Show Notes
As a follow-on to yesterday's The Great Reset (and preparation for next week's), Ernie asked about Ted's concerns, which seemed to mirror those that Steve had. Ted identified two things that concerned him about Ernie, which he was surprised that Ernie didn't already see:
- How defensively Ernie reacted when Steve rebuked him
- Ernie's negativity towards authority
For the first, Ernie was initially surprised that Ted saw his reaction as defensive. Upon reflection, Ernie granted that it would have been better if he had simply acknowledged Steve's strong feelings and asked for clarification, rather than demanding follow-through. By the same token, though, Ernie pointed out Ted could have been more compassionate towards Ernie, rather than "piling on" (which Ted conceded).
For the second, Ernie validating Ted's concerns around issues of authority. However, he wanted to distinguish between his:
- Personal belief in (and practice of) submission to authority
- Philosophical critique of hierarchical authority systems
- Emotional reactions (not fully processed) towards those systems
One common thread in all these was the human desire to have our views validated, especially when we feel devalued. Ted acknowledged that part of his frustration with Ernie was that he had tried to raise this issue before, and felt Ernie blew him off. Ernie appreciated that, but pointed that it led him to make essentially the same mistake he accused Ernie of.
The point wasn't to cast blame, but to highlight how pervasive and subtle is the temptation to point out others flaws while overlooking our own, rather than coming alongside others in humility to help them do better. Ernie argued this is the main reason the world hates the church, because we expose their shame while hiding from our own. He then suggested that being able to cure ourselves of this tendency would be a huge step toward fulfilling Ted's passion to see "the Earth filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." (
Habbakuk 2:14)
References