GROUPTHINK

This past weekend I was present at Loving Grace Ministries' "Worship in the Woods" summer retreat in northwest New Jersey, along a magnificent lake right below the Kitatinny Ridge. Like the Poconos retreat last fall that I wrote about, it featured Wayne Monbleau as the main speaker, assisted by two pastor friends of his, Peter Foti and Ken Thompson, along with a wonderful worship foursome, Beloved. It was an almost magical time of simple praise and worship of the Lord amongst a motley assemblage of precious brothers and sisters of all ages and walks of life, and no doubt many different church environments. Words cannot describe how precious a time it is to be able to leave behind not only work, the world news and domestic affairs, but religious and church trappings, and engage in simple worship and fellowship as God intended us to do. I realize that this statement can evolve into an entire discussion about church structure and organic vs. organized, but I'm not going there in this entry, nor am I sure I want to at any time, that being the dangerously divisive topic that it is. I am simply saying that I sensed a freedom in that atmosphere that seems woefully absent in most of modern Christianity, as did my fellow Christians who testified of a similar feeling. One of the things that I took particular notice of was the very different outlooks on church structure, doctrines, practices, and biblical interpretations that were present in each of the brothers and sisters at this retreat, which I gathered from the many one on one conversations I had at meals and other "down times". And yet...with all these differing approaches to the Throne of Grace and different outworkings of His spirit from within...we were all able to worship God in His creation, in perfect unity of spirit. How was that possible, given our different opinions and outlooks on so many things? I realized as I thought more about it that this was a spiritual phenomenon, not a natural or human one. We were all of one accord, as were the disciples in the upper room prior to the Pentecost outpouring. I also realized that the concept of "of one accord" had nothing to do with our individual beliefs, but everything to do with our simple surrender to the Lord, in that moment, in that place. Because of that simple surrender to His will for that moment, and to His simple love for each of us for that moment, God was able, in each of us, to overwhelm our own divisions of doctrine and practice with His simple love and peace. Therefore, since our human wills and preferences were subject to His will and preference, we found ourselves in one accord, even as we conversed at meals about our different approaches to His Throne. Imagine that!

So then, this of course begs the question, I mean REALLY begs it; WHY ISN'T THE CHURCH LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME? I think one of the main reasons lies in one word; GROUPTHINK. Tonight, when researching this topic, I went to the most reliable source for any topic online; Wikipedia. The definitive article on Groupthink I found there was ASTOUNDING, in that what it describes as the definition and symptoms of groupthink are the EXACT symptoms of dysfunction that are so very prevalent in so many American churches at this time. Groupthink is a term that was coined in 1952 by William White in Fortune magazine, and was given definition by sociologist Irving Janus as; "A mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members' strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action".

If you really want to be startled, read these symptoms of groupthink as outlined in the Wikipedia article:

1. Illusions of invulnerability creating excessive optimism and encouraging risk taking.

2. Rationalizing warnings that might challenge the group's assumptions.

3. Unquestioned belief in the morality of the group, causing members to ignore the consequences of their actions

4. Stereotyping those who are opposed to the group as weak, evil, biased, spiteful, disfigured, impotent, or stupid.

5. Direct pressure to conform placed on any member who questions the group, couched in terms of "disloyalty".

6. Self censorship of ideas that deviate from the apparent group consensus.

7. Illusions of unanimity among group members, silence is viewed as agreement.

8. Mind guards — self-appointed members who shield the group from dissenting information.

Now granted, most of this theory was designed to describe a phenomenon prevalent in business and politics that was found to be a destructive influence in both. But I have seen firsthand some of these very behaviors present in various church settings that I have been in, and have read accounts of other believers about the same things in their experiences. Yes, folks, IT IS OUT THERE. The reader's first reaction might well be, "ummm...that really only happens in cults". But as I mentioned above, this happens IN THE CHURCH as well. Let it be said before I write the following: I am normally not one to rely on or utilize formulas and lists, due to how, to me, those things are part and parcel of dead, academic Christianity to me. Too many books and sermons consist of ridiculously complex and convoluted formulas and flow charts attempting to demonstrate divine concepts with human tools. With that in mind, let me offer a breakdown of how I have seen the above mentioned symptoms of groupthink manifesting themselves in much of American church structure and practice.

