Conviction and Humility

How are we going to not only survive, but, be productive in this present age of ours? My answer is this - we must figure out how to firmly embrace conviction and humility simultaneously. By humility, I am specifically indicating a humility with regard to my own inner confidence about my convictions. In other words, I am attempting to be a man of conviction while simultaneously remaining mindful that I am quite possibly wrong about my convictions. Obviously, I do not understand my convictions to be wrong, but despite all temptations for assurance, I do not lose sight of the finite nature of my understanding. I remind myself of the many times past that I was inwardly convinced of the rightness of my thinking only to later face the realization that I suffered from some sort of misunderstanding.

The fancy expression for this is epistemic humility. Epistemology has to do with knowing - how is it that anyone knows anything? Epistemic humility involves a keen awareness of the finite nature of one's understanding of anything. It helps to have some insight into the ways in which a person's understanding is conditioned by family attitudes and values, by economic class rules of engagement, by national and/or ethnic cultural factors, by religious upbringing, etc, etc.

The idea of being able to objectively apprehend an objective reality has gone by the wayside. Personally, I do accept the extreme view that the idea of truth itself is utterly relative. I believe in truth, even objective truth. However, I do not believe that I, or anyone else, can apprehend truth in a completely objective manner. That is, metaphorically speaking, we are all wearing glasses that in some manner color our view. The glasses are the cumulative product of the conditional forces mentioned above. I suppose that makes me a perspectivist.

The main implication of this line of thinking is that it behooves me to pay attention to others. As a perspectivist, I am in need of others to assist me in a fuller apprehension of truth. If I don't understand another perspective, it is necessary for me to "work" at an appreciation of the other perspective. The worst thing I can do is rely completely on my own understanding - to keep drawing upon the same source material.

An interesting and unique feature of Churches of Christ is that congregations are independently governed by a plurality of Elders. The plural quality is very important but rarely discussed. We believe that Jesus is the head of the Church, but leadership is mediated not through a single Elder, but through a plurality of Elders. Elders go into a decision-making process with individual notions about what is right; however, it is in the interaction and reaching of a mutually agreed-upon decision that we can say that Christ has led the congregation. I love that concept! A single individual does not bear the answer for the congregation, rather, a collaboration is needed.

Conviction and humility - its not so far out after all!