Bad faith? Good faith? Is there a difference?
"So long as you're sincere, it doesn't matter."
Well, maybe. Does that mean that it was okay for Jim Jones to convince his people to drink poisoned kool-aid? I think perhaps not. That is probably not what most people mean when they say this. What they mean is really something a bit different than this, more along the lines of, "How you believe is more important than what you believe," and that's likely true. Or, perhaps, "It's more important to love than to be right," and that's likely true as well. To lump this together, we could say, "Right faith that isn't good faith isn't right faith." (1) And that's really somewhat more profound.
So what is bad faith and what is good faith? How do we tell the difference?
Some ideas:
Bad faith:
1) based solely on unquestioned authority.
2) based on pressure or coercion.
3) often the result of a psychological need for belonging.
4) appeals to self-interest and base motives.
5) arrogant and unteachable.
6) dishonest.
7) apathetic
8) a step backward.
Good faith:
1) humble, teachable, and inquisitive.
2) grateful.
3) honest.
4) communal.
5) active.
6) tough.
7) relational. (2)
I thought these were some very interesting observations of McLaren's, so I posted them. The book I'm reading has much more discussion (McLaren is good at discussion) on these points.
1. McLaren, Brian. Finding Faith, p. 31. Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI. 1999.
2. ibid., pp. 34-41
Well, maybe. Does that mean that it was okay for Jim Jones to convince his people to drink poisoned kool-aid? I think perhaps not. That is probably not what most people mean when they say this. What they mean is really something a bit different than this, more along the lines of, "How you believe is more important than what you believe," and that's likely true. Or, perhaps, "It's more important to love than to be right," and that's likely true as well. To lump this together, we could say, "Right faith that isn't good faith isn't right faith." (1) And that's really somewhat more profound.
So what is bad faith and what is good faith? How do we tell the difference?
Some ideas:
Bad faith:
1) based solely on unquestioned authority.
2) based on pressure or coercion.
3) often the result of a psychological need for belonging.
4) appeals to self-interest and base motives.
5) arrogant and unteachable.
6) dishonest.
7) apathetic
8) a step backward.
Good faith:
1) humble, teachable, and inquisitive.
2) grateful.
3) honest.
4) communal.
5) active.
6) tough.
7) relational. (2)
I thought these were some very interesting observations of McLaren's, so I posted them. The book I'm reading has much more discussion (McLaren is good at discussion) on these points.
1. McLaren, Brian. Finding Faith, p. 31. Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI. 1999.
2. ibid., pp. 34-41