Growing up Southern Baptist, I recall vividly (as a teen) one particular pastor chiding us parishioners (First Baptist Church Jackson) from the pulpit with, "Do you know that you know that you know?"
He was referring / speaking to what he considered to be the Christian imposters, sitting there amongst the throngs (or perhaps the Christian amnesiacs?).
It was a question that was laser-focused on his listeners' personal profession of faith, but via wordy distortion, it instead landed underneath the umbrella of emotional petulance (angst). And as a result, most every mature adult (had they been honest) simply wished to stand up and walk out due to how patronizing (& cultish) it sounded.
I believe it's important to note that this nagging orator not at all looked the part of Southern Baptist pastor. And I recall distinctly that his voice was incredibly baritone and therefore rich (& chocolatey)-sounding. Perhaps that was what served to soft-land his stupid pitch? For this repetitive verbiage was his mantra. No matter the sermon, it would be repeated ad nauseum (mostly at the tail end prior to the altar call).
In a nutshell, whilst looking back, this pastor had a distinctly inaccurate view of our Heavenly Father that he'd perpetuated in line with his own identity. In short, I have to assume that he felt that it suited him specifically, therefore he allowed its credence to shape / instruct / inform who he was outright as a preacher man. As a result, this distortion resulted in his reliably odorous pulpit delivery.
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Anyone who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eye are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light, which is true of the mind's eye, quite as much as of the bodily eye.
There are a lot of low intelligence individuals in Mississippi. I've said this before.
Here's the sad truth:
Low intelligence folks are hard pressed to live their lives beneath the banner of delayed gratification. This combined with the inability to analyze their familial history / narrative constructively (if at all), leaves them like cultural "sitting ducks".
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Okay, having written those two sections, I'm going to attempt to tie all this in a neat bow by focusing on the sometimes-difficult coupling between both of these: delayed gratification and analytical skills (assuming moderate to above-average intelligence). From there, I want to explain what I sometime see happening when we allow our fundamental desire for a stark / distinct / foundational identity to take precedent over process.
If you're a southern boy in lieu of a Midwesterner or out-westerner, community standards aren't going to scream ONLY EXCELLENCE RESIDES HERE. That "low bar" combined with haphazardly "knowing" how to analyze versus taking the needed time to do so (well / thoroughly), can result in an identity that's an identity for identity's sake. As a result, I would argue, individuals end up much worse off - in the long run - cross eyed.
And this is because those identities are false. And yes, even if they're off by just one degree, they're still false.
The preacher / evangelist I cited earlier had an identity rooted in a Jesus that simply wasn't the Jesus of Scripture. Yet, he pressed on with his dumbass message in light of the obvious, all the while confusing / frustrating the masses every time he opened his big mouth (in spite of that rich voice).
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There are plenty of teens who stay frustrated with their family of origin. And oftentimes, this frustration is justifiable. Families aren't perfect. They disappoint. They fall short. Sometimes they do terrible things that result in tremendous hurt to the everyone (w/ the concentrated hurt falling on the children).
And none of this should be ignored.
But if an adult child has the intelligence to respectfully / historically analyze (perhaps with some therapeutic assist), having lived through it, I would argue that in due time (sometimes taking FAR LONGER than one cares to commit to), clarity can be had.
Answers to questions such as:
- Who exactly are my individual family members?
- Who were those who influenced them?
- What role did I play within the family dynamic?
- How will the answers to the first three questions within this list play a role in my own identity?
- How do I see myself, going forward, as I continue to mature forward into adulthood?
- What can my family look like in spite of my upbringing?
These are a great analytical jumping off point.
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I look at friends of mine who've established a false identity (for identity's sake), and I so often cringe at the informalness (not at all striving for excellence) approach to living out (a portion of, if not most of) their lives.
And this approach can, depending on the individual, perhaps only "infect" certain areas of their identity. Maybe it's their job or their relationship with their spouse that's at the mercy of this biased (false identity) approach.
Speaking personally, I believe I've been able to spot this approach with ease due to a deceased uncle's tragic legacy within my own family.
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How do you know if you fall into this camp (harboring an identity for identity's sake)?
I have to believe that (taking into account those of us who're blessed with ample grey matter) it's not genuinely satisfying to live a life that's half baked. Just as it's never going to be permanently affecting preaching a gospel that's distorted and pushy.
And I realize that some individuals simply refuse to fully process the tremendous hurt they experienced as children, therefore they rebelliously build their identity on that shaky void.
Nonetheless, it's foolish for anyone with half a brain (& an assumed healthy mental state) to buy into this half-assed, discounted settling. For it's a settling that perpetuates generational failing forward.
Remember, you can't hide true intelligence. Therefore, if you're a Christian as well, and fall into this camp, I would argue that in many ways, you're actually worshiping an internal idol. An idol of false identity that likely moved in during a season of your development (adolescence?) where it's tangibleness seemed to do far more regarding your need to heal than it actually was / ever could.
Be encouraged to evict it today and seek out the help you need to do the necessary analytical work to find your true identity (in Christ). And please, for goodness' sake, be patient with the process.
You will get there eventually. And perhaps Samson Society can help.
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