Self-image and spirituality

We have often heard that self-image and self-confidence are just the world's substitute for trusting God. News flash: it's not true.

Yes, self-confidence can be misused as a very poor substitute for faith. But there's much more to it than that. How can a young lady trust God when deep down, she is privately convinced that she is simply not worth being loved by God or anyone else? What good does it do to tell a young man to trust God when, in the deepest recesses of his soul, he senses that he is rejected and valueless? How can I trust God to take care of me if I'm privately certain that I'm simply not worth being taken care of?

I don't know if this has been prevalent throughout church history, but it's a real problem in today's church. While I am not a great fan of a lot of contemporary Christian music, CCM is often more in touch with the Christian world today than many churches are. They have to be, in order to write and perform music that resonates with Christians, especially young Christians. And there is a lot of CCM that talks about struggling with feelings of worthlessness and being unloved.

There's a girl in the corner 

With tear stains on her eyes 

From the places she's wandered 

And the shame she can't hide 

She says, "How did I get here? 

I'm not who I once was. 

And I'm crippled by the fear 

That I've fallen too far to love" 

Well she tries to believe it 

That she's been given new life 

But she can't shake the feeling 

That it's not true tonight 

She knows all the answers 

And she's rehearsed all the lines 

And so she'll try to do better 

But then she's too weak to try 

     from "You Are More" by Tenth Avenue North

Setting aside the anecdotes and lyrics, though, is the idea of having a good self-image Scriptural? The fact is that Scripture warns us repeatedly against taking too high a view of ourselves. For example, one should not "think more highly of himself than he ought to" (Rom 12:3); "everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD" (Prov 16:5). And there are many more such passages. Throughout history, the usual problem has been that people's self-image has been too inflated.

But there is another side to it. Romans 12:3 (quoted above) also tells us to "think [of ourselves] soberly." (The word "soberly" here means "realistically" or "honestly.") And Hebrews 11:6 says, "He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." So when a person's self-image makes it difficult to believe that God would reward them for seeking Him, that is a huge problem spiritually. I've recently come to realize that often people seeking God during altar services are struggling with issues related to their self-image.

If the best we have to offer is some platitude like "get your eyes off yourself and onto God," the battle is lost before it's begun. We are dealing with very deep issues here, and they take time. But there are ways to offer real help.

First, encourage the seeker to trust God in spite of their conviction that they aren't worth His help. It's hard, but it's possible. And that is where they have to start. God knows the struggle they are having deep in their soul, and He'll walk them through it step by step.

Second, work to create and maintain an atmosphere of acceptance and caring. Because, like it or not, God uses us. God communicates His love through you and me. That means that if we want people to experience God's love, we have to show that love in very practical ways. Frankly, that sounds more difficult - and more touchy-feely - than it is.

• It's just being genuinely connected with one another.

• It's actually listening to people.

• It's caring, and letting others know that you care.
• It's taking time to talk with the kid that no one hangs around.
• It's a text saying "I'm praying for you" to the friend who is going through a rough time.
• It doesn't have to be extensive or time-consuming, but it does have to be consistent and sincere.

Third, realize that you do not know who is in the middle of this struggle. It could be the shy withdrawn girl, or it could be the popular guy whom that everyone looks up to. That means we have to be there for everyone around us. And (surprise, surprise) that's exactly what Scripture says we should do anyway. It's called "fellowship," koinonia, sharing life. And it's how the Christian life is supposed to work every day.

Why the death of postmodernism is the opportunity of a lifetime.

Postmodernism is officially dead, and its passing presents one of the rare times in history when the culture is actively seeking what the church can offer.

After reading this article on the death of postmodernism, I began mulling over how the flow of culture has shaped the church. It occurred to me that the changing culture has presented the church with an opportunity it hasn't had for at least a century. (I also realized that the traditional conservative church is a modern entity. That may be a surprise - after all, we pride ourselves - with great humility, of course - on being "old-fashioned." But historically, "modern" refers to the age following the "medieval" age - in other words, about the 1500s or later, and the traditions held by today's conservative church are much more recent than that. But I digress.) A brief survey of the last 150ish years will help us understand today's church and the opportunity that we have.

