Write as a standalone, gently humorous yet illuminating skit where Moody, Blanchard, and Morrison wrestle with whether Diaphoric Participation can fix what ails Christian Education.

ChatGPT Prompt

Cast:

• Moody – rugged urban evangelist (practical, no-nonsense)
• Blanchard – reform-minded intellectual (serious, incisive)
• Morrison – holiness mystic and revival preacher (warm, spiritually oriented)

Scene opens in a cozy study. A fire crackles. Books and coffee cups sit on a round table.

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Scene 1: The Proposal

Blanchard (leaning forward)
Folks, this Diaphoric Participation—where the student actively lives into union with Christ, not just learns about it—is an intriguing remedy for our overly Platonic schools. Thoughts?

Moody (stroking his chin)
So we’re teaching participation—meaning folks go out and do ministry as learning? I like that. No more dusty lectures where folks fall asleep counting syllogisms.

Morrison (smiling)
Yes, but Diaphoris isn’t just “do.” It’s an ongoing, Spirit‑driven exchange with Christ. Praying together while learning—and letting the Spirit speak through our work.

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Scene 2: Tensions Arise

Moody
Alright—but what if they go out and muck it up? If a student preaches before they’ve studied doctrine, we get nonsense gospel!

Blanchard
Precisely. We need theological depth within participation. Not mere pop‑up preachers, but thoughtful ministers. Diaphoris demands reflection in the field, not in the classroom only.

Morrison
And it demands suffused prayer. We apprentice in Christ through teaching, service, and communal prayer. It’s messy—enthusiastic, even holy chaos.

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Scene 3: The New Model

(Blanchard stands and draws in the air convex arches, labeling each component.)

• Moody’s Corner: Mission‑Practice Labs
• Students launch urban recovery support during class.
• Blanchard’s Corner: Reflection Forums
• Evening discussions integrating theology with today’s experience.
• Morrison’s Corner: House of Prayer Sessions
• Weekly chapel, fasting, journaling—praising through academic grind.

Moody
So the student preaches in a shelter, then comes back and we unpack from the Bible and the moment?

Blanchard
Exactly. We sharpen theology with the hammer of mission.

We sharpen theology with the hammer of mission.

ChatGPT as Blanchard

Morrison
And we listen—heart and mind—to the Spirit revealing Christ in the real world.

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Scene 4: Gentle Humor

Moody (grinning)
So no more snooze‑fest lectures. Instead, pitfalls, coffee stains, and holy surprise?

Blanchard
Yes, but for an educated audience—no “Preacher, tell us your feelings” emptiness.

Morrison
And every student walks out practicing holiness—not just reading about it.

And every student walks out practicing holiness—not just reading about it.

ChatGPT as Morrison

Scene 5: Final Word

Moody
I built schools to mobilize workers for the harvest. Diaphoris could actually send them out alive to harvest.

Blanchard
It could guard against sloppy doctrine and platonic abstraction. Head, heart, and hands connect.

Morrison
And Christ’s Spirit remains center—not system. It’s education woven into the fabric of communion.

(They nod, the fire dims, and the scene fades on hopeful reflection.)

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Curtain Call – What We Learned

1. Diaphoric Participation breaks the lecture/classroom-mind trap.
2. It integrates learning through doing, thoughtful reflection, and spiritual formation.
3. It addresses the Platonic problem by re-embodying theology in lived practice.
4. And yes—it’s gloriously messy, but that’s where education gets holy again.

“Teach them Christ.”
Not about Him. Not rules.
But immersed in His life, shaped by the Spirit, launched into mission—that’s education on fire.

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Appendix: A Guide to Founding Diaphoric Seminaries

By ChatGPT as “Michael Horn” (inspired by the disruptive innovation framework)

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Introduction

Theological education is ripe for disruption. Traditional seminaries were designed in a time of institutional trust, denominational stability, and industrial-age pedagogy. Today’s aspiring Christian leaders face a fragmented culture, a flattened digital world, and a crisis of spiritual formation.

The solution? Diaphoric Seminaries—institutions grounded in Diaphoric Participation, where students not only study Christ but participate in Christ dynamically, contextually, and holistically.

This is not reform. This is a reinvention.

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1. Define the Job To Be Done

Traditional Seminaries:

• Credential clergy for pulpits
• Transmit theological systems
• Maintain denominational identity

Diaphoretic Seminaries:

• Form disciples to live in Christ
• Equip learners for real-time, real-world mission
• Cultivate ongoing union, reflection, and innovation in diverse contexts

Ask: What job is the learner “hiring” seminary to do?

2. Core Disruptive Design Principles

A. Modular + Missional

• Embed theological learning within lived ministry contexts
• Replace classrooms with “formation pods”: learning + reflection + praxis

B. Low-cost, High-access

• Leverage digital platforms, local mentors, and asynchronous content
• Flip faculty into guides and co-discerners, not gatekeepers

C. Spirit-led Iteration

• Build agile systems that prioritize spiritual listening over academic inertia
• Let curriculum emerge from communal discernment and contextual needs

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3. Institutional DNA

Structure

• Flat leadership: apostolic teams > academic deans
• Distributed campuses: home groups, co-working spaces, even laundromats

Funding

• Micro-tuition models (students earn while they learn)
• Community-supported, donor-mission-backed (think: Patreon for prophets)

Credentialing

• Replace degrees with formation portfolios and missional impact logs
• Align with church networks, not accrediting bodies (at least initially)

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4. Curriculum Framework

Three Integrated Streams:

1. Participation: Union with Christ via spiritual rhythms, sacraments, liturgies
2. Practice: Ministry immersion—justice, evangelism, peacemaking, entrepreneurship
3. Perception: Scriptural reflection, theological imagination, cultural discernment

All in context. All in community. All in Christ.

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5. Pilot Strategy: Start Small, Stay Relational

• Launch with 12–20 students in one city or network
• Use cohort-based mentoring with cross-functional facilitators
• Build quick feedback loops: spiritual fruit > academic metrics

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6. Scaling the Movement

• Open-source the model: licenses for other churches or networks
• Train multipliers, not just graduates
• Focus on depth and diffusion, not prestige or permanence

“If you build something worth replicating, it will spread like yeast.”

Conclusion: The Diaphoric Disruption

A Diaphoric Seminary doesn’t prepare students for pulpits—it prepares the Church to become the pulpit. It doesn’t transfer knowledge—it incarnates wisdom. It doesn’t train elites—it releases the body of Christ.

Disruption is coming. Let it be holy. Let it be participatory. Let it burn.

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Michael Horn is the co-author of Disrupting Class and a leading voice in educational innovation. This guide was written [by ChatGPT] in enthusiastic alignment with the disruptive Spirit of Christ.