Saturday, January 5, 2013

The Cult of the "Right"

One of the most dangerous false religions that anyone can belong to is "The Cult of the Right."  That's not "right" as in right or left -- no, conservatives and liberals both are proud members of this cult, even if they oppose each other.  It is the cult that worships the self, the cult that assumes that what I say is... right.  Is correct.  And if you disagree - automatically you must be... wrong.  Misguided.  Mislead.  Or perhaps evil.

Again, I think it derives, like most sins, from what Luther would call a theology of glory - an approach where the sin of ego creeps in, the sin where you think that you are going to lead the glorious revolution... or to slightly riff off of Fisk's Broken book (which is rather enjoyable)... "Ifwecanjust... get them to listen to me" then everything will be fixed.

We set up our great heroes of the faith, and we think that we are them.  We think we are Paul, and we are bold to oppose Peter to his face... never thinking that we might be Peter on a specific point.  We think that we are modern day Luthers... and certainly Luther was never told he was wrong on any position or opinion by his fellow Lutherans... they just supported him and followed his lead!

...

Any student of reformation history can tell you that one is false. 

See, if we are all students, we are in search of the truth.  We might think we are right -- but we must admit we are wrong.  I've gotten into plenty of spats in the history of this blog... on some, I was wrong.  My thinking has been refined.  On some... well, I still think I'm right, but I shrug and go on.

Why?  Because... I'm not trying to change the world.  I'm not leading a glorious crusade.  I don't *have* to assume that I am right about every little thing because it's about me being right.

It's about what the Scriptures teach, and seeing that we teach the same thing.

If you find that you have gotten to the point where for your ego, or for the good of the world you just *have* to be right... step away, relax, repent.

I mean that seriously, because one of the very first things we do in Church is confess that we are poor miserable sinners... you know... that we often are wrong.  And then we receive forgiveness.  We see that we live, not in our own "rightness" but we justified in Christ.  The more we focus on our rightness, the less we will focus on His righteousness.

The world doesn't need your rightness... but rather we all will live because He is righteous.  Let His "Righteousness" trump "I'm Right" any day of the week.

1 comment:

scott said...

But, but, but -- you don't understand: I'm right!

Thanks for this post. I'm also currently enjoying Fisk's book. I hope he comes out with an easier version that I can pass along to college-bound youth.