Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Charisma vs. Character

It's an all out, cage fight, deathmatch!

Ok, no it's not... but it is an interesting conflict.

I encountered some interesting thoughts on this conflict awhile back and it seems to be cropping up a bit lately in my thoughts. So, you might be wondering, what exactly is the conflict? Here it is in a nutshell... People tend to view those who are charismatic and/or gifted as more desirable and worth pursuing relationship with. Additionally, we tend to view these people as more mature Christians.

But, as D. Martyn Lloyd Jones pointed out in "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount", these personality traits are not the same thing as Christian maturity. Someone can be naturally very kind, humble, loving, etc., but without an ounce of love for God. On the other hand, someone can constantly battle their personality... they may naturally be very terse, down, proud, etc, but maturing as a Christian by leaps and bounds as God shapes them despite their shortcomings.

It saddens me, mostly from a selfish perspective, that people who are not charismatic are often ignored while the world clamors over the attention of those who are charismatic. And yes, I understand why... charisma is attractive. Just realize that those who aren't charismatic can have much to offer...often times even more that the charismatic. But, ultimately, it isn't a battle between the two... or at least it shouldn't be. Both are valid personality types and should be pursued as worthwhile relationships.

Facebook is a perfect place to see this in action. I've watched as a charismatic person posts something inconsequential, only to get 20 replies, while a less charismatic person posts something thought provoking and only garners his/her closest friends interest.

So, at the risk of this sounding like a rant, we (I) should not act so superficially.

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