How The Scriptural Self Compass Challenges Churches

Why do you suppose Jesus Christ encountered his churches with so specifically in Revelation 2? The Bible tells us why: So that “all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds," Jesus says, "and I will repay each of you according to your deeds” (Rev 2:23).

In the final analysis local churches don’t belong to a denominational headquarters, but are living components of the Body of Christ, and as such do well to develop the balance found in Christ’s personality. Paul concurs, “so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:2-3).

To that end, compass personality theory suggests that churches, as temporal expressions of God’s community on earth, can with good benefit discern and correct any tendencies to exaggerate one or more Self Compass points to the exclusion of others.

Scriptural Self Compass

By purposefully initiating congregational stretches into lesser used compass points, Christ’s personality wholeness becomes more fully manifested “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” (Eph 4:12-14).

To the church in Pergamum, Christ offers this salute: “I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality” (Rev 2:12-14).

The Pergamum congregation has manifested the Love and Weakness compass points, being faithful witnesses to Christ and enduring the vulnerability of severe persecution. Now Jesus wants them to round out their compass virtues by confronting false teachers (Assertion) and standing firm in the Gospel (Strength).

Standing Firm

A church that exaggerates the Love compass point takes on people-pleasing and theatrical-histrionic traits. There will be much friendliness, tolerance, and even service to the community through caring projects. The services will be warm, compassionate, and enthusiastic. So what’s wrong with this? 

Assertion is missing, which can cause interpersonal naivety about sin, people not knowing how to handle negative emotions and darker realities of human nature like egotism, aggression, and swindling. 

Christ in his earthly life knew the essence of human nature and didn’t trust people’s perceptions carte blanche. He cared for the disciples but sometimes reproved them. He didn’t court people’s favor or placate them, but spoke the truth in love. Following in his footsteps, the Love-stuck church learns to teach and live the whole Word of God, including learning how to diplomatically confront unrighteousness, stand fast against eroding cultural influences, and balance Love with Assertion in order to deepen often superficial relationships.

For more, read: 

Christian Personality Theory: 

A Self Compass for Humanity 

Christian Personality Theory

How To Choose Christ's Will for Your Life

With full access to the Self Compass, comes more freedom to choose Christ's will for your life.  

Instead of a single compass point rigidly exaggerated, there are four that rhythmically embrace the entire personality, yielding 360 degrees of creative choice in intrapsychic and interpersonal behavior. You find a freedom to choose which compass point is needed in a given situation. 

You recognize manipulative behavior and grow a “pure heart” in Christ, relatively free of ulterior motives (1 Pet 1:22).

Self Compass Living

Take, for example, a person choosing to outgrow the Narcissistic Boaster personality pattern by movement into the Weakness compass point:

• “Maybe I am not quite the prize I like others to think I am.”
• “Perhaps others are as entitled as I am to a seat on the subway.”
• “I could tell my co-worker what a good job he did on his presentation.”

This mobilization of love and humility allows them to feel a gentler pride in their accomplishments, now freed from the craving to be admired.

Out of this process surfaces the virtue of autonomy: a sense of independent self-governance without the edge of narcissism. With it evolves a more democratic leadership style that encourages others by offering constructive input.

• Redeemed Boasters use the self-confidence so evident in their own behavior to show esteem for others: building them up, rather than disdaining them. 
• The value of interdependence grows clear as they receive appreciation for group contributions, and in turn affirms and compliments others.
• Self-regard and poise grow more out of surrender to God than to our former conceit.

For every redeemed personality pattern, then, Self Compass living offers a rich behavioral repertoire grounded by the LAWS of personality as evidenced in Christ’s earthly life. 

The growing person functions within the certainty of these LAWS and grows more Christlike in the process. Yet each individual is free to uncover the unique stamp of his or her ineffable style.

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How comforting to know there is a compass of righteousness that clearly defines growth and wholeness in the Lord. Jesus says, “Those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God” (Jn 3:21). 

