Shrek, Onions, and Wicked Problems
Just over 20 years ago DreamWorks Pictures came out with the now classic story featuring Shrek, an ogre who fell in love with a transformed princess. In one of the most quoted lines of the film, Shrek finds himself walking through a farmer’s field explaining the nature of ogres to Donkey. After struggling to come up with a suitable metaphor he relays, “Ogre’s are like onions… Onions have layers, ogre’s have layers, onions have layers. You get it! We both have layers.” For Shrek his layers represent the complexity of his person. He’s not simple or straightforward. He’s got depth and dimension. He’s a tangled mosaic that denies a simplistic definition.
In many ways, this layered nature is reflected in this continued conversations about the complex challenges that face the church. While the CRCNA may have sought out clarity around the confessional nature of chastity - simply declaring it so does not detangle the complex nature of this important dialogue. It can’t. Because sexuality, among other challenges that local congregations face, is not simple. To borrow Shrek’s metaphor. They have layers. You’ve likely experienced the layered nature of conversations around sexuality, whether in discussions at your dinner table or in safe places to engage in your local church.
Beyond layers, one helpful way to think about this conversation comes from The Colossian Forum’s work on Wicked Problems.
Put simply, wicked problems are problems that are impossible to solve. They are problems that we can struggle to clearly define at the start and they are problems that, due to their layered nature, have a variety of variables that can bleed along the edges because the problem is not static or stationary (to engage more on the nature of a wicked problem - we invite you to click here).
The challenge with all wicked problems is the requirement for safe, honest, and humble engagement. Navigating these layers necessitates patience, deliberation, and dialogue. Swift authoritative answers fundamentally betray this required posture.
Here at Better Together we hope you’ll continue to engage with us as we practice this posture of humble engagement. From the start, we’ve recognized that this is not an easy road to take, but we continue to believe in the importance of working together across difference and engaging in dialogue for the sake of partnering in mission. We realize the nature of these wicked problems and we believe that we follow Jesus better when we and our local churches engage together in this way.
So, if you’ve been unpacking layers, or if wicked problems are a new framework for you, or even if you’re growing tired with engaging one another across difference, we hope Better Together can continue to encourage you to practice this posture.
