Wednesday 26 October 2016

From my reading

The worship of success was something that fascinated Dietrich Bonhoeffer (I wrote about it here) and it's something that intrigues me. It's something that has pervaded not only the culture of the world around us, but also the church and our general attitude to suffering.

 A.W. Tozer, in his wonderful little book of essays, The Root of the Righteous, said that:

One marked difference between the faith of our fathers as conceived by the fathers and the same faith as understood and lived by their children is that the fathers were concerned with the root of the matter, while their present-day descendants seem concerned only with the fruit. 

Success looks only at the fruit, at that which may be 'the brief bright effort of the severed branch to bring forth its fruit in its season.' 

Tozer goes on to observe that, 'Preoccupation with appearances and a corresponding neglect of the out-of-sight root of the true spiritual life are prophetic signs that go unheeded. Immediate 'results' are all that matter, quick proofs of present success...
Religious pragmatism...Truth is whatever works. If it gets results it is good. There is but one test for the religious leader: success. Everything is forgiven him except failure.'


I recently read an essay on the Book of Job in the Old Testament by G.K. Chesterton that one of my daughters recommended. Chesterton says:

Here in this book the question is really asked whether God invariably punishes vice with terrestrial punishment and rewards virtue with terrestrial prosperity. If the Jews had answered that question wrongly they might have lost all their after influence in human history. They might have sunk even down to the level of modern well-educated society.

For when once people have begun to believe that prosperity is the reward of virtue, their next calamity is obvious. If prosperity is regarded as the reward of virtue it will be regarded as the symptom of virtue. Men will leave off the heavy task of making good men successful. He will adopt the easier task of making out successful men good.
 

Job is not told that his misfortunes were due to his sins or a part of any plan for his improvement...we see Job tormented not because he was the worst of men, but because he was the best.

 



Secular writer David Foster Wallace (1962-2008) offered some piercing thoughts on worship:

There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship...
If you worship money and things - if they are where you tap real meaning in life - then you will never have enough. Never feel you have enough. It's the truth...Worship power - you will feel weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to keep the fear at bay. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart - you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out.


I think it would be consistent with Wallace's observations to say that if you worship success...you will never be satisfied. You will end up feeling you've achieved nothing.

The insidious thing about these forms of worship is not that they're evil or sinful; it is that they are unconscious. They are default settings. They're the kind of worship you just gradually slip into, day after day, getting more and more selective about what you see and how you measure value without ever being fully aware that that's what you're doing. And the world will not discourage you from operating on your default settings, because the world of men and money and power hums along quite nicely on the fuel of fear and contempt and frustration and craving and the worship of self.


The worship of success is a default setting. You won't be discouraged from operating on this setting. You will be applauded and encouraged, most likely, but you won't be free.

The test of the life of a saint is not success, but faithfulness in human life as it actually is...
Oswald Chambers














14 comments:

Lisa said...

Wonderful post, Carol. The quote from G.K. Chesterton ("we see Job tormented not because he was the worst of men, but because he was the best") reminds me of 2 Timothy 3:12: "Yea, and all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." And the David Foster Wallace is so true: people choose what/who to worship. Thank you for these commonplace-worthy quotes. :)

Cleo said...

What a great post, Carol with insight that is so important for today. I love Chesterton, so I'm not surprised at his words, but I am at David Foster Wallace's. I had no idea he delved so deeply into the human condition.

Gently Mad said...

This is an excellent commentary. I have been talking about worship with friends and family. It is so true that everyone bows down to something or Someone. I have often found that people that prefer to worship something have more rules and regulations enforced on them than those who find freedom in worshiping Someone.

And I have got to find that Chesterton book! What is the title?

Brian Joseph said...

Great commentary.

This is a fascinating subject and well worth pondering. While I think that it is complicated and there are shades of truth to it, we so see an almost cult like worship of superficial success coming from some quarters.

Meghan said...

That calls to mind what Mother Teresa said: "God has not called me to be successful; he has called me to be faithful." This proves Chambers' point, I guess!

Pilgrim said...

Great post. This is why I get frustrated with Bible teaching that boils everything down to morals for kids. In the end, kids need to hear that they are designed to worship - like you highlight - lets draw them into worshiping the one where they can find rest for their soul. Increasingly, if you are following Jesus you are less likely to be successful in a worldly sense - our definitions are just too different. I think faithfulness used to be considered an important part of success - but not any longer. I was talking with friends today about how the greatest witness our kids might have is actually getting married and having children and considering that success. Something basic, but not seen as "success" in our society today. So much good food for thought. Thank you!!

Carol said...

Thanks, Lisa. Your Amy Carmichael quotes fit well with what I've written here :)

Carol said...

Yes, Wallace's words were quite profound and I was surprised by them.

Carol said...

Interesting observation, Sharon. Legalism is the result of losing sight of that Someone & worshipping the rules and regulations instead. The Chesterton book I quoted from is here: https://archive.org/details/bookofjobwithint00londuoft
See pg xxvi.
or at the Chesterton Society: http://www.chesterton.org/introduction-to-job/
I read it online.

Carol said...

Superficial success - yes! Much of 'success' is about image & externals, but it doesn't take a great deal of insight to see that it's a very nebulous commodity.

Carol said...

Love that quote! Chambers also said,'It is easier to be a fanatic than a faithful soul.'

Carol said...

That's a good point about Bible teaching. Success - it's all in the definition and it isn't always seen short term.

Annie Kate said...

I finally read this post and am so thankful for it! You have highlighted a very important distinction between roots and fruits and have found words for several ideas I have been trying to understand. Thank you, and may God continue to bless your writing.

Carol said...

Thank you, Annie Kate. I value your comments.