to succeed it doesn’t necessarily look like the culture it is loyal to. Invariably it looks very different. The French Resistance would have been foolhardy to wear the official badge and uniform of the French army. I wonder about TSA and its fifth column; occupying their place on the margins they may look different; they may not be officers; they may not wear uniform; they may not even be soldiers. They seem to occupy a place of chaos where creativity can emerge. For those willing to look and support, the Fifth Column offers a critical sense of creativity and in that creativity a critical sense of survival.”

“Ben Elton’s Blind Faith wasn’t that well a written novel for me, however he concludes his fascinating concept with a quote that we need to remember.”

“‘For no society based on nothing more constructive than fear and brutish ignorance could survive for ever. No people who raised up the least inventive, the least challenging, the least interesting of their number while crushing individual curiosity and endeavour could prosper for long.’”

“I worry when those I respect and gain much from are pushed from their position within the TSAs Fifth Column into either a bland conformity or into giving up entirely.”

Well said, Gordon. I have watched this reverse metamorphosis occur time and again through the years. In many ways this relates closely to my last post, Proof! | Envisioning the Future. My contemporary take on this “TSA Fifth Column” phenomenon can be found in the following excerpt from that “Jesus Movement” post referenced above:

“Thus it has been with uprisings (Fifth Columns), now and again, only to be silenced by a frightened majority, and its losses moving on to those other pastures. I’ve watched this phenomenon closely because it’s something that intrigues and resonates with me. Sitting on the sidelines now, I’m talking, looking and listening. There is a new column forming and emerging out there, seemingly more savvy than those of preceding generations. Fear no longer has the same grip it once had. Instead of leaving for other pastures, they are persisting. Instead of conforming, they are integrating, savvy-wise, without compromise. They are making their voices heard and their thinking felt in spite of conventional pressures otherwise. They are willing to sacrifice for a cause that is just as much theirs as anyone else, albeit more contemporary in its “new dispensational” style and approach. They will not be suppressed nor driven away. There is hope on the horizon.

I wonder, was the original first-century Jesus Movement a “Fifth Column?” Put that to the test in light of the above paragraph.

Writer: Commissioner Joe Noland’s ministry can be summed up in three words: chaos, creativity and controversy - three elements implicit in any successful innovative endeavor. Cecil B. DeMille, renowned producer of Biblical epics, once wrote, “Creativity is a drug I cannot live without.” Joe’s mantra reads, “Creativity is my drug of choice.”  Access Joe Noland’s complete bio, among other things, by clicking into his website.

4 Comments to Fifth column

1. I wonder whether the Army’s Fifth Column is about tearing down that which the monument that the Army has become in the West that discourages anything that doesn’t fit in with certain people’s demands. Maybe ‘destroying’ some of the traditions is the only way the Army can actually be remade into what it was supposed to be?
Graeme Smith on June 7th, 2009

2. Graeme — I like the thought… can I suggest a “slight” rewording of the question? :o)

   Maybe ‘destroying’ some of the traditions is the only way the Army can actually be remade into what God’s purpose for it is in 2009 and beyond?

   My thought here is less about focusing on the disagreements at hand (the very fact that we have these type of conversations means we’re not all in agreement and working on the front lines towards that agreement)… and more on where we ARE going.

   Again (as I’ve shared in other areas)… we as humans are bound to a half dimension of time: we can only move forward. Thus is not about “what it was supposed to be?” and it IS about “what CAN we become?”

   Thanks for your encouragement!!

   imMEDIAtely yours,

   Errin Hogan
Errin Hogan on June 11th, 2009

3. All depends on whether we believe our purpose has changed. You see I don’t believe it has and that we need to remain true to what God called us into being to do! But I take the point!
Graeme Smith on June 11th, 2009

4. GREAT INSIGHT… our purpose.

   I do agree with you here… maybe a better phrase is how our purpose is fulfilled / expressed?
Errin Hogan on June 11th, 2009

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