Is there really any dirtier word in Bible-belt culture than ‘cynic?’ You have to admit, the mind quickly connects other traits to the term: bitter, angry, cruel, et cetera. Well I for one think there has been an overreaction to cynicism. I think the pendulum of propriety has swung so far the other way that we aren’t even being honest anymore – not with others and not with ourselves. Let me explain by first offering a couple of very simple definitions:
- cynical
adjective
1 believing that people are motivated by self-interest; distrustful of human sincerity or integrity.
- cynic
noun
1 a person who believes that people are motivated purely by self-interest rather than acting for honorable or unselfish reasons.
Why do Christians maintain that people need Jesus Christ? Is it because we are primarily motivated by selflessness? Is it because our sincerity and integrity are above reproach? Methinks not. Let’s face it, Christianity is perhaps the most cynical religion in the world. The very idea that all men are sinners… does it get any more cynical than that? I suppose the definition of cynic even goes a little more Calvinistic. “Motivated purely by self-interest” sounds a lot like the concept of total depravity to me. That isn’t necessarily main-stream Bible-belt culture, but close.
How is it that such a fundamentally cynical faith has come to elevate the typical Sunday morning meeting we see in the Bible-belt? The Church – the very Body of Christ gathers, and… we poo-poo individualism? We are impatient with the tough questions? We are primarily investing in the task of plugging everyone into a finely-tuned spiritual economy where the laws of supply and demand dictate the manner in which scriptures are interpreted? I would suggest that we are able to hold to these cynical theologies while at the same time putting on such an angelic display for each other during that hour on Sunday morning because we compartmentalize. Our theologies exist mainly in the hazy world of academia, and our daily (or perhaps I should say weekly) practice doesn’t really need to be influenced by them. In fact, I’m afraid we actually prefer to NOT be influenced by something as difficult and disputable as scripture.
If our practice is predominantly influenced by something other than our creeds, theologies, and scriptures – what is it that now functions as the primary influencer? I would suggest that it is the culture we have created that influences our actual ecclesial practice. We have intended, of course, for that culture to be influenced by scripture. But cultures have a way of taking on a life of their own – especially when we have asked them to function as middle-men. They have a way of taking over. The weight of the preferences of a community, authority figure, or best-selling book can very quickly override anything as prone to interpretation as the scriptures. And as the culture has been accepted as representative of the biblical church by so many, the options for the new initiate are limited. Find the preset on the radio dial that you like, and stick with it.
There is probably no end to the skewing of which we are capable, but I want to question one area specifically. Why do we seem to feel obliged to work so hard to appear… all together… on Sunday morning? Why do we judge those with rough edges so harshly? Why do we have a perpetually growing list of things that are “distractions to worship?” Could it be that our hearts have begun to lose the humility that comes from a healthy does of cynicism? Perhaps we have forgotten to walk in the difficult truth of Jeremiah 17:9. When we see proof of the heart’s deceitfulness in others (or what we deem to be proof) we judge them. Sometimes very openly. Is it really because we are holding up a “higher standard” – or are we simply trying to distance ourselves from our own reflection?
We do not have it together. But Christ does. The question is, can we tell the difference between seeking Him and simply participating in a culture of its own making?
