“David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.”
1 Samuel 17:49
We all have a special place in our hearts for underdogs.
Whether it’s Susan Boyle or a slumdog millionnaire most of us relish the chance to see the underdog beat the odds and do the unexpected. Perhaps it’s because we like to fuel hope for our own dreams and aspirations, which we may view as equally far-fetched.
However, current research suggests that underdogs not only win more than we think they do, but when they are savvy and play to their strengths they actually win most of the time.
A political scientist named Ivan Arreguin-Toft recently analyzed every war in the last 200 years involving conflicts in which one side was at least ten times as powerful (in terms of armed might and population) and found that the underdog lost 71.5% of the time. However that means the underdog also won 28.5% - or almost one third of the time. (How David Beats Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell, The New Yorker, 5/11/09)
This means that the story of David and Goliath, which we recently heard in church and widely regard as an anomaly, really isn’t that abnormal after all when we analyze what David did – what underdogs do – to gain the upper hand.
As we all know the Philistines, who were camped out across from the Israelites, sent their top warrior, the gargantuan Goliath, out to challenge the Hebrews. Intimidated and frightened by this giant none of the seasoned warriors, who fully accepted the ground rules of the engagement, that the strongest, mightiest would win, would take up the challenge. However David, who was new to the battlefield and refused to accept the ground rules of traditional military engagement, was chomping at the bit to take on Goliath. Not only did he see the opposition differently, but David also differed in the way he assessed the challenge.
While everyone else tallied their weaknesses (we’re not big enough, we’re not strong enough…) David tallied his strengths – he was small, nimble, and able to use a slingshot with amazing precision. Indeed, when underdogs are able to acknowledge their weaknesses and choose an unconventional strategy, Arreguin-Toft’s research sends David’s winning percentage from 28.5% to 63.6%. What’s more, David also looked at his past victories, as a shepherd fending off bears and lions from his sheep. And, of course, most importantly, David had the confidence of God’s calling and presence with him. David’s enthusiasm lines up in stark contrast to the fear and cowering of his colleagues’ as he goes out and slays the mighty Goliath.
Today, we have many Goliaths.
And we see ourselves as underdogs in many ways.
Many people regard Middle Class Americans as underdogs (America’s Middle Class Still Losing Ground, Center on American Progress, 7/30/08), Detroiters as underdogs (Detroit’s Beautiful, Horrible Decline, TIME Magazine, 2/26/09), and, of course, mainline Protestantism as an underdog (Protestants Close to Losing Majority Status, Amy Green, RNS, 2/25/08 [Pew Research]). But slaying Goliath is not nearly as difficult as we may suspect. When we play to our strengths, look at our past victories and remind ourselves that God’s calling and presence are with us we are able to overcome far more than we might think.
We are building our underdog church, for example, the same way.
We are not hiring a rock band, tearing out our pews, installing a dozen big screen monitors or putting in a coffee bar (OK, that last idea is not a bad one). It’s not that we have anything against these things, it’s that we are playing to our strengths. We are determining our own rules of engagement and building on St. David’s time-tested foundation of worship, service, inclusion, discipleship, hospitality and a family atmosphere. We are reminding ourselves of God’s call, not to be someone else, but to be who we are called to be, knowing that the Risen Christ is right beside us, leading and guiding his church, as he has promised.
To broaden the question we might apply some of these principles to our own lives. What are the Goliaths we now face?
How might we re-access our strategies by looking at our strengths, not our shortcomings? How might our past successes fuel us? And how might God’s assurances of presence and call help us take on the Goliaths that we face this summer? In doing so we might find we are more powerful than we might think.
Reading…
Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell
Q & A – Vikas Swarup
How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth – Gordon Fee
