The fall 2012 issue of The City includes a review of the book Twilight of the Elites:America after Meritocracy. The reviewer, Walter Russell Mead of Bard College, finds himself not as far left as the author but agrees with the author that the idea of rule by 'the best and brightest' doesn't work out the way we hoped it would. Jefferson thought that this would be a 'natural aristocracy' and would be the democratic alternative to the European inherited-aristocracy approach. The book points out that this natural aristocracy may not be as democratic as he hoped.
One key reason for this, according to both the book and the reviewer, is arrogance. The reviewer summarizes this point from the book like this: 'The new elites don't feel guilty about their power; they didn't inherit it. They earned it. They are smarter than everybody else and they deserve to rule---and in their own minds at least, they also deserve the perks that power brings. Money, fame, access: bring it on.'
This kind of arrogance strikes me as part of what I find so loathsome in the political left. As the reviewer above points out, there have been mostly 2 groups in the left: the populists and the social technocrats. The populists have tended to be working class or agrarian 'little people' who felt a need to band together against the 'monopolists' like Rockefeller, Morgan, and Carnegie, while the technocrats tend to be upper middle class or upper class reformers (many of them in the university). It is the technocrats that end up as the 'meritocracy'. The 'little people' don't seem to recognize the disdain in which they are held by these technocrats. I have said before that some of my extended family who grew up during the Great Depression seem to still be voting for Roosevelt, and they are to my mind in this 'little people' populist stream who do not see how their values have been abandoned by the meritocracy. The arrogance of the success of these technocrats along with the power that has resulted from their success at being 'the best and brightest' demonstrates that, as always, 'power corrupts'.
The review does not mention this but there is a similar arrogance on the political right, by those who earned their success in business rather than in the government meritocracy. Just as political elites feel no guilt about their power, these feel no guilt about their wealth. They earned it, they worked hard for it, they didn't inherit it, so bring it on! This is a different kind of 'meritocracy', one based on hard work and entrepreneurship rather than education and political savvy. I also find this kind of 'self-made man' attitude disgusting, and I have seen it too often in business executives.
These 2 forms of arrogance, one on the political left and the other on the political right, seem to be two sides of the same coin. That coin is arrogance based on the idea that we are the prime mover in life. The left hurls accusations at the business world that they 'did not do it' (in Obama's recent words); the right hurls accusations at the government technocrats for ever more efforts to remove freedom of decisions from the legislatures or individuals and into bureaucracies. Both sides have a point, but both sides are guilty of similar sorts of arrogance. Both kinds of arrogance have been all too visible in the current presidential campaign. Both are a danger to anyone seeking to follow Christ.
'Blessed are the poor in spirit' says Matt. 5:3; 'I am gentle and humble in heart' says Jesus in Matt.11:29. Humility displaces arrogance. The reviewer above, in discussing the arrogance problem, points out that Thomas Aquinas noted that in the light of God's presence everything he had ever written was so much straw. Humility is based on recognizing the truth that God doesn't think any of us is all that smart, and the difference between the greatest and the least of us is quite small from His perspective. None of us has room for arrogance in God's presence, and that should enable us to see how very equal we are from His point of view. Humility is not based on some greatness of attitude on our part, but rather is based on the truth of how small we are compared to our Creator.
Were we to recognize how small our differences are from God's viewpoint it would be a great equalizer and a great unifier. Unity demands humility. Our nation is very divided currently. The sin of arrogance on both sides of the political divide strikes me as a big part of the problem.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
An Introvert's view of Evangelism
I wrote recently about introversion and extroversion and how much of the church, as well as our current modern culture, holds extroversion as an ideal. As a result much of the teaching on evangelism is tilted towards an extrovert's point of view and with an emphasis on using a salesman's approach. Much of what is taught about witnessing is structured around making a pitch, asking for the sale, and closing the sale. For instance, you talk through the 4 points of the Four Spiritual Laws or a similar outline, ask if they are ready to make a commitment, and if they are ready then you jointly do a prayer of commitment with the person and set up a follow-up time. This sometimes works out well for someone who has already been prepared by the Spirit, but other times it is not so appropriate and can be quite awkward at times. When it is done as a 'cold call' (again, the language of salesmanship) it is very often awkward and unfruitful and at times drives people away. So, I feel one has to be very sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit on this to back off when it should be backed off. I also think that introverts object to this kind of approach far more than extroverts.
Many folks who are focused on evangelism find this line of thought offensive themselves. They consider it a requirement to present the whole gospel as often as possible with little regard for whether they drive people away by their method. If the gospel is offensive, so be it, they reason; people took offense at Jesus, too. There is some validity to this in that we should be looking for those whom God has prepared to hear, and be ready to present Christ when that occasion arises. However, a great many who take this 'salesmanship' approach do not realize how many other Believers also find them to be offensive. They are more concerned about fulfilling their perceived obligation than in actually furthering the gospel message. Nor do they often realize how a sales approach by its very nature causes people to distrust them.
