On looking up the word Cynicism in the Free dictionary I discovered that it means: ‘An attitude of scornful or jaded negativity, especially a general distrust of the integrity or professed motives of others’ or in the Merriam-Webster dictionary: ‘beliefs that people are generally selfish and dishonest’.
Recently I ran across this word Cynicism in an article that Russell Moore wrote in ‘Christianity Today’ (August 20, 2025) entitled: “30 things I have learned from 30 years in ministry”. And Cynicism was one of his things listed that he learned. It made me sit up because recently while reading Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians I felt a shade of Cynicism rise up in me for the way Paul elevated himself while lambasting the Corinthians for their way of living and daily use of the Christian life that Paul had introduced them to on an earlier visit. He reprimanded them strongly that they had completely turned back and mixed their former promiscuous heathen daily practices into their new life in Christ. Sexual immorality, excess drinking and feasting, jealousy competitions among the rich and the poor, arguments about who follows the better way, divisions among the believers groups, not showing compassion for and honouring faith practice differences, ways of conducting the practice of celebrating the Lord’s Supper, no caring love among believers etc. In all this he elevated himself as so much better then they were, saying: I am so much better then you!. It brought up in me a Cynical thought of moral superiority boasting on Paul’s part and that this part of Scripture revelation was just Paul’s rant and not the Word of the Lord. I will get to that thought later but first let me share some of Moore’s 30 things he had learned in 30 years of ministry. These are are worthwhile to note.
They all spoke to me, so indulge me to list but a few, although I am not directly involved in ministry but have lived a life and seen things in my years. I gleaned some of them here because they spoke directly to my own understanding. Here they are:
- Hymnody (the exercise of singing and composing hymns) is more important than “Visioning” or “Mission” statements. Hymns seep into broken places and hidden cracks of our faith matters. To replace these hymns of faith with forgettable, ever ephemeral changing music is insane.
- Never preach an either/or or a both/and. Both are deadly. Such as ‘Lord or Baal’ or ‘Jesus or mammon’. Or divine providence versus freedom, truth versus love, faith versus obedience, gospel versus justice.
- Go with your gut feelings every time.
- Complementarian and egalitarian arguments have more in common then you think and can be dangerous and nonsensical.
- Youth pastoring is a life-long and ageless exercise.
- In ministry you cannot avoid criticism. Decide what criticism you wish to be remembered by, and don’t let it crush you when it comes.
- Praying is easier when you do it alone with God.
- To have Wisdom means knowing human nature. Reading a good fictional novel will help.
- Friendships are important in times of crisis and disappointments.
- A ‘worldview’ is exactly what it says. A “world” view. A “Christian world view” is where God takes the lead.
- The truth of the slippery slope question is that it will ‘slide’ you in numerous directions and will make you fall.
- Remember this: darkness can be overcome always by light.
- To buy into Cynicism (and its close ally – skepticism) looks and sounds smart and is easy in a fallen world, if you assume the worst you will mostly be right. But be aware, it is like listening to the devil. Fight like hell against it.
Yes, Cynicism is one of the things that is killing the Christian church today. Some of the saints today are asking: what page of the Bible should we ignore! Sometimes it is disguised as individualism and it is worth a prayerful fight.
All that brings us back to the skeptical thoughts I had lately while reading Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians where in many instances Paul makes himself out as the perfect and great example of virtue to look up and imitate, almost to the point of arrogance especially what we, in today’s spirit of the modern age assume when reading and interpreting various chapters of this letter, like Chapter 11, let alone saying something about Chapter 6 and 7 and 14.
So in a round about way all this brought me to the Book of Psalms number 14 (I have used the Translation called ‘the Voice’ as it is very descriptive in the meaning of the text!)
Psalm 14
For the worship leader. A song of David.
A wicked and foolish man truly believes there is no God.
They are vile, their sinfulness nauseating to their Creator;
their actions are soiled and repulsive; every deed is depraved;
not one of them does good.
2 The Eternal leans over from heaven to survey the sons of Adam.
No one is missed, and no one can hide.
He (Eternal) searches to see who understands true wisdom,
who desires to know the True God.
3 They all turn their backs, walking their own roads;
they are rancid, leaving a trail of rotten footsteps behind them;
not one of them does good, not even one.
4 Do the wicked have no clue about what really matters?
They devour my brothers and sisters the way a man eats his dinner.
They ignore the Eternal and don’t call on Him, rejecting His reality and truth.
5 They shall secretly tremble behind closed doors, hearts beating hard within their chests, knowing that God always avenges the upright.
6 You laugh at the counsel of the poor, the needy, the troubled who put their trust in God.
You try to take away their only hope, but the Eternal is a strong shelter in the heaviest storm.
In other translations, like the NIV, the first line reads: ‘The fool says in his heart there is no God.’
We believers, usually assume this Psalm talks about the atheists who do not believe God exists or even the agnostics who say they do not know and are unconcerned about God’s existence; but an article I recently read argued that, No! the Bible is never concerned about atheists. The Bible is concerned with idolatry. ‘You shall have no other gods before me or even make a graven image and say that is your God.’ All the first 3 commandments deal with idolatry.
Jordan Peterson says in his book: ”We Who Wrestle with God” that there is still a deeper meaning highlighted by the 3rd commandment “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” The Voice Translation reads: ‘You are not to use My name for your own idle purposes, for the Eternal will punish anyone who treats His name as anything less than sacred.’ Peterson interprets this not simply as a prohibition against casual swearing, but as a warning against idolatry and moral corruption through false virtue.
He argues that taking God’s name in vain includes: invoking divine authority to justify selfish or destructive actions—essentially, claiming moral high ground while pursuing personal gain in modern-day virtue signaling, where people present themselves as morally righteous but without genuine sacrifice, responsibility or integrity. It is just talk and the height of hypocrisy, (sounds familiar?) while pretending moral outrage. Boy, if that is not pressing and sifting the point of the commandment through and through! even more to the point than the answers given to questions 99, 100, 101, and 102 of the Heidelberg Catechism!
Peterson’s book was difficult to read and I was unable to finished it in the reading time allotted by the local Library. Too bad for it was interesting. Maybe I will take it up again later.
But after a quick read of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, in my then skeptical, cynically righteous mood, I realized that the FOOL in Psalm 14 was really me and I was practicing what Jordan Peterson says was now become my issue with the third Commandment: ‘You shall not take the name (all that it contains, projects and embodies) of the LORD in vain with your 21st Century know it all unrighteous cultural adjusting – we are living in the 21st Century and what in Dutch is called ‘schijnheilig’ – arrogance.’
Well, I think he is right. Don’t you? Lesson learned!
Those of you who are Bible scholars will recognize that I did not complete the above Psalm as read earlier for there is one more verse, verse 7: ‘May a new day, a day of deliverance come for Israel, starting with Zion. When the Eternal breaks the chains of His oppressed people, the family of Jacob will rejoice, and Israel will be delighted.’
The Psalmist never leaves us dangling: All is not lost, for God is faithful. This speaks of the coming of a new Morning Star, a new day dawning, a deliverer and a God – Saviour who will break the chains of bondage and blindness and stupidness and brings delight to His people. Yes, Lord Jesus come!
JS August 23, 2025
- Featured photo: Lift bridge over Burlington Canal
On the Road 