The niceties of Christian culture have rendered delicate little boys and girls who tippy-toe politely in and out of service, thinking our discerning thoughts and praying against them in the same breath. Being nice, kind, gentle, good, understanding, and inclusive have morphed into passivity, silent resentment, insecurity, blindness, permissiveness, enabling postures, on the one hand. And those wielding the truth form a following -in their image- speaking accusation, absolutes, and wisdom in a pejorative tone that is effectively marked because the stamp of minister, leader, or elder has become synonymous with priest or prophet.
In the Old Testament, the phrase "man of God" refers to David, Samuel, angels -prophets and messengers directly in conference with Yahweh, whose words from and about the Lord were as fire dancing on their tongues. The Spirit spoke through their words to Israel. And still these men were, at times, criticized, rebuked, physically, mentally, and relationally punished and ostracized for their words --these holy words that were spoken with trepidation, fear, and reluctance.
How different are our religious gatherings, when hundreds or thousands gather with acquiescence before one man, one church's, one denomination's absolutes and prettily write them down, then leave to do them.
As I write this, I seek for exceptions and hear the following oppositions: 1. Ministers seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit and often act as men of God with his word dancing upon their tongues -some do, yes. 2. Many do not presume to speak with such authority -and yet, because of the culture, the layout of a speaker and listeners bound up with notoriety, popularity, image, and power that bind American culture, regardless of intent, the position is received in a way that culture has determined unless it is specified, without question, otherwise. 3. Pastors are human and receive so much grief, criticism, and unjust attack upon their person for humbly trying to serve people. I do realize this. Hot-headed, unkind, selfish people will string criticism without thought. This kind of attack is a byproduct of employment, whether it comes from unsatisfied customers, hard-to-please employers, or know-it-all church members, some criticism will always need to be rebuffed, but not spoken against so as to elevate the church as beyond reproach from people of discerning tact and spiritual insight. The body is one, and each member has unique insight that must be utilized or incorporated -to deny or suppress vocalized insight because it may sting is crippling to the body -all at the expense of a pastor's emotions?
Why is accountability and discernment important? Precisely because it is offensive!
Because criticism is cast negatively, is received as an attack, is cast as unkind bitter resentment, there is clearly an error - a human error revealed, that we take ourselves and our ideas much too absolutely. To be offended that a person's opinion differs from one's presumes that the original idea is flawless. That one is surprised or offended by correction from a husband or wife, friend, parishioner, or coworker indicates that he had believed his idea or position to be without fault. Which further indicates that he has not thought his idea or position beyond the initial inception. He is infatuated with his idea, coddles and wraps it so benevolently, and doesn't do himself the service of THINKING, analytically probing the position to identify flaws, exceptions, or conditions under which the absolute might not hold strong. This lack of thought become his only failing, because he has set himself up for criticism, which is now cast as negative because it offends his pretty ideal rather than cultivates and strengthens it to move from absolute ideal to relevant insight.
Some people are naturally thoughtful, processing ideas through mental exercises of wit and dialectical mobility. These individuals embrace criticism as a friend, employing it themselves against their own insights. They rarely wound, and see those with bold wit as confidants and their closest allies -what would it benefit to see your husband or wife in this light?
If we instead chastise discerning wisdom as offensive, unkind, disrespectful, and unwanted, then we choke out the gifts of discernment, wisdom, and prophetic insight, reducing our faith leaders and Western Christians to bigots, absolutes, and non-thinking idealists.
-I re-crafted Kierkegaard's insight in Concluding Unscientific Postscript to Philosophical Fragments (Hong 17-18).
No comments:
Post a Comment