This is done imperfectly. Indeed, the self-correcting polarities of Love/Assertion and Weakness/Strength account for such fallibility. But when combined with a core reliance on the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, these rhythmic polarities yield a Self Compass for living, the Trinity way.

For more, read: 

COMPASS PSYCHOTHEOLOGY:

Where Psychology & Theology Really Meet 

 

How The Christian Trinity Is Unique

Undifferentiated concepts of God, like God as nature, or God as the evolution of the universe, yield little meaning because they are so vague they fail to grasp the distinctly differentiated aspects of God’s personhood that offer concrete points of integration with human beings. 

The Bible holds a unique place among world religions because what it records about God and persons occurs over several millennia, arising out of particular historical situations and concrete interpersonal encounters. This creates a public account open to all peoples, a common legacy to humankind. “I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus says. “I said nothing in secret” (Jn 18:20). The cohesiveness of Scripture comes from the divine Subject who guides the biblical narrative, and the human subjects who interact with God.

Bible

Two singular concepts arise from the Bible that reveal how this divine Subject, this God of the Bible, interfaces with people, concepts that arise from the Old Testament and carry forward into the New. 

The singular message of the Old Testament lies in the revelation of a personal transcendent Creator, a novel concept even in the world of ancient comparative religions. 

The singular message of the New Testament lies in the revelation that right thinking about God, or doctrine, combined with personal faith in God, leads to reconciliation and friendship with God, a thesis original to religions of that day.

Christianity

Christianity puts together the Old and New Testament into the synthesis of orthodox doctrine about the personal transcendent Creator, asserting that God can be known and loved by understanding his personality and attributes. This requires a rhythm of integration and differentiation, so that people can perceive, name, and engage the personal transcendent God.

Just how does God disclose and differentiate himself from all the other claims to deity in world history? He simply says, “I AM” (Ex 3:14; Jn 8:58). God’s essence, therefore, constitutes self-existent personality without beginning or end.

"I AM"

 

From this foundational premise, God continues to reveal himself throughout Scripture with names that provide clarification. From the Old Testament come the names God Almighty, for example, and Lord of Hosts, Holy One of Israel, and Ancient of Days—surely meant to convey awe and wonder, mystery and majesty. Not the average idol in the land of Canaan, or the average tribal god. This is God the one and only, Maker of heaven and earth, a transcendent-personal presence to be reckoned with. 

In the New Testament comes increased differentiation, this time toward personalizing God’s immanence, his holy and loving presence in the world. Now God becomes entirely personal—so personal that his name is Jesus. Human, yes, but also divine: one Person with two distinct natures, co-existing without mixture or confusion, in one interpersonal self: Jesus Christ, the Son of Man and Son of God. Here is differentiation, in rhythm with integration. 

Jesus Christ

And through Jesus, God the Almighty becomes differentiated as God the Father, Holy Father, Righteous Father…Our Father. And whom do the Father and Son reveal but the differentiated Holy Spirit: the Spirit of the Father, Spirit of Christ, and Spirit of the Lord.

And what is the sum total of God’s self-communication in the Old and New Testament story? 

One God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity.

For more, read: 

CHRISTIAN PERSONALITY THEORY:

Compass Psychotheology Applied

Christian Personality Theory

   

Compass Personality Theory and Behavioral Personality Theory

Behavioral personality theory is the brainchild of Joseph Wolpe, B. F. Skinner, and Arthur Staats, among others. Also known as learning theory, it is the most empirically based approach ever devised to study human behavior. However, since scientific and laboratory studies aim at controlling all variables in order to discover objective information about how living organisms behave, the subjective self of human beings can be lost in the process. 

B. F. Skinner

Skinner articulates this perspective when he says:  

“There is no place in the scientific position for a self 

as a true originator or initiator of action.”