The modern age is, by all understandings, an age of exploration and discovery, of understanding and applying principles.  This can certainly be seen in the arts - though the styles changed, up till about the mid 1800s most paintings were realistic representations of what can be seen around us, and they generally followed consistent rules of form, contrast, harmony, etc. A little later but similarly, American culture emphasized the idea of an ideal American family - Dad works to support the family, Mom stays home with the rambunctious but well-meaning kids, they live in a nice house in the suburbs, everything is always well-kept and orderly - the "American dream." (Think "Leave It To Beaver" or "Father Knows Best") In the mid-1800s, Charles Finney proposed "new measures" or principles for evangelism - get and hold people's attention by an energetic and entertaining preaching style, use the "anxious seat" or altar call to press for conversions, hold "protracted meetings," use music to involve the congregation and to set the mood for the service. His methods caught on and continue to be used today in many conservative church circles.

 In some circles, the idea of applying principles was taken to extremes. For example, "modern art" intentionally distorted the realistic element of art in order to emphasize the underlying principles of art - form, contrast, balance, flow, feeling, impression.  The church growth movement studied why some missions and churches grow while others don't in order to find the underlying principles of church growth. The application of these principles created the "mega-church" with membership in the thousands.

In the 1960s the hippie movement threw off traditional values and expectations, and by the 1970s postmodernism was in full swing. At its heart, postmodernism rejects any single overarching worldview and instead accepts all views as equally valid. This movement started early in the arts, and is seen in bringing together discordant or contradictory elements, such as Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain" (actually a urinal) or Andy Warhol's screen printings of Campbell's soup cans. In music, Madonna emphasizes the religious connotations of her name by wearing crucifixes while her music celebrates materialism and immorality. In the church world, postmodernism took two forms - extreme ecumenism advocates accepting all religions as equally valid, and the emergent church intentionally deconstructs the traditional understandings of church and replaces them with a wide variety of views and approaches.

But now with the death of postmodernism, we find ourselves in the post-postmodern world. And while it is difficult to discern a trend while it is still ongoing, the movement seems to be in the direction of authenticism. In opposition to the sterile principles of modernism and the gloomy confusion of postmodernism, authenticism searches for the real, the solid, the thing of genuine value. The movement has already impacted architecture, music and art. You can see authenticism in stores like Whole Foods or restaurants that specialize in fresh local produce. Even WalMart is in on the action with its "Good. Works." campaign that emphasizes its involvement in the local community.

Authenticism has affected the church in a number of ways, many or most of them positive.  There is an increased desire for fellowship - not just social events, but the genuine, deep, honest fellowship which is so vital in the NT picture of the church. The proliferation of small groups, accountability groups, discipleship groups - call them what you may - is one outgrowth of this desire.

There is also a growing dissatisfaction with the usual "methods" of doing church and a renewed interest in what the Bible actually teaches and how to apply it. Instead of simply holding to the traditional methods and understandings of church, we are examining ourselves and our traditions in light of Scripture. This is very different than the rebellion of the 1960s or the "deconstruction" of the emergent church. It's an honest examination of ourselves and our traditions in order to find and hold to those things that truly matter and let go of those things that are useless or even detrimental to the church. Even a few CHM churches, such as Victory Chapel in Indianapolis and OKC Bible Methodist in Oklahoma City, are consciously re-defining themselves in an attempt to better fulfill Christ's command to disciple all people.

Another welcome aspect of authenticism in church is an increased willingness to acknowledge and deal with the tough realities that people face. A growing number of pastors and youth leaders are addressing formerly taboo subjects like pornography, substance abuse, depression, marital problems, homosexuality and molestation. We are realizing that genuine Christianity works in the real, ugly world.

So the conservative church is returning to her Scriptural foundation to find authentic Christianity in the midst of all the traditions and approaches that she has inherited, and at the same time the world is engaged in a search for authenticity among the rubble of extreme modernism and postmodernism. God has brought us this incredible opportunity. Are we willing to examine ourselves and our churches in light of Scripture? Do we have the courage to live out Scripture even in the face of opposition? Do we dare to passionately embrace authentic Christianity and present it to a world desperate for authenticity?