Unmasking the Pitfalls of Poisonous Positivity within the Evangelical Church

So there I used to be brainlessly scrolling by means of Fb reels earlier than mattress.

I do know, I do know.

Of all of the issues I may do earlier than mattress, this was a foul selection.

On this specific night, the Fb algorithm determined that for some motive I wanted to be fed a gentle food plan of evangelical preaching and worship. I simply needed cat movies, however Fb would have none of it.

As a substitute, I bought a bunch of sermon grabs, excerpts from overvalued prayer and reward expression classes, and Bible verses set to music with nature images within the background.

A few of it made me really feel nostalgic for the time in when my life was immersed in evangelical church tradition. In any case, it wasn’t all dangerous. However, different movies left me feeling triggered and indignant, notably the one I need to speak about right here.

The offending video

The video in query was a sermon chew by a preacher names Dr. Steven J. Lawson, a 40 yr veteran of the ministry and the present pastor of Trinity Bible Church in Dallas, Texas.

The video is an exhortation about how Christians must be grateful and reward God in each single circumstance.

“When you’re a Christian, then you might have ten thousand causes to reward God. And your music of reward must be that of David in Psalm 103:1 — “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that’s inside me bless his holy identify,” says Dr Lawson.

Then he continues, “Even in case you’ve come right here as we speak and there’s nice problem in your life, which might be the case, I need you to know, nonetheless, you might have each motive to reward God.”

“And whenever you put them on the scales, the explanations to reward God to date outweigh no matter can be weighing you down, that you need to simply be continually praising God.”

Be happy to have a look for your self:

Now, you would possibly suppose to your self, “What’s the issue with this video?” and I wouldn’t blame you. In reality, in my former life, this was the form of video that may stir me to shout “Amen!”

However not anymore.

And there are a couple of easy the reason why this video triggered me. Right here they’re:

When you’re a believer, then…

First, the preacher units up a conditional assertion, expressed as an “if/then” proposition. “In case you are a believer, then you ought to be feeling grateful on a regular basis.”

Because it’s a conditional assertion, then the alternative can also be “true” based on the preacher: “In case you are not feeling grateful on a regular basis, then you aren’t a believer.” He unwittingly creates a binary or black and white affiliation between perception and a selected emotional state, on this case, gratitude.

Right here’s the issue with this “both/or” method.

The Potential for Guilt or Doubt

My spouse has Stage 4 Most cancers and I don’t really feel grateful to God proper now. Is that okay? This preacher’s conditional method says “No!” Inadvertently, the preacher induces emotions of guilt or doubt in people who could also be combating gratitude. It units up a typical for perception that could be troublesome for some to fulfill — me included.

The Presumption of Causation

The preacher implies a causal relationship between perception and gratitude, so {that a} lack of gratitude signifies a scarcity of perception. This excludes individuals who genuinely maintain robust beliefs however might not really feel a way of gratitude attributable to private challenges or psychological well being elements.

The Denial and suppression of ache and struggling

Once I watched this video, I used to be hit by a tidal wave of “you ought to be grateful on a regular basis.” Now, don’t get me mistaken, gratitude is vital and life-giving, however let’s face it, life isn’t all the time sunshine and rainbows. Pastor Lawson’s “gratitude on a regular basis” mantra seems like an instruction to disclaim and suppress out ache and struggling.

I name it poisonous positivity.

Again after I used to go to church, there was a tall ceramic container particularly designed for folks to place their moist umbrellas on a wet day, in order that the didn’t splash water on the flooring. So usually, church buildings method ache the identical method: “Simply depart it on the door.”

Pastor Lawson, unintentionally maybe, perpetuates the notion that acknowledging ache and struggling is someway an indication of weak religion or ingratitude. In actuality, ache is part of the human expertise, and pretending it doesn’t exist received’t make it magically disappear.

Let’s not neglect that the Bible is a ebook that’s wealthy in its acknowledgment of the struggles and sorrows of its characters. It’s stuffed with tales of individuals wrestling with life, and pouring their hearts out to God in occasions of despair. Check out the Psalms, for example — David wasn’t afraid to precise the complete spectrum of human feelings, from pleasure and gratitude to anger and deep sorrow. David teaches us that lament is as authentic an act of prayer and worship as reward.

So, why the stress to put on a perpetual smile in church? Denying ache doesn’t make it go away; it simply buries it beneath the floor. Actual religion, it appears to me, entails an trustworthy acknowledgment of the storms we face, not only a sunny-day gratitude parade. Perhaps it’s time for church buildings to offer an area to precise our struggles brazenly and authentically. In any case, actual therapeutic comes from going through our challenges, not from pretending they don’t exist.

The God who must be continually praised

One closing factor that bothers me about this video is how Pastor Lawson makes God out to be a perpetually needy determine who craves our fixed reward. It’s like God is up there, twiddling celestial thumbs, ready for our never-ending hymns of gratitude to really feel full.

Within the video, Pastor Lawson means that if we’re not singing God’s praises on a regular basis, we’re someway falling in need of our finish of the cut price. It paints this image of a deity who’s emotionally depending on our fixed affirmations.

Isn’t God speculated to be a bit extra, effectively… transcendent? The divine drive that’s above and past our human whims? The concept God’s happiness hinges on our continuous gratitude feels a tad anthropomorphic and diminishes the grandeur of the divine.

I’ve all the time believed that if God is actual, he’s most likely not sitting up there with a scorecard, checking off each time we utter a “hallelujah.” So, the subsequent time somebody tells me God wants my fixed reward, I’ll respectfully disagree. If God is who God says he’s, he past our human neediness, patiently watching over us, not requiring a continuing refrain of gratitude to take care of his divine composure.

The Ultimate Phrase

I’m sure that God can deal with the truth that I’m not feeling notably grateful to him proper now… given, you understand… my spouse’s horrible prognosis. However the truth that I’m so assured God can deal with all my poisonous vitality in addition to receives my reward, really makes me like him extra.

Go determine.

Sorry, Pastor Lawson. I’m not going to Psalm 103:1 as we speak. I wont’ be saying “Bless the Lord, O my soul.”

I’ve bought my head firmly in Psalm 6:3 as a substitute: “My soul is in deep anguish. How lengthy, Lord, how lengthy?”

And that’s okay.

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This publish was beforehand printed on Yard Church.

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