Number one: How many times have you seen certain big organizations proclaim that they are invulnerable to the forces of nature, economics, politics, etc., by virtue of the fact that they are ordained by God and that lots of people are praying? The incident with CBN where a hurricane narrowly missed their massive Virginia Beach broadcasting facility comes to mind. Of course, predictably, it was automatically assumed that that was because this organization was too important to God to be allowed to suffer the loss of its broadcast tower and that lots of prayers helped to divert the hurricane. Let me say this; it is entirely possible that this is all true. But I was struck by the arrogant assurance of this absolutely being the case on the part of the executives of this organization, rather than a proper humility and acknowledgement of His mysterious ways. How in Heaven's name can we be so self-assured that God is out to bless our every massive effort to spread our particular brand of Christianity to the globe, at the expense of every other brand? Just a brief, perfunctory reading of the prophets and the book of Job should bring a rapid end to that kind of thinking. God gives, and He takes away, and He is jealous. Also, a careful look at the life of Christ should put a damper on it as well. He is "meek and lowly of heart", and He is "no respecter of persons". I believe that God really does not pay much attention to how big and powerful a ministry organization or church is, but perhaps He is somewhat disturbed by the arrogance and self-assurance that tends to come with such entities. And perhaps, pertaining to risk-taking, CBN could exercise some humble wisdom and move that tower further inland.

Number two: If you listen to some broadcasts by large Christian organizations or go onto some Christian blogs, forums, or Facebook pages, you can see how instantly defensive some organizations or individuals get when they are directly challenged on any of their beliefs. One of the manifestations of this defensiveness is Spin; the same rather ugly phenomenon so familiar in politics where a politician or their publicist will take a glaringly obvious truth or inconsistency and twist and turn it with rationalizations until it is unrecognizable and , therefore, hopefully camouflaged. I have seen some bloggers do this occasionally. I have not seen actual broadcast ministries do it, mostly because they do not seem to give opportunity for any differing views. I would not be surprised at all to learn that it goes on in the board meetings of large churches or denominations. I am not saying that a blogger or broadcaster does not have the right to defend their position, not at all. But it would be nice if we would allow God to let us be taught occasionally by others' input, or at least to appreciate their validity in the community of believers without bulldozing their portion. And it would help to remember that God is not particularly fond sometimes of our rationalizations, but instead covets our love and our trust.

Number three: I think you can pretty plainly see fine examples of unquestioned belief in the rightness of the group in some of those loud, raucous meetings where the pastor screams and the congregation shouts their amen’s with equally loud voices. I will give a pass on this to some small southern churches, since in their case I believe that it's partly cultural. But at times the phenomenon of a church shouting their agreement and waving their arms at even the most non-scriptural and unloving proclamations seems uncomfortably close to a Nuremburg rally or a violent street demonstration. It is much too easy for us as believers to be caught up in the emotions of an experience that is admittedly, and rightly, very emotional; the worship of our supreme and magnificent Lord (we are not called to be Vulcans for Jesus). We must eventually come to a place where we know the scriptures for ourselves well enough and, more importantly, KNOW GOD for ourselves, where we are willing to take the difficult step of questioning what we hear from the pulpit or read in a book. Paul warns us to "test the spirits"; Proverbs tells us to "get wisdom". If we are in the Lord, and He is in us, we need not be afraid of questioning ourselves into agnosticism.

Number 4: This is a biggie; how many sermons have I heard on the radio or TV lately, and how many forums and threads have I seen online lately, totally demonizing any churches or individuals that do not agree with the speaker's own vision or doctrine? And most times they don't mean to, but it comes out that way. And, of course, by association, this brings condemnation upon the individual members of the demonized organizations or followers of the individual, despite the fact that they all are saved and sanctified believers in Jesus Christ (presumably), the same as us. I can't even count the scriptures that this violates the spirit of: "love one another"; "do not bite and devour one another"; "let he who is without sin cast the first stone"; "all have sinned and fallen short"; "first take the log out of your own eye"; etc., etc., etc. This is probably the most hideous and dangerous aspect of groupthink; the aspect that led a nation of 8 million to nearly exterminate an entire other nation, and other nations to destroy tens of millions of innocent lives, whether under the swastika or the hammer and sickle. I shudder to think that even the smallest fragment of it exists in the church of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. Does sound doctrine need to be taught, and unsound doctrine need to be repudiated? Of course; I suppose I'm doing that here, to a large extent. But if she has any hope of reaching unbelievers, the Body of Christ must cease and desist from the venomous internecine warfare going on now, and fix her eyes upon her Bridegroom. Our differences, when brought under the headship of Christ, can actually be our strength rather than our weakness. Or, rather, HIS strength.

