Frame 2: The sermon. With a Bible in one hand, the pastor proclaims, “…and we know this is true because God said it to us in his Word!” Again, the churchgoing man whispers to his wife, “You know, we can’t even be sure that exact line was in Paul’s original letter.” Her face shows the beginnings of a frown.
Frame 3: The churchgoing man now is in heaven. He is touring the New Jerusalem Museum of Original Manuscripts. A placard on the wall tells us he is reading the original text of Romans. His finger traces the words of chapter 1, verse 29—“They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, cynicism, skepticism, and malice.”
“Cynicism… skepticism,” he thinks with a guilty look on his face, “I’m sure glad those got lost in translation!”
Off to the side, his (former) wife is talking to Paul. “Why did that not make it into our Bibles?” she asks.
“Something about not testing us beyond what we could bear,” the apostle replies.
*************
I’ll admit that all blog posts are slightly autobiographical if you’ll admit that this is one of the constant struggles of serving in the church. We spend so much time around the work of God that we risk losing the wonder and a sense of the holiness of it all.
There are myriad ways to combat cynicism. I think we need to recover the ability to laugh about it (note: I did not say we should laugh at each other). Cynicism is pitiful—a bad attitude masquerading as thoughtful elitism. But it’s a poisonous defense mechanism. It gives Satan a huge foothold at the highest levels of church leadership.
If laughing at it will help us to admit the truth—that we’re tempted to deny the holiness of the things we deal in, and even though we continue to struggle, we know that cynicism is ridiculous—then may our churches be filled with laughter.
How do you combat cynicism and skepticism?
Chris attends College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, where he has served as a small-group leader, a short-term missions trip leader, a Sunday school teacher, and as a ministry intern. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biblical and theological studies from Wheaton College.
Chris collects books, and he has a growing collection of theologians whose last names start with B (Bonhoeffer, Barth, Bornkamm). He loves tennis and cooking. He is trying to love running. He lives with the perpetual hope that the Bears will win the next Super Bowl and the Cubs will win the next World Series.
Chris and his wife, Stephanie, live in Wheaton, Illinois.
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Comments
"Cynicism is [...] a bad attitude masquerading as thoughtful elitism."
your words have pierced my heart. thank you and bless you.
Posted by: Anonymous | March 12, 2008 9:23 AM
I appreciate your insights...i have been a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs for all my life. But after 40 years of waiting for them to win the Stanley Cup, or win anything for that matter, i have discovered that I, like most Maple Leaf fans are somewhat cynical and skeptical.
The seats in the arena are full! The cheers for each goal are genuine as far as we can tell. But the overall attitude is one of skepticism. There is a whole culture of Toronto Maple Leaf jokes! How many Maple Leaf fans does it take to change a light bulb? Ten! One to change the bulb, and nine to reminisce about how good the old bulb was!
See what i mean? But i also discovered that there is a skeptical Christian community as well! Perhaps it is because we have waited too long for victory? Or perhaps we expected a 'different' Saviour? Or perhaps the pastor or church hasn't lived up to our standards?
Lord, heal our expectations as we surrender them to You. And grant us a willing spirit to sustain us.
Posted by: Rusty Crozier | March 13, 2008 6:38 AM