A model for Behavior Mod

Being a Christian is hard work, especially when so much of our moral fabric is tearing away. Efforts at defining and speaking about values are lost on a distracted and addicted public who are plugged in and tuned out. It's hard to be shocked when Amish children are the target of a madman; when political crusaders, who have built their career on a facade of defending morality, are the perpetrators of the very exploitive characteristics they criticize and when the US government desires permission to defend the legitimate use of torture. It’s enough to make my head swim.

Admittedly, I have resisted the popular Christian moralists whose hypocritical tendencies eventually come to light. And in this resistance, I wonder if I and those like me have totally lost the power of our moral discourse? In an effort to find a higher ethic of fairness and justice, have we become too silent in defense of the truly weak members of our society and world? Has our prescription of silence become more radical than the disease? To quote Glenn Hinson, "to cure deafness, as it were," have we "recommended the cessation of speech?"

In Matthew's gospel, at the end of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount we are told we are to be perfect or as some have properly interpreted, we are to be "whole" or "complete." It is a lofty standard and in comparison to all that is indefensible in the world, a seemingly impossible challenge. We are told to go the extra mile; to carry heavy burdens for others without expectation of reward; to love our enemies; to work for peace; to give without keeping score and to consider the tiny sins within ourselves before we notice the macro-abuses of our neighbor. I wonder why I should strive for such a world class Olympic record when it's enough of a challenge for me to merely be civil while parenting my own teenagers!

And yet, Jesus' teachings are more than suggestions. They are commands, beaconing me to realize somehow my own spiritual health is at risk as well as the overall health of the whole planet if I fail to abide by them. I am to take seriously this message of “death to self,” in the giving of life. In this struggle, I have benefited from a simple “hierarchy of behavior.” It provides me with a simple way to calibrate my moral life against a measurable standard with the hope that learning to jump small puddles trains me to reach greater heights. So here they are -

First: “Doing the wrong thing for the wrong reason.” This is behavior at its worst. There is little, if any redeemable value here. I hate because I have been hated. I injure because I have been injured. I abuse because I have been abused. It is the reverse of the limits of the lex talonis (an eye for an eye, etc.) It means I lash out to others because I too am a victim of evil. While this is becoming the fashionable explanation of high profile failure, it can hardly be considered an excuse. Maybe confessions can start here, but little moral progress is possible.

Next: “Doing the wrong thing for the right reason.” It is better known with the saying, “the path to hell is paved with good intentions.” This understanding provides us with a pass to those things we have done that have resulted in harm to others. It allows us to retain our inward self respect, knowing that if our motivation was pure, our actions really don’t matter. It also allows us to improperly judge others because we don’t give them the benefit of the doubt (what they intended), but look at what they actually did (reversing our measure of how we assess the self). Here we can condemn everyone but ourselves. No wonder it is a path to hell, when we are the only ones left in heaven.

Moving up another notch, we have: “Doing the right thing for the wrong reason.” I hate to say it, but if it wasn’t for this level of motivation, very little in the church would likely get done. But it should not come as any surprise that most good will is accomplished by way of guilt, obligation and the slim chance of public praise. We do the right thing because, well, it IS the right thing to do and mainly because there is the off chance that someone (including God) might actually notice us for it. It is very difficult to raise our motivation beyond any expectation for a special reward.

Finally, the high bar of moral behavior is: “Doing the right thing for the right reason.” This is the place our behavior can make us whole and complete. It is the banner over all that we do that can truly be called "good" because only here is the promise of a changed heart that can parallel a good action. At this level personal transformation, spiritual growth and emotional depth are possible. This is the area Jesus is addressing in his famous sermon. We consider our motivation in as much need of correction as our behavior. I wish I could say I was an expert in this path, but I am only now learning the way. It is the narrow path to growing in Christ and becoming like Christ. It questions any motivation but love and reminds us that if what we do isn’t leading us toward greater compassion to others, than we are only making a lot of noise (1 Corinthians 13: 5).

This final level is pole vaulting compared to merely jumping puddles. Perhaps the church is not only the place where we look up, but where we also encourage one another to jump and to jump high. It is not easy, but can something so rewarding be any less worthwhile?