The ego, which is all about self-preservation, cannot take criticism... at all. Self-critique, or honest self-examination, is necessary for growth and maturity. The Psalmist prayed, "You delight in truth in the inward being" (Psalm 51:6). The ego presents a story that often blinds us to what is actually present in our deepest thoughts and beliefs.
To self-critique, self-examine, admit fault, and humbly own up to our limits and wrongs, will mean we can "repent" (Gk. = "change our minds") from ways that are doing harm to ourselves and others, and turn to ways that are life giving and beneficial. But to the ego, self-critique feels like an intolerable threat to our identity. It has to win and be right. People generally say they want the truth, but when the truth is hard to hear, the ego screams "No!"
As Jack Nicholson famously said in the movie A Few Good Men...
"You can't handle the truth!"
We as a society seem to have a serious inability to handle self-critique. It appears we are living by the survival mechanisms of the ego/flesh on steroids. We seem way more concerned about proving ourselves right than reflecting on how we may possibly be wrong, or at least limited, in our viewpoints.
There are clear signs everywhere that we are an ego-driven, survive-rather-than-thrive culture. It's visible in our politics, religion, and social lives. It's dualistic thinking on overdrive-- either/or, black and white, us vs. them, overly simplistic thinking that makes no room for nuance or complexity or context, but relishes in blanket statements and soundbites that fit into our Twitter feeds. Social media has, in many ways, helped reduce us to these ways of thinking.
I have at times (like most of us probably have) been seduced into the dualistic thinking that ultimately reduces people into simple either/or categories, rather than complex, unique individuals made in the image of God who come from a wide variety of different backgrounds and experiences. People can't be simplified into simple either/or blanket statement categories. It is spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually lazy to do so.
Ego-driven dialogue is not motivated to actually find solutions that are good for everyone, but to simply win over the other side, because winning is everything to the ego. Again, the ego hates losing-- even to God. It feels pretty good to win an argument. It strokes the ego story and makes us feel validated and affirmed. But I think we all know that sometimes even if we win, we lose.
American Christians are sometimes the worst at fear-based ego thinking. I have heard more than enough about how we are now doomed, how our freedoms are going to suddenly disappear, how we're no longer going to be allowed to even practice Christian faith- all because of the results of an election. I hear fearful narratives all the time about how the church is losing its young people, how it’s failing in its mission, and how the nation is becoming less and less interested in a particular version of the Christian story that used to be mainstream, and how that means evil is winning. But is that the only way to interpret our present times?
It seems reasonable to me that Christians would be the ones who express an unshakable confidence in God's good plans, who are ready to rethink things when necessary (this is basic repentance), who engage in appropriate self-critique that challenges assumptions we've picked up along the way, and who continue to reimagine what God may be up to in the present time as he actively makes all things new (Rev. 21:5). Faith is not static certainty, but confidently trusting and following the One who is leading us forward into all truth (John 16:13). That means we will have to re-adjust sometimes. But rather than engaging in self-critique and listening to the prophetic tradition of the scriptures, many are simply doubling down on their right/left narratives, convinced that the other side is pure evil.
The prophets of Israel had a very specific function of critiquing their own tradition, their own people, their own identity group, and exposing idols. This practice of self-critique is unique to the Biblical tradition historically, and is crucial for any people group's survival. This was not an easy job for the prophets, for it set them up to receive all the lambasting violence of people who couldn’t handle any form of critique on their way of life. Prophets routinely exposed the idolatries of the day, which produced one of two responses: either humble repentance or angry violence. The prophets were regularly killed by mobs who couldn't hear the self-critique that laid their idols bare and exposed their sins.
Idols almost always start out as good things. I love the evolving story of the bronze snake in the Bible (see Numbers 21:4-9). What initially served as a life-saving, God-ordained gift, became an idol that had to be destroyed (2 Kings 18:4). We are tempted to do the same thing with our traditions. Something that was once life-giving and fruit-bearing for our lives easily becomes an idol that must be destroyed. Is it possible that American Christians have some idols that need to be destroyed?
Self-critique is a gift and a way forward, if we have the humility to actually hear it. Some scholars suggest Israel's ability (at least for a remnant of them) to self-critique both personally and nationally played a key role in surviving their exile to Babylon and maintaining their unique identity as a people. They had to rethink a lot of things, let go of certain expectations, and repent of previous ways of living. The words of the prophets were crucial for their survival. In the same way, Jesus followed the prophetic tradition and immediately called people to repent, to change their thinking and their current course, if they wanted to survive and receive the kingdom of God that he inaugurated in their midst. Unfortunately, many people of the time did not survive because they would not hear his critique and his warnings. They maintained their expectations and their path, which ended in horrific destruction in 70AD.
People of the time could not have imagined how different their Messiah would be than what they expected, even though he was in perfect fulfillment with the scriptures they knew. They needed a new set of lenses to reinterpret their story, and that required a willingness to let go of old assumptions and embrace the new reality unfolding before them. This can be a scary and immensely difficult thing to do- especially if we are out of practice- but Jesus is clear: we must be born again. We must become like children. We must be converted- again and again and again.
What an enormous gift it is to be able to hear prophetic self-critique and to respond, even as it grates against our established patterns, demands change, and often makes us quite uncomfortable. To despise needed critique and correction is dangerous and just plain stupid (see Prov. 6:23; 10:17; 12:1; 15:5-12). Prophetic words can really sting sometimes, but they are meant to bring rescue and salvation. Our egos are tricky, and we are easily prone to self-deception. The practice of self-critique, humble repentance, and listening to those who are different and wiser than us can counter that deception and keep us in check.
Basic humility would teach us that we don't see the whole picture, and that we can learn something from anyone, even our supposed "enemies." Political parties are not some pure, unvarnished version of the truth, but people side with them and defend them as if they are. Neither are our religious traditions or other ideologies perfect. No one gets everything right. We're human, and if we're unable to hear anyone challenge our present self-assured thinking, we'll likely dismiss it to our own folly and destruction.
No comments:
Post a Comment