That the ancient character Narcissus features prominently in Greek mythology tells us the issues the church faces today have long plagued humanity. We can even hear the seeds of narcissism in the whisper of the more crafty serpent: “You will not surely die. . . you will be like God” (Genesis 3:4–5).

And so we fell.

But from a biblical framework, what is narcissism, and how does it manifest itself in the church? And when a narcissistic pastor stands at the door of a church knocking and demanding to come in and be served dinner, what shall we do?

I had the privilege of interviewing professor and counselor Chuck DeGroat about these painful topics and his recent book When Narcissism Comes to Church: Healing Your Community from Emotional and Spiritual Abuse. The article was published in the March print edition of Christianity Today and on the CT website here. I found the book helpful but also unsettling. I’d encourage you to read it, especially if you are in church leadership. When you do, don’t read it for someone else, for a friend, or for that pastor and church down the road. Bring the issues close. We’ll all be better when we do.

I wound up with an extra early release copy of the book, which launches next week. I’d love to share it with one of you. To enter the book giveaway, just share this post on social media and tag me in the post so I can mark you down. And if social media is not your thing, you can email this blog post to your friends. If you do, just forward me the email, and I’ll enter you in the giveaway. Next week I’ll update this post to announce the winner. [Update: The winner of the giveaway is Jenny from Twitter. I’m reaching out now.]

When Narcissism Comes to Church opens with an extended quote from Thomas Merton, a Catholic monk who lived during the middle of the twentieth century. Merton says that a Christian consumed with himself “is capable of destroying religion and making the name of God odious to men.” Indeed, Merton, indeed.

Excising the plank of narcissism from the eyes of Christ’s church won’t be easy, but it’s a surgery the church—with the help of God’s Spirit—must perform lest God’s name be blasphemed among the nations.

*     *     *

The opening epigraph from Chuck DeGroat’s
When Narcissism Comes to Church
taken from Thomas Merton’s New Seeds of Contemplation

The pleasure that is in his heart when he does difficult things and succeeds in doing them well, tells him secretly: “I am a saint.” At the same time, others seem to recognize him as different from themselves. They admire him, or perhaps avoid him—a sweet homage of sinners! The pleasure burns into a devouring fire. The warmth of that fire feels very much like the love of God. It is fed by the same virtues that nourished the flame of charity. He burns with self-admiration and thinks: “It is the fire of the love of God.” He thinks his own pride is the Holy Ghost. The sweet warmth of pleasure becomes the criterion of all his works. The relish he savors in acts that make him admirable in his own eyes, drives him to fast, or to pray, or to hide in solitude, or to write many books, or to build churches and hospitals, or to start a thousand organizations. And when he gets what he wants he thinks his sense of satisfaction is the unction of the Holy Spirit. And the secret voice of pleasure sings in his heart: “Now sum sicut caeteri homines” (I am not like other men). Once he has started on this path there is no limit to the evil his self-satisfaction may drive him to do in the name of God and of His love, and for His glory. He is so pleased with himself that he can no longer tolerate the advice of another—or the commands of a superior. When someone opposes his desires he folds his hands humbly and seems to accept it for the time being, but in his heart he is saying: “I am persecuted by worldly men. They are incapable of understanding one who is led by the Spirit of God. With the saints it has always been so.” Having become a martyr he is ten times as stubborn as before. It is a terrible thing when such a one gets the idea he is a prophet or a messenger of God or a man with a mission to reform the world. . . . He is capable of destroying religion and making the name of God odious to men.

* Photo by Anton Khmelnitsky on Unsplash