I don’t want to stereotype, but you may be a little too cynical.
How do I know this? Well, cynicism runs deep within the habits of worship leaders, musicians, and artists. We are constantly comparing ourselves, comparing our art.
I have to ask…are you too cynical for your own good?
This generation of twenty-somethings is all about analyzing: is this real? Is this genuine? Is this good art? Is this cool?
So much so that we have lost our ability to engage with anything.
Matter of fact, I have friends that can’t seem to find anything they like anymore. They criticize everything. And oftentimes they say they like things that are just plain weird. Here’s some of the conversations I hear:
- The church isn’t doing anything right
- Christian music sucks
- That artist is a sell-out
- That artist is successful, therefore I hate them
- I despise that worship leader’s voice
- This worship song has no theological depth
Rarely will I hear someone say how God is breaking their heart over their sin. Or how much they love Jesus. Or how Scripture is changing their life.
I notice this growing trend in my own heart.
Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not advocating a zero-criticism lifestyle. You have to sensor and think critically in order to be a great artist. But I also know cynicism can hold you back from God’s best.
Take the Test
You know you’re too cynical if:
1. You Don’t Engage – You don’t worship anymore. You merely analyze the band. You don’t engage with sermons but merely criticize the weak expository preaching. You analyze more than you enjoy life.
2. You Breathe Negativity – cynicism always leaves you in a negative mood. You’re always looking for the problem and are pretty good at spotting it.
3. You Don’t Get Along With People – Cynical people are always in an argument. They are right and everyone else is dead wrong.
I’m Announcing A Fast
I’m announcing a fast. A cynicism fast.
Even if you hate this post and hate my guts, you owe it to yourself to try. If after this week, you hate your life as a non-cynic, feel free to resume your previous way of life. This is merely an experiment, right?
Don’t allow cynicism to keep you from childlike faith, passionate worship, and relentless optimism.
Question: Do you think this generation is too cynical? Why or why not? What can we do to change that? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
Great observation David!
To answer your question… Every generation has its critics… I think the vast majority blindly buy into standard quo worship. You (as well as me) probably notice the critics more because we surround ourselves with people who think more deeply about the subject. The danger for us and our peps comes when deep thinking gives way to frustration and dispair.
Daniel, I like your observation about “deep thinking”. I believe that is essential, but too much deep thinking can leave us “on the outside”, so to speak, and not actually engage in worship.
I hate to say it, but yes I think this generation is a bit cynical. I say this because the overwhelming tone in America is “ME” focused. If it doesn’t please ME then it must be wrong or it could be better. Thankfully not everyone is like this.
We need to relentlessly pour our lives out for others. God, rescue us from ourselves!
Our life is lived out in public now…
everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame to last longer…
We scream in our status updates…look at me! Look at me! Look at Me!!!
Everyone is not as important as me!!!!
so we become self centered…
God have mercy…
Jesus was anything but self centered…
I agree social media can be self centered, but in order to influence you need to be in public. There is a sense of putting yourself out there that is healthy and necessary, but it’s easy to get lost in too much self promotion that you lose your heart, you know?
Whatever David…this post sucks and I hate this topic! Just kidding! 😉
I have to admit that I’m coming out of a pretty cynical season in my life. I recently had a few God moments where he shook me awake and said start being part of the solution. Everything from family to jobs (that’s right I’m bi-vocational) have had me pretty grumpy at the world. But I have to say when I really focus and fix my eyes on the one thing that give me real hope then I realize I have no excuses not to be thankful, joyful, and even excited about the challenges that everyday brings!
I am also fasting from cynicism.
One of the best quotes I ever heard was from Michael Hyatt. He said in any difficult situation you should ask yourself, “What does this make possible?” it forces you to be positive and see solutions.
Cynicism is the fruit of unresolved pain in our own lives. We’re only cynical when we’ve experienced disappointment or hurt. It skews our perception and blinds us even when we should have a hopeful outlook. The more cynical we are, the more inclined we should be to examine our own hearts.
Cynicism is orphan thinking. When you think like a son, you have hope. Rather than cynicism, you have compassion.
This is something I try to examine in my life on a regular basis. It’s a heart check severely needed for all of us.
I like your insight, Tony. Experiencing god’s healing mercies and the grace he supplies in the meanwhile….sure cured my cynicism!
Dude, love these thoughts. Do you think there’s ever a place in our lives for cynicism? Does it ever produce anything good?
I don’t think there’s a place for cynicism at all. Now there’s a difference between that and thinking critically. Critical thinking is reasonable reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do (thanks Wikipedia!). Critical thinking is very important.
Add to that a healthy dose of discernment (which too often is confused for cynicism) and we can be wise and still maintain our hope and compassion.
That is really good Tony. The cynic is coping to protect his wounded heart.
Thanks for calling this out.
I think the cynic thing has more to do with personality type, maturity and culture than it does “generation”.
I used to be a smart-ass cynic-all-the-time in college, that was immaturity. But I grew out of it and determined to be more child-like.
When I started working with Christian pro musicians (this was a long time ago), they were the worse cynics. I agree with Tony’s insight and would add it’s a sign of insecurity.