Number 5: The direct pressure to conform more often takes place within the confines of the individual church rather than the community at large; however, it can take place at the denominational level as well. The small home group is especially susceptible to this, and is where this most often occurs. I have felt this myself in some home groups. When asking a question that challenges the teaching or the discussion going on, either the leader waves off the question, moves on to the next topic, or outright negates the opinion of the asker; sometimes the group as a whole does this as well. The really unholy and downright heartless result of this is that the priceless portion of a child of God is stifled and their voiced is silenced. They learn to either conform to the groupthink to regain their voice, or forever be voiceless. To me this is wickedness, though perhaps not always intentional. ALL OF GOD'S CHILDREN HAVE A VOICE. They all have something given to them by their Lord that needs to be heard or at least considered by their brothers and sisters. If the believer is immature in the Lord, and their output is not quite appropriate, LOVING correction can be given that leaves the young believer reassured that they are still loved and appreciated, even if mildly chastened. Not all young believers react positively to this, especially if there are deep rejection issues present. But this is when the loving patience of our Lord is needed by the Body to embrace them and allow them to grow into Him. Groupthink defeats this process; freedom fertilizes it.

Number 6: The self-censorship is a direct result of number 5, as indicated above. The believer who is sufficiently bludgeoned into submission by pressure from fellow believers will eventually either leave or conform. Either way, the church's unanimity of opinion is preserved, but a precious portion of God is lost.

Number 7: This also is the result of number 5. The apparent unanimity, however, is illusory, and the illusion is perpetuated by the silence of the members on any controversial topic. However, within there is often a grumbling spirit of dissent that is hidden from public view, often as a result of the fear generated by number 5 or the attitude created by number 6. This seems to work fine as long as the church is in good circumstances. But just let a real heavy duty crisis fall upon the church or small group, and the simmering dissent can explode to the surface like an uncorked volcano. This is how splits and mass exoduses happen, and how precious saints are wounded deeply. This is how groupthink can be ultimately self-destructive.

Number 8: OK, who are the "mind guards"? In the case of the church, they can be self-appointed or church-appointed. Church-appointed folks can be pastors, elders, small group leaders, board members, deacons, etc. Online they can be forum moderators, chat monitors, and bloggers. But there are also self-appointed Isaiahs who see it as their holy calling to correct every jot and tiddle of doctrine that they deem as unscriptural or ungodly, in the church or in an online setting. Some even claim that they have a gift of prophecy that gives them carte blanche with God to pursue this mission. They can exist either in churches or on online communities. The irony is that, when they come from the outside, they can actually be a POSITIVE influence in that God can use that person to disturb the groupthink in any given group and challenge people to think and test the spirits for themselves. But oftentimes these folks are trying to establish their own groupthink on a micro-scale, therefore they serve as their own mind guards; they end up hurting other saints totally unnecessarily with their self-righteous crusade approach to the faith. The main point is that GOD DOES NOT NEED MIND GUARDS TO PRESERVE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT. In fact, God often stirs up the pot and causes us to have to seek Him for ourselves! When we are pressed in to God in this way, and compelled by His Spirit to defer lovingly one to another, we find that unity of the spirit that Paul speaks of IN CHRIST, not in ourselves. When Christ is the head of the church, no mind guards are needed; He alone guards our hearts and minds.

OK, that's about as thorough a treatment as I want to give this subject. No doubt reams and reams of pages could be spent further digging into this topic. But I think I've reached the point where further writing would be speculative and judgmental. However, there is one thing I want to make very, very clear to the reader; though I believe that ALL churches everywhere are susceptible at some level, I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT ALL CHURCHES OR ORGANIZATIONS ARE TOTALLY ENVELOPED IN GROUPTHINK. Neither do I believe that those who are its unwitting victims are evil and satanic and deserving God's wrath. No church is perfect in this fallen world, organic or not, Catholic or Protestant, house or building, big or small, etc. Loving one another even involves loving those we know are trapped in groupthink. In fact, perhaps loving them more, and praying for them, rather than pillorying them in the public square, can cause them to see the Lord more clearly and allow Him to free them from this terrible trap.

May we always be free to express our Lord and be who we are in Him, and love those who are not there yet.

Peace,
Tom Sebring