A friend of mine, Gerardo Marti, looks at the world through the eyes of a sociologist. Some of his insights may fly over our heads, but others will hit a nerve.
For example, recently, Gerardo wrote about The Cultural Practice of Self-Critique by Evangelicals on his website “Praxis Habitus.” I guess I assumed all groups tend to critique themselves, but he suggests Christians tend to do it more often (and sometimes with more brutality).
In a world of blogs and tweets, we can slander others faster than ever before, yet even when the motivation may come from a bitter place, we can become better people when we listen to a rebuke. Proverbs 15:31 reads: “He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise.” Proverbs 27:5 reads: “Better is open rebuke than hidden love.”
Gerardo seems to suggest that our self-critique can help us become better people (if we don’t beat each other up in the process).
For more from Gerardo, check out his books:
