"Treating our personalities as products reflects an increasingly competitive society in which the best way to stand out is to develop an engaging--and easily defined--image. Companies and celebrities have been doing it for years. Now it's the average guy's turn. 'For a long time, parents discouraged their children from worrying about what others think. They didn't realize how shortsighted and stupid that was,' says Mark Leary, a social psychology professor at Duke University who studies impression management. 'We need other people to think well of us.'"
From Time.com - "It's a Brand-You World"
I have to interpret this from my own bias - In a sense, as a Christian, people do need to think well of me... but on what basis? My personal greatness? And for what reasons? Self glory? For the world, the fear of man has become standard procedure. But listen to the words of Scripture:
But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
[2 Cor 2:14-17]
3 comments:
But do they really need to think well of you? On the one hand, we are commanded to be above reproach in our actions. On the other, we're told that we're definitely going to cause antagonism and "reproach" (albeit unwarranted) by following the path of Christ. So even when you're doing what you're supposed to, there will be those who think evil of you and try to stop you. God's call is to faithfulness to Him and obedience to His Word, and let the social chips fall where they may...right?
Think well, "in a sense" and on the basis of us reflecting Christ. I intentionally put that in there. Because yes, there will be people who are antagonistic - "to one a fragrance from death to death". But I also like what that verse says - "we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved". Some will see, some will be attracted, and they will come. But again, the focus is Christ in us, not self glory.
And secondly there is also the arena of behavior within the church - being Christlike examples to each other.
Spot on, I wasn't disagreeing, just commenting. :)
I get a bit frustrated with the dimension this takes on within the Church sometimes though. Yes, we need to be Christlike examples to each other, but people often take the extra step of wielding a "big moral stick" to make sure that everyone else is being Christlike enough. Sometimes people's sensitivities to a word or attitude take on a "holy" sheen and their sensitivity is heretofore "justified" because it's the other person who isn't being Christlike enough. Yeah. That frustrates the stuffing out of me.
I think sometimes we in the Church are just as guilty of judging others purely on the way they "market" themselves, rather than digging deeper and really relating to them. Perhaps because of this, we end up perpetuating the "marketing" behaviour?
Either way, marketing sucks. Give me a real sinner over a fake guru any day.
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