Negative feedback and the church

Freakonomics is a wonderful little source that gets me thinking and if you are not hipped to it, you may just be missing out on some greatness. ​

Recently they posted about how important negative feedback is. Here is the excerpt from the full transcript: ​

DUBNER: ...Positive feedback is really helpful when you’re trying to increase someone’s commitment. So let’s say, you know, someone new to a job or a project. Here’s Stacey Finkelstein, a Columbia management professor who’s been studying feedback.

FINKELSTEIN: For these people, positive feedback is most motivating. It’s what signals that there’s value to what they’re doing, they like what they’re doing, or that they might achieve their goal at some point.

DUBNER: ...once somebody really buys into that goal, positive feedback has diminishing returns. So if you’re looking for actually improvement you’ve got to start going negative. Okay? Here is Heidi Grant Halvorson, she’s a psychologist also at Columbia.

HALVORSON: Look, doling out negative feedback is not fun.  It’s embarrassing.  We feel terrible.  We feel guilty.  So we love hearing, ‘hey, maybe I don’t have to give negative feedback.’  ‘Maybe I can just say positive things!’  ‘If I just keep saying positive things, then somehow this person will work to their fullest potential and everything will turn out fine. ’  And that just turns out to not be the case.

​The church is great at giving positive feedback. But you know what? Jesus was not just giving positive feedback. In fact, to those whom were deeply dedicated, he gave negative feedback. From telling a pious man that he should sell all that he has or even when he yells that his disciples have little faith. Jesus understands that positive feedback is helpful for motivating people to commit, but to improve those already committed, you need to give negative feedback.  

No truer words have been spoken then by Dubner when he says, "you can either look at trying to make people happy or trying to make people better."​

God wants to make us better, not just happy.​

The "Free-rider problem" and Christianity

The story goes like this in some form or fashion. 

Humanity came the the realization that we could accomplish more by collaborating together rather than in isolation. Some people would farm and others would build homes. The farmer did not have to worry about building a home and the home builder did not have to worry about farming because they collaborated and worked together.

The idea that we can do more together than in isolation grew until there were more "collaborators" than individualists. But as the collaboration grew, there were some who did not contribute to society but were able to work the system and take advantage of the group's work without themselves having to work. These "free-riders" became a problem.  

If too many people become free-riders then it puts the whole system of collaboration in jeopardy. If word gets around that anyone can freeload the system, then more people might. And if they did then we would all have to go back to individual isolation. Thus the rise of the "punishers".  

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Punishers are those who keep a vigilante watch against the free-rider problem and who may very well be motivated by the greatness of collaboration and do not want to see it in jeopardy. (Punishers will honk at you when you are driving like an a-hole because it compromises the collaboration of everyone on the road.)

And while an excess of free-riders can be a problem, we are in a time in which being a free-rider of any sort is demonized. There is stigma toward those on extended welfare or disability. There is an understanding that those who benefit from social services are those who pay into it, and to not do so is an egregious "unAmerican" sin. But lets face it, we all at varying times and reasons, are free-riders. 

But as we continue to demonize free-riders in culture, the Church faces a huge theological obstacle - namely the nature of Grace.

Christians have always said that God's grace is free. We cannot do anything to earn God's grace. You and I cannot earn salvation because we are saved by Grace and that Grace is free. We are all Grace free-riders.

Like human culture, many Christians are are uncomfortable with too many free-riders. Perhaps we feel Grace is free but if too many people have it, then we may not get our share. Or perhaps we really want to keep a check on it so that Grace does not run out for others. For whatever reason(s), Christians have found our own version of "punishers" to the Grace free-rider problem. 

And so, while we say Grace is free, the punishers among us do our part to put some requirements on Grace. 

• "Grace is free but you have to accept it."
• "Grace is free for those who accept Jesus."
• "Grace is free but you have to have faith." 
• "Grace is free for Christians."  

Whenever there is a stipulation, Grace no longer is free.

The church is full of free-riders.

It does not seem to bother God. 

Why does it bother us? 

God headlines, but Jeff Foxworthy opens

My friend, Rev. Mary Spradlin, shared ​a text with me this week and frankly I am not sure what to do with it.

​You see there are things in some churches that "countdown to worship". They are literally clocks you see on all sort of things from microwaves to the ball dropping in Time's Square. 

But now there is the american Bible countdown in which Jeff Foxworthy will share Bible trivia with those who are in worship 5 minutes prior to the beginning of worship.​

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I am not sure where to be dumbfounded by this, however I will just say that when we treat worship like a form of entertainment, then it will only be a matter of time before people choose a new form of entertainment will be more appealing.

​Oh wait, that is already happening....

Worship is not a movie. Worship is not a show. Worship is a lifestyle and to treat it any differently is to diminish worship and ​