What Members of the International Churches of Christ Can Learn from Lifton's Research

What We Can Learn from Lifton's Research
In researching Lifton's work on thought reform, there were a number of instances where I thought valid concerns were raised that could help those of us in the ICC in our pursuit of following the Scriptures. Lifton has identified various group dynamics that can be destructive, and I consider it both appropriate and beneficial to discuss these briefly here.

As I have stated elsewhere, I discuss these from a point of view of my own experiences. The encouragements I offer here are things that I have seen lived out and taught in my local congregation, and I want to share things I've learned with others. I may express these as generalities not to indict or accuse, but simply as a discussion areas of concern, because I myself have found these perspectives helpful. If anything discussed here has not been a part of your experience, great! But if these are areas of concern for you, I hope you find these words helpful.

Balance is a Good Thing
Balance is one of those characteristics in life that becomes more and more important the older I get. The Scriptures express balance as a virtue:

Do not be excessively righteous, and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself? Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you grasp one thing, and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them (Ecclesiastes 7:16-18).

This Scripture seems almost enigmatic to those seeking to love God with "all their heart." But the wise observation of Scripture is that balance enriches everything.

Lifton's thought-reform environment is completely unbalanced, taking itself far too seriously. Sometimes we can get that way. I mention this not as an accusation, but as a reminder to always keep balance in view. Even Jesus was balanced during his earthly ministry-- the religious accused him of spending too much time partying with the "sinners." In our leadership, we must teach and encourage people to be balanced. While encouraging spiritual growth, we should also encourage balance. For example, when people need a vacation, encourage them to take one! When people need a break on the schedule, give them one! In fact, empower them to pursue balance in their own lives. I regularly see the benefits of this type of leadership in my local congregation.

The Right Spirit
Love is clearly missing from Lifton's thought reform environment, and anytime love is missing from the church we are headed for problems. The spirit of love in which ministry is performed is important-- and more important than the actual work of ministry! To the Corinthians, Paul wrote that love was the key ingredient to them resolving their issues, even over being "right" (1 Corinthians 8:1, 13:1-8)! In our desire to speak what is right and live in a right way, we must always remember that love is the key. And we must always remember that it is the recipient of love who decides if he has been loved! The Scriptures command us to do all things in love (1 Corinthians 16:14).

Group Conformity or Individual Pursuit of Christian Maturity?
The obvious goal of the Chinese thought reform process was conformity with the expectations of the milieu. Christianity is not about group conformity per se; group unity occurs through individual pursuits of conformity to Christ (Galatians 4:19, Ephesians 4:15). Since we all fall short of that ideal, pursuits of human conformity "for the sake of unity" ought to be approached very, very carefully.

We have sometimes taught that "if you seek to become more like someone who is more like Jesus, you'll be more like Jesus." There is a certain amount of truth to that; but we should also be careful to not imitate areas of mere human preference or weakness as though they were on a par with the example of Jesus. This may seem obvious, but is easier said than done. We must always keep Jesus as the standard, and look to those having great examples of following him in others as an aid or model. I say this not because we don't mean to make him the standard, but because unwittingly we sometimes can make ourselves the standard instead.

Choice and Manipulation
There is difference between wanting people to make a right choice and pressuring or compelling them to do so. We must always remember that righteousness that is compelled is of limited benefit (e.g. 2 Corinthians 9:7, Philemon 1:14). People do what is right when they are persuaded from the heart.

If we have difficulty with this concept, it may be beneficial to recognize that God himself has given mankind choice in the matter (even the U.S. Constitution recognizes this!). Certainly no one desires people to obey God more than God himself-- and yet he has given mankind freedom to obey or disobey. This is truly incredible and profound! If we understand God's ways of seeking to change the behavior of mankind (cf. John 1:17), we will understand how we ought to conduct ministry.

Confession, Guilt and Motivation
Christians confess sins to be healed (James 5:16). Confession of sin is not a means toward spirituality but a reflection of it.

In the past, some may have had bad experiences with confession, I know I have. My local church has created an environment where confession is more like the biblical example and enables the much-needed healing that can come from it. As we grow and learn, this is one area where many improvements have been made.

For Christians, guilt from sin is not atoned for by human self-abasement from a warped confession system, nor by futile attempts to "try harder" but by the cross of Christ. Jesus paid the price of atonement for sins and lostness. The motivation for future service is not guilt from past sins but love and freedom (Galatians 5:13).

The "Hot Seat"
Lifton discussed the thought-reform "struggle" in which an individual was confronted by others with his inadequacies in an effort to "break" him of his non-conformity with the ideology of the milieu. Group discipling can be done in love and for great benefit, but if a group environment strays from the path of love, it turns into something that probably does more harm than good. Group discipling requires careful and mature leadership. Though we have had problems with this in the past, I haven't seen these practiced in objectionable ways in years. This is another instance where we have learned both from experience and the Scriptures.

Exaggeration of the Difference Between Pre-Christian and Christian Lives
At the outset, let me be clear: becoming a Christian according to the Scriptures is an important thing, with eternal blessings as a result. However, sometimes we have a tendency to paint our pre-Christian lives with a brush that indicates they were 100% bad and unfulfilling, while tending to paint our Christian lives as 100% good and fulfilling. The fact is that both the pre-Christian and Christian lives have both good and bad components, and both contain fulfilling and unfulfilling aspects. Being a Christian and desiring to follow God brings special challenges that others do not have. The exaggerated perspective I mentioned can set Christians up for serious disappointment and discouragement when they realize that their conversion hasn't magically made their problems disappear. Christian conversion doesn't change the realities of life, but it equips us to deal with them. Our ability to tell ourselves the truth about each of these things is critical to our own sense of perspective, spiritual growth and ongoing mental health.

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