By Maurilio Amorim
Maurilio Amorim is the CEO of The A Group, a media, technology and branding firm in Brentwood, TN established in 2001.
Authenticity is the new oratory device of the day for Christians.
Self-disclosure and complete openness have never been so popular among
evangelicals. The days of leaders who spoke from a strong tower of
knowledge, holiness, and utter discipline seem to be numbered. Over the
past decade, I have seen a communication shift that takes speakers and
authors from a place of strength and knowledge alone and puts them in a
more honest, imperfectly human dialogue context with their audience.
I have personally enjoyed this shift. It resonates with my fallen
nature and helps me to know that even those whom I admire struggle like I
do. Lately, I have been concerned with the inevitable abuse of the
authenticity device. As the pendulum swings from the bully pulpit of
years past into the self-disclosing conversational approach of our
social-media rich environment, it continues past center into what I call
the “permissive confession.”
In short, this type of confession is not designed to right wrongs or to
make amends. It’s often used to find sympathy and grace from your
audience without having to do the hard work of repenting, changing your
ways, and paying retribution. The “I have made a mess of things”
disclosure without a change in behavior is the permissive confession
that elicits support for the unrepentant.
I need grace and forgiveness more than most. I truly do. But I hope we
are not creating a culture that encourages people to be authentic about
their sins but excuses them from doing the hard work of making things
right. After all, shouldn’t we expect our friends and leaders to change
the very thinking and actions that landed them in such a mess to begin
with?
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