Behaviorism generates highly differentiated knowledge, such as how to extinguish a phobia or reinforce a target behavior, but this information is not well integrated with the self who lives as a complex person outside of the scientific experiment. Concepts that cannot be measured quantitatively—concepts like selfhood, free will, dignity, and openness to God—risk diminishment if the person is reduced to an experimental object, leaving a personality theory that mainly focuses on how changes in environmental stimuli elicit changes in behavioral response.

Behavioral theory produces significant quantitative data about the limits of human perception; for instance, the range of decibels required to hear a sound, the level of lumens required to perceive an image, or the amount of pressure needed to trigger a sensation. By treating the hypothetical “self” as a black box, the theory also answers questions about operant conditioning for use in controlling social behavior. 

Operant Conditioning

For example, the best way to manipulate a person to do something new is to reinforce the first appearance of that behavior with a massive schedule of reward. Then, as the behavior is repeated more often, the reinforcement is modified into an intermittent schedule of reinforcement. Before long, the human organism is hooked on the behavior, so to speak, because there is an unconscious quest for continuing the behavior with the hope of an occasional reward.

This objective knowledge of how to shape and control human behavior can be used benevolently or malevolently. In casino gambling the manufacturers of slot machines use the full power of behavioral theory so that the machines pay out in varying rhythms, ranging from several payouts in a row (which establishes motivation to stay at the machine), to one payout for every twelve or thirteen pulls (to maintain the addictive excitement). Of course, the odds are in the casino’s favor because human selfhood is bypassed through the use of contingency management, the dispensing or withholding of reinforcing stimuli designed to strengthen behavior at an instinctual and unconscious level.

In a more positive venue, behavioral personality theory makes many contributions to classroom discipline for teachers, showing them how to reinforce on-task behaviors such as silent reading or group cooperation by verbally rewarding proactive behavior, and ignoring or creating a “time out” to extinguish negative behavior. 

Behavioral principles are valuable in many situations where selfhood and personal choices need suppression in order to maintain a safe and organized environment. Jails, the military, business management, and caretaking for incapacitated persons all benefit from some form of token economy, or the exchange of cooperative behavior for tangible rewards that strengthen individual compliance and support group cohesion.

However, when it comes to the question of human worth, the development of autonomy, and self-actualizing choices, learning theory falters, since its primary view of Homo sapiens rests on an animal behavior paradigm that considers thoughts, feelings, and values as variables to be controlled, not inalienable rights for pursuit and fulfillment. 

Inalienable rights

Compass personality theory suggests that behavioral theory makes its most valuable contributions in building efficient social environments that support constructive interaction, as well as in helping persons whose judgment is impaired by disease, disability, or drugs to achieve a measure of self-control where none existed.

Yet for the bigger picture of actualizing human development, people’s interpersonal selfhood must come to the fore, working synergistically within environmental structures that foster safety and morality, while offering freedom for the development of individual identity, both of which contribute to the wellbeing of community.

For more, read:

CHRISTIAN PERSONALITY THEORY:

Compass Psychotheology Applied 

Christian Personality Theory

Compass Personality Theory and Humanistic Personality Theory

Pioneers in humanistic personality theory include Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, and Fritz Perls. The uniqueness of humanistic theory lies in its benevolent view of human nature with an emphasis on the positive potential for self-actualizing development that lies within every person.

What is the essence in the life work of these three theorists? A perspective that plays down the unconscious factors in behavior and builds up the self-actualizing tendency of the human organism, suggesting, as Maslow does, that when basic needs such as food and shelter are met, higher order needs such as belonging and a quest for meaning emerge.

Hierarchy of Needs

The idea is that people can be trusted to develop in pro-social ways because the more they come to esteem and love themselves, the more capable they become of esteeming and loving others. The more patient and sensitive they become with themselves, the more patience and sensitivity they express toward others. The path to healthy self-development is not through the internalization of “shoulds, oughts, and musts” from parents or society, but through listening to the ever-changing gestalt of needs, wants, and preferences from within one’s self, thereby attending to one’s “inner perceptual field.”

