‘Positive Thinking’ Christianity

…grace and truth came to be through Jesus Christ. ~ John 1:17b NASB

When Positive Thinking Peters Out

‘Positive thinking’ Christianity is nothing new. Empires have been built on self-help, self-empowerment, and self-worth messages delivered in every format available. From pulpit to platform, spoken or written, in the flesh or artificially. Good intentions mixed with unheeded God-focus sometimes takes years to reveal the fissures.

A good number of years ago, someone I knew well became a follower of the preaching of Dr. Robert Schuller from his televised pulpit at the Crystal Cathedral in California. His Hour of Power program attracted thousands upon thousands of devotees. He was a pioneer master of sound bites and affirmations – ahead of the parade of tweets, memes, and declarations now shared far and wide online and in social media.

Passed in 2015, Dr. Schuller was considered an ‘apostle of positive thinking and a symbol of success’. The Crystal Cathedral displayed incredible architecture, glistening eye candy to the soul. Solomon-like, his lavish lifestyle and megachurch ministry ended in bitter disputes with, in his words, “an adversarial and negative atmosphere.”

The New York Times ended their part obituary, part article of this accomplished man with a ‘positive message’ quote he wrote on his Facebook page after resigning from his self-built Crystal Cathedral and Board. “No matter what, God is still God.” * Yes, He is. We should all be grateful for that fact. He alone can faithfully judge rightly.

Then What?

The individual I knew has also since passed. I have wondered in subsequent years just how much negative impression the ‘power of positive thinking’ had left with each message they ingested, then reiterated to others.

Positive thinking in place of and in the face of sulking and complaining is a necessary ministry of both the written and spoken word. It’s an essential element of for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction at play. It’s a ‘positive confession’ twist of playing devil’s advocate with ones who live life from the under view.

As I wrote in a blog post many years ago, there are some who simply do not want to hear how it can be better. The ‘positive thinking’ Christianity approach is like lip service water-skiing across one’s surface. I have both observed and lived the effects of the wrestling match between ‘positive thinking’ Christianity and God’s truth.

Something so powerful in its effect on the masses will eventually tip its hand where Satan’s deception is at work. My conclusion via this life-long journey of relating with myself and many others is that ‘positive thinking’ Christianity will eventually be met squarely with the Spirit of Truth & Grace. No one eludes; leader or follower.

Don’t Tell the Truth, Distort the Confession

I didn’t lead with this, but here’s the question I jotted down some time ago: “When did speaking or telling the truth become equated with a negative confession?”

Beneath my question, I wrote a note of a scripture that is all too familiar: “Speak the truth in love” – distorted.

Ever so subtly, the line becomes blurred between learning from Jesus’ example how to speak the truth in and from Father God’s love, and defaulting to a more acceptable, self-and-other-preserving mode of communication. When the truth becomes associated with a negative confession, the ground is ripe for ‘positive thinking’.

We live in the tension that being single-minded – as opposed to double-minded ¹ – brings to life in Christ. How we need our mind trained to be single on the Lord, so we can develop capacity to overcome in the conflicts of the good and the hard that comes to everyone. In Christ, our Father holds it all as we hear, and share, His truth.

Speaking the Truth in Love

Speaking the truth involves risk. Jesus knew that and was a walking risk-taker embodying Truth and Love. He wasn’t out to win friends and influence people. He let the sevenfold Spirit of Truth and grace draw to Himself.²

He did not grapple with how not to tell the truth, distort the confession from His own lips. He prayed to His Father for wisdom as to when to speak and when to keep silent. There were times He didn’t speak; He lived His life and served. Anyone around could watch and see if they wanted to. Other times, He taught and preached Heaven’s truth. Those in earshot could choose to believe with their hearing ears what the Spirit said.

Then there were the times He healed. He engaged those in need of healing by asking what they wanted Him to do for them. Jesus knew the power exchange of one speaking the truth in love’s presence, with Truth himself. His healing incorporated setting the captive free – physically, sexually, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. He healed sick and broken bodies; He drove out demonic oppressors that held governing power in frames of minds.

The Anointed One lived, served, taught, healed, and spoke Truth from above, in and among the weakness and limitation of human flesh. And always, it was with the Eternal perspective of the Seed of One, multiplied in us.³

Glitz or Glory?

While I opened with the story of Dr. Schuller and the Crystal Cathedral’s eventual demise, I could have written about others that were not quite as obvious. I chose this illustration because of the front-row seat through my friend. I have personally witnessed how pervasive ‘positive thinking’ Christianity has been and can be when used – knowingly or subconsciously – to evade the unpleasantries of factual realities. Which confirms, we need Jesus. He made it eternally certain that ‘positive thinking’ did not drive Him to the cross for our salvation, but His love.

We live in days of idols (like every generation has since humanity graced the earth) when God’s gifts given can become glitz that distract from His glory. Nothing out-glories the LORD, including a cathedral of glorious glass.

Though our flesh may react to the embittered finish of what was once a symbol of success, what other end is there when God’s gifts are used to distort the confession? He has said there will be no other gods before Him.

~ Gracefully Free

*New York Times April 3, 2015     ¹ James 1:8    ² John 12:32    ³ John 12:24                      

Photo Credit: Pexels-Pixabay-33783 │ ©2024 Nancy C. Bentz