This is because to many folks, including me, any salesman is immediately suspect. The basic motivation of any salesman is to sell as much as he can and to maximize his earnings. In a case of a commissioned salesman, his goal is to maximize his commission. That makes his goal automatically in conflict with his customer to a large degree since his customer seeks to pay the lowest price he can for what he wants. You tend not to trust someone who is trying to empty your wallet! I think that introverts in particular distrust salesmen, especially if they are very pushy in trying to 'close the sale'.
While someones acceptance of the gospel is not a commission, it is nonetheless true that some try to earn 'rewards' in heaven by doing evangelism, and some gain personal satisfaction in 'winning' as if it were a game or competition. While these are not monetary payoffs, they can be emotional payoffs, and cause for the person to whom they witness to distrust them. Introverts in particular rarely will make a spur of the moment decision on something this important, requiring time to ponder and analyze it, as well as understand and learn about it. Being pushed by a salesman trying to close the sale is quite irritating to them as a result. At some point, after they have examined it, it is fine to ask for a decision, but not too quickly.
As a result, I think that a great many introverts find this kind of sales approach to the gospel to be demeaning to the gospel. In the first place many introverts will reject both the salesman and his message when pushed for a sale when they are not ready for that. Then there is also the fact that this sales approach often results in a partial understanding of the gospel that is really just 'cheap grace'. I think the sales approach to the gospel has strongly contributed to the idea that many folks seem to have that being a Christian consists simply of praying some simple prayer and then continuing to live your life the same way you always did.
This is not to say that never asking for a decision is OK. Most of us introverts still have to 'step up' to make the point that a personal decision is necessary. And it is still important to bring up the subject of the gospel and not just depend on our lives to be the witness. Explanation is still needed. But it does not make sense to me to essentially demand that somehow introverts must become extroverts in order to be 'good Christians'. There is more than one way to spread the gospel.
So, I think that true conversion requires a fundamental change of heart, and most introverts will not make that kind of decision in a sales-call situation. Most will distrust the salesman too much, and most will require time and thought to consider it fully. Extroverts may be more open to a sales approach just as they are also more open to being salesmen themselves than introverts are. However, even they need to be careful of avoiding a 'cheap grace' approach to the gospel.
Many folks who are focused on evangelism find this line of thought offensive themselves. They consider it a requirement to present the whole gospel as often as possible with little regard for whether they drive people away by their method. If the gospel is offensive, so be it, they reason; people took offense at Jesus, too. There is some validity to this in that we should be looking for those whom God has prepared to hear, and be ready to present Christ when that occasion arises. However, a great many who take this 'salesmanship' approach do not realize how many other Believers also find them to be offensive. They are more concerned about fulfilling their perceived obligation than in actually furthering the gospel message. Nor do they often realize how a sales approach by its very nature causes people to distrust them.
This is because to many folks, including me, any salesman is immediately suspect. The basic motivation of any salesman is to sell as much as he can and to maximize his earnings. In a case of a commissioned salesman, his goal is to maximize his commission. That makes his goal automatically in conflict with his customer to a large degree since his customer seeks to pay the lowest price he can for what he wants. You tend not to trust someone who is trying to empty your wallet! I think that introverts in particular distrust salesmen, especially if they are very pushy in trying to 'close the sale'.
While someones acceptance of the gospel is not a commission, it is nonetheless true that some try to earn 'rewards' in heaven by doing evangelism, and some gain personal satisfaction in 'winning' as if it were a game or competition. While these are not monetary payoffs, they can be emotional payoffs, and cause for the person to whom they witness to distrust them. Introverts in particular rarely will make a spur of the moment decision on something this important, requiring time to ponder and analyze it, as well as understand and learn about it. Being pushed by a salesman trying to close the sale is quite irritating to them as a result. At some point, after they have examined it, it is fine to ask for a decision, but not too quickly.
As a result, I think that a great many introverts find this kind of sales approach to the gospel to be demeaning to the gospel. In the first place many introverts will reject both the salesman and his message when pushed for a sale when they are not ready for that. Then there is also the fact that this sales approach often results in a partial understanding of the gospel that is really just 'cheap grace'. I think the sales approach to the gospel has strongly contributed to the idea that many folks seem to have that being a Christian consists simply of praying some simple prayer and then continuing to live your life the same way you always did.
This is not to say that never asking for a decision is OK. Most of us introverts still have to 'step up' to make the point that a personal decision is necessary. And it is still important to bring up the subject of the gospel and not just depend on our lives to be the witness. Explanation is still needed. But it does not make sense to me to essentially demand that somehow introverts must become extroverts in order to be 'good Christians'. There is more than one way to spread the gospel.