Humanistic psychology is strong on validating people and not inclined to categorize behavior so as to judge right from wrong or good from evil. The reason why some people are cruel, harmful, or exploitive of others lies in their earlier development, because they were not treated with appropriate respect and trust when growing up. The remedy lies in providing educational or therapeutic influences that offer unconditional positive regard and the prizing of one’s personhood. Once people internalize this empathetic form of relating, they are likely to radiate this response to others, increasing the quality and intimacy of their social relationships. As Carl Rogers said, “The basic nature of the human being, when functioning freely, is constructive and trustworthy.”

Compass personality theory agrees that human beings are endowed with potential for noble and praiseworthy behavior, adding that Christ expresses this human ethic in the Golden Rule: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Mt 7:12).

Yet as the Bible shows and human behavior empirically validates, there exists a profound capacity within human nature and personality to resist, corrupt, and even destroy the possibility for positive outcomes in self and others. 

Compass theory calls this mystery of iniquity by the biblical name of sin, a problem in which human beings manipulate the self and others through personality patterns. These patterns create rigidities present in every person to some degree. Jean Paul Sartre writes of these rigidities that “all human beings are guilty in principle, of self-deception, of inauthenticity, of playing a role or trying to disguise one’s actual personality behind a façade.”  

Manipulative Strategies

Maslow, too, noted, “We must also face squarely the problem of what stands in the way of growth: that is to say, the problems of cessation of growth and evasion of growth, of fixation, regression, and defensiveness, in a word, the attractiveness of psychopathology, or as other people would prefer to say, “the problem of evil.”

When it comes to human growth, Maslow, Rogers, and Perls see self-trust as fundamental to making authentic choices that foster congruence through listening to one’s emotions, sorting out thoughts, and integrating thinking and feeling with an awareness of bodily states. All three theorists believe that religious attitudes can contribute to the process of healthy living:

• Maslow offers a Taoist orientation to reality, a non-invasive, non-interfering way of listening to one’s own needs and relating to others.
• Rogers is sympathetic to the teachings of Lao-Tse, believing that this way of being promotes “agape love” in human encounters by encouraging non-possessive openness and respect for individual differences.
• Perls, though at times distinctly anti-religious, nevertheless asserts that Zen Buddhism provides a laudable orientation to living in the here and now, free from the burden of demands and expectations. 

By the same token, all three theorists espouse a humanistic personality theory precisely because they believe that the highest form of authority lies in one’s own human experience. 

The Kingdom of God is Within You

Compass personality theory shares with humanistic theory an emphasis on the importance of inner experiencing in becoming a person. Jesus taught that “the kingdom of God is within you” (Lk 17:21), indicating God’s intimate concern with a person’s thoughts and feelings, sensation and perception, learning and memory, attitudes and worldview. Christianity encourages an attitude of trust in the present and hope for the future: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom 15:13).

Indeed, it is within a person’s inner perceptual field that the Holy Spirit moves to create self-trust, self-love, and self-development, versus fear of life or idolatrous subjugation to any external facet of creation. From this inner phenomenological field, which compass theory terms the spiritual core, Christ moves in cooperative dialogue with persons, ever-guiding them toward expanding circles of caring involvement with people and culture. Since God enjoys infinite contact with all creation, individuals growing in Christ are called to develop tenderness toward existence that reflects God’s connectedness to all that is. 

This outreach requires a rhythmic reliance upon the structure provided by the Word of God, orthodox creeds and doctrine, sacraments, and the Lord himself, offering a higher authority than an individual’s private perceptual field alone, a rhythm that benefits from developing an interpersonal selfhood in Christ. Within this context, trusting Christ for inner and outer guidance makes one’s personality and human nature relatively trustworthy, since Christ has redeemed human beings and calls them to exercise autonomy in creative dialogue with the Trinity.