"Soft" Power

I'm an avid Mental_Floss reader. Today I came across this article that talks about the Mercy Ships of the U.S. Navy.  Two awesome points that I like:

1.) Thinking outside our arsenal.  To quote:
After years of failing to pacify Iraq with firepower, the Pentagon decided it needed to think outside the arsenal. 
What!?  You mean having the largest military might in the world doesn't simply justify every decision we might make in the eyes of the world? Basically, rather than shoving our agenda down the throats of our neighbors, we are actually helping them.  Imagine that.  Sure, it has problems (read the article) but nothing is perfect.

I can't help but think that the Church (big C) to think of new ways to love this world besides the old "go to" ways of fixing the Church's problems... what are they you might ask?  Typically, we a.) throw money at it. b.) throw political might at it.

Both of which are strategies that have failed our Church.  We must think outside our "arsenal" and look for ways to help our neighbors.  Then maybe Christians won't have such a negative connotation in American society?  Wasn't there someone who used to talk about doing that... hmmm.... what was his name?  Je- Sorry, I digress.

2.) Imitation.  Quoting again:
Soft-power missions are sometimes messier than the Navy admits, but they still beat withholding aid until a crisis arises. And if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then soft power is a smashing success. The Dutch navy asked for American help launching its own hospital-ship mission last summer, and last June, the Chinese navy contacted the Pentagon requesting permission to send a 10-man medical team to visit the Comfort during the hospital ship’s planned visit to Colombia.
It's contagious.  Other nations are doing it. What's that?  The DUTCH are asking for help with a naval pursuit?  You know they basically invented the modern idea of corporations, sea-faring enterprises (see this). And what else!?  The CHINESE are asking for how to do it.  Does that not blow your mind?  We Christians have been copied in lots of ways in the past... here's hoping folks can copy what we do, again (as opposed to us co-opting what is found outside the church).

Soft power ain't so soft, is it?  Oh... his name is Jesus.

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