So, I think that true conversion requires a fundamental change of heart, and most introverts will not make that kind of decision in a sales-call situation. Most will distrust the salesman too much, and most will require time and thought to consider it fully. Extroverts may be more open to a sales approach just as they are also more open to being salesmen themselves than introverts are. However, even they need to be careful of avoiding a 'cheap grace' approach to the gospel.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
The passing of a generation
My parents are both from large families, one having 10 siblings and the other 12. My father died 8 years ago and last week was the funeral of one of his sisters; of the 11 children just one remains alive now. My mother's sister passed away later during the night after the funeral home visitation for my dad's sister. My mom is one of 13 (13 that lived; another 5 died in infancy or were stillborn) but now 5 of the 13 have passed and many of the others are in poor health. The generation of my parents is rapidly passing away.
This is yet another season of life it seems. We have been hearing about the veterans from World War 2 and how they all will soon be gone. My dad was one of those, having gone from Normandy to Berlin during WWII. Still, seeing so many in our extended family confront death does give pause to consider this season of life. When I finished college it seemed like everyone was getting married and there were tons of weddings to attend. A few years later there were babies being born to so many folks that it was hard to keep up with all the new babies among friends and relatives. Now it seems there is another season, a sadder one that contains too many funerals.
As I have been looking back on the lives of my parents and their siblings I am reminded of what they lived through. They grew up in the Great Depression and then World War II. Their stories of what that was like formed the backdrop for much of what they sought to impress upon me and my generation about the value of work, the value of money, the importance of pulling together when things are hard, and about faith in the midst of trial and hardship. I vividly recall sitting as child in my grandparents living room around the pot-bellied stove listening to the adults talk about the Depression, the war, the things they did to get by like trapping for furs, fishing and hunting to supply meat for the table, and the various trials and adventures of living on a farm in the Depression and during the rationing of the war. Yes, as in the John Denver song about 'Grandma's Feather-bed' they would also 'spit and chew' (King Bee twist tobacco was the chew of choice for my grandparents, as I recall). They wanted to spare us, their children, from those kinds of hardships but still hoped we would learn to share their values that were learned through that experience. In our family at least, the family itself was also highly valued and through our growing up my parents and their siblings made sure we often had reunions for the extended family to be together. For many years when a large group lived in the same area near Cincinnati we often had 3 or 4 reunion events every summer at Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day and Christmas. Many of my mom's brothers boarded with us for a while after finishing high school while they found a job and 'got on their feet', as they moved from the farm to the city to find work. That is what family was for.
The family is more scattered now in differing locations; reunions are rare; the kind of closeness we experienced as I grew up in the extended family seems to be a thing of the past. The funerals this past week reminded me of all that. Our busy lives seem to have less time for family, especially extended family. I don't know if that can be re-instituted but I do feel we have lost something. As these family members pass I pause to remember how they were an important part of my life and the life of our whole extended family. They will be missed by many of us. Their legacy remains in the lives they touched.
This is yet another season of life it seems. We have been hearing about the veterans from World War 2 and how they all will soon be gone. My dad was one of those, having gone from Normandy to Berlin during WWII. Still, seeing so many in our extended family confront death does give pause to consider this season of life. When I finished college it seemed like everyone was getting married and there were tons of weddings to attend. A few years later there were babies being born to so many folks that it was hard to keep up with all the new babies among friends and relatives. Now it seems there is another season, a sadder one that contains too many funerals.
As I have been looking back on the lives of my parents and their siblings I am reminded of what they lived through. They grew up in the Great Depression and then World War II. Their stories of what that was like formed the backdrop for much of what they sought to impress upon me and my generation about the value of work, the value of money, the importance of pulling together when things are hard, and about faith in the midst of trial and hardship. I vividly recall sitting as child in my grandparents living room around the pot-bellied stove listening to the adults talk about the Depression, the war, the things they did to get by like trapping for furs, fishing and hunting to supply meat for the table, and the various trials and adventures of living on a farm in the Depression and during the rationing of the war. Yes, as in the John Denver song about 'Grandma's Feather-bed' they would also 'spit and chew' (King Bee twist tobacco was the chew of choice for my grandparents, as I recall). They wanted to spare us, their children, from those kinds of hardships but still hoped we would learn to share their values that were learned through that experience. In our family at least, the family itself was also highly valued and through our growing up my parents and their siblings made sure we often had reunions for the extended family to be together. For many years when a large group lived in the same area near Cincinnati we often had 3 or 4 reunion events every summer at Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day and Christmas. Many of my mom's brothers boarded with us for a while after finishing high school while they found a job and 'got on their feet', as they moved from the farm to the city to find work. That is what family was for.
The family is more scattered now in differing locations; reunions are rare; the kind of closeness we experienced as I grew up in the extended family seems to be a thing of the past. The funerals this past week reminded me of all that. Our busy lives seem to have less time for family, especially extended family. I don't know if that can be re-instituted but I do feel we have lost something. As these family members pass I pause to remember how they were an important part of my life and the life of our whole extended family. They will be missed by many of us. Their legacy remains in the lives they touched.
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