Monday, February 23, 2004
THE “THEOLOGY OF NICENESS” IN ACTION:
In my previous Post I talked about people who resort to the “Theology of Niceness”. Their philosophy is, “Be nice—even it isn’t true!” For example….
1) In the days when most women wore hats, the ladies would wear them to church. Invariably there would be a woman who would ask the Preacher, “What do you think of my new hat? Do you like it?” Now, what do you do? The truth is you wouldn’t put the hat on your dog in a clown act. Do you say you like it, even if you don’t? That’s what someone who adheres to the “Theology of Niceness” would do. They would be nice and say they like the hat even though they hated it—just to make the person feel good. Otherwise, they reason, they would be casting aspersions on the person’s taste and ability to choose a decent hat.
On the other hand, some folks would advocate avoiding an outright lie—just don’t tell the truth! Say something like, “Well, it certainly matches your personality.”
2) Or take the matter of the inspection of a new-born baby in the foyer of the church or maybe even in the Mall. Now to some of us one baby looks pretty much like every other baby. And some new-borns start out just plain ugly. But what do you say to demonstrate immense interest in the new baby to a new Mom or dad, who asks, “Isn’t (he/she) the most beautiful baby you ever saw? Doesn’t (he/she) look just like (his/her) (dad/mom)?”
How do you avoid lying while still staying in the good graces of the parents or the grandparents? Some advocate a response like, “Well, now! That’s a baby!”
3) Or a lady bakes you an inedible pie (at least inedible by your standards) for your consumption. Now what do you do? Well, practicing the “Theology of Niceness”, you could say, “A pie like yours never lasts long around our house!”
4) One more: If you dislike someone, if there is something about the person that is preventing you liking that person, you’re not supposed to hurt the person by telling him about it. Even if telling him could improve the relationship.
So, what is the answer? I just don’t know. In my next post I’ll discuss a practical application from the Bible of how the Truth (Christ) can bring positive changes in a person’s life.
Jim
posted by jim 10:37 AM 0 comments
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