Introduction
Originally, a maverick was a wild, untamed horse, not a conforming part of a herd. In the entertainment industry, a maverick is a character who bucks established traditions, the orthodox methods of the crowd. There is an importance for mavericks in entertainment.
Mavericks in Entertainment
Mannix was such a TV show in the late 1960s-early ’70s. Private investigator Joe Mannix first worked for a detective agency known as Intertect, which relied heavily on computers and a large network of operatives. Mannix had many confrontations with his boss for his unorthodox, hands-on methods. Establishing his own detective agency, Joe had many brutal confrontations with the villains of each episode.
Then there was Maverick of Top Gun. An instinctive, seat-of- the-pants naval aviator, Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, challenged Navy fighter doctrine. At Miramar (Top Gun) fighter school, he learned better fighter tactics AND to become a team player.
In The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, based on WWII Operation Postmaster, an unconventional crew of British men worked with a Jewish actress and the black owner of an entertainment establishment in Equatorial Guinea. They managed to disrupt Nazi supplies to U-boats in the North Atlantic which had been strangling convoys trying to supply food and soldiers from the U.S. Not only the Germans but the British navy tried to stop this secret mission.
Finally, all of the Marvel superheroes used their unique powers to confound orthodox authorities and to save the day individually and as a coordinated group. They were nearly destroyed fighting each other over differences in philosophy concerning submission to the U.S. government.
Kingdom’s Need for Mavericks AND Group Cohesion
The Creator made each person an individual with unique gifts, a unique purpose. Loyalty to the group is important for cohesiveness. The divisiveness of the many Protestant denominations and non- denominational churches inhibits the effectiveness of God’s people on the Earth.
On the other hand, honor and respect for individual callings and gifts are essential. We must allow God to use people with their differences. We must allow Holy Spirit to work through different techniques, not formulas of procedures.
Jesus healed many people, but on those occasions recorded in the Good News narratives, He never did it the same way twice. He said, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. (John 5:19).”
This principle became important for the British Royal Navy during WWII. Their convoy protection tactics from the First World War didn’t work. As explained in the YouTube documentary, How Teenage Girls With Chalk Beat Nazi U-Boats,
9:17 The innovation wasn’t technology. It was permission.
9:23 Permission for junior officers to act on initiative.
9:27 Permission to abandon the rigid command hierarchy (emphasis mine) that let U-boats exploit hesitation.
13:17 Tactics that worked last month were obsolete this month. Rigid adherence to doctrine would get you killed.
13:29 Initiative, speed, and coordination were everything.
Application
Every group of believers has to have routines and customs for how they worship and commune together. These promote group cohesiveness. However, each believer has been given a unique purpose and unique set of gifts for that person’s work in society.
Group leaders must balance sticking to group customs for the sake of cohesion against the unconventional methods of the individual at work by the Spirit. Simon, the anti- Roman Zealot, needed to work together with Matthew, the tax collecting collaborator.
According to The Chosen TV show, all the sociable disciples had to learn to love and honor the socially inept Matthew. They had to forgive and support Mary Magdalene after she backslid into fear and drunkenness.