Her.meneutics: Is Self-Promotion Sinful?

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February 4, 2010

Is Self-Promotion Sinful?

A lesson in soul care from J. D. Salinger, who lived in seclusion for a half-century.

Marlena Graves, guest blogger

J. D. Salinger, best known for his teen-angst novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951), died last week at the age of 91 after living as a recluse for 50 years on his 90-acre compound in Cornish, New Hampshire. His death leaves the literati frothing at the mouth as they wait to see whether he left behind a treasure trove of manuscripts. Although Salinger never published another novel, he earned recognition for the collection Nine Stories and two compilations, Franny and Zooey and Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction. Shortly after publishing these, Salinger retired into a half-century of seclusion.

Though there were elements of Salinger's personal life that were reportedly unsavory, I believe we can learn from his efforts to spurn fame and self-promotion because they can lead to phoniness, something Salinger abhorred.

This time last year, through a series of events, I was encouraged to submit a manuscript for publication. The senior editor at the first publishing house said my writing was “like the best of the best” in my genre. That was a true confirmation of my calling. Here’s the rub: I didn’t make it past the marketing department. Although they esteemed my writing, I was a no name. They couldn’t take a risk on me, especially in hard economic times. I was dejected for a while, but, per the request of an editor at another publishing house, I sent it off. This time the senior editor told me that I was a good writer but that I “had to have an audience built up” before I wrote a book. In the publishing world, it’s called “having a platform.” Apparently my platform was not big enough.

I truly appreciate these gracious editors and their advice, and I don’t fault them for their decisions. The bottom line is that they have to make money. But now I find myself in a quandary. Before I learned of this platform business, I believed my motives for speaking, writing, hosting a radio program, and blogging were as legitimate as they could be for a sinful human.

Now, whenever an opportunity to do any of these arises, I wonder, Am I doing this only to build a bigger platform? Is this just self-promotion? Sometimes, “You have to have an audience built up before you write a book” gets translated into, “Throw yourself down from this high point of the temple" (do something spectacular to get attention) (Matt. 4:5-6) or, “No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world” (John 7:4). Some readers might accuse me of scraping my conscience or of being oversensitive; on the other hand, some may think that I’m using this very post to promote myself.

And that’s where Salinger comes in. He has something to say about this in Catcher. When protagonist Holden Caulfield’s sister, Phoebe, asks him why he doesn’t become a lawyer like their father, he says:

[T]hey’re all right if they go around saving innocent guys’ lives . . . but you don’t do that kind of stuff if you’re a lawyer. All you do is make a lot of dough and play golf and play bridge and buy cars and drink Martinis and look like a hot-shot. . . . Even if you did go around saving guys’ lives and all, how would you know if you did it because you really wanted to save guys’ lives, or because . . . you really wanted to . . . be a terrific lawyer with everyone slapping you on the back. . . . How would you know you weren’t being a phony? The trouble is, you wouldn’t. (p. 172)

Salinger isn’t the only one. In 2005, stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle shunned the limelight when he walked away from his outrageously successful show on Comedy Central. In an interview with Time magazine, Chappelle said that part of the reason he walked away is because he didn’t like who he was becoming. He had to reevaluate; that is part of why he escaped to South Africa for a while. “Coming here [to South Africa],” he said, “I don’t have the distractions of fame. It quiets the ego down. I’m interested in the kind of person I’ve got to become. I want to be well-rounded, and the industry is a place of extremes. I want to be well-balanced. I’ve got to check my intentions.”

While I am no Salinger or Chappelle, and I have no fame to walk away from, I still think we can learn from them without over-spiritualizing. How much of what we do as Christians and churches is about promoting ourselves? Are we using the church as a vehicle to make a name for ourselves? Are we one of Salinger’s phonies, or are we being obedient to Christ? (And, as Salinger asks, how would we know we weren’t being phony?)

This is something we have to wrestle with. There may be occasions when platform-building is called for, but there will be other times (more than we care to admit) when we have to forsake fame and “building a platform” by stepping away to reevaluate and to humble ourselves. As Chappelle said, “Your soul is priceless.” Or, in the words of Jesus, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” (Matt. 16:26).

Marlena Graves (M.Div., Northeastern Seminary) is a resident director at Cedarville University. She blogs at His Path Through the Wilderness, and has written for Her.meneutics about students who experience same-sex attraction.

Comments

Nicely put. In fact, in the terms you're suggesting, one could say that Salinger's seclusion (his 'flight' from the world?) was his gift to the world. His 'relevance' was precisely his 'irrelevance.' When the world confronts the oddity of his life it must confront the oddity (theologicaly speaking) of its own self-interest--that is, its unending interest in itself. Perhaps this is an argument for the 'irrelevance' of the church to contemporary culture; that the way the church serves the culture is not by trying to 'attract' the culture, but by displacing the culture as its primary object of interest and concern, and remembering that the sole object of worship is God. I suspect that anything that attempts to de-center the self as the object of devotion will be considered 'irrelevant' by the culture.

Of course, perhaps Salinger's seclusion was rather because of his own self-interest; that is, his unending interest in himself. I don't know. But in any case, it still serves as a sign (to those who can read it) of the alienation of the world to itself, and perhaps why the gospel will always appear 'alien' to the world, even though the gospel is what the world needs most.

Great thoughts, Marlena. Thanks for this. This is a big problem in our Christian culture and we don't recognize it because we often baptize it in Christianese. Rather than keeping a constant watch on what 'fame' or 'buzz' is doing to our souls, we get carried away by the thrills of fleeting 'hype' and call it 'God's blessing.' We fail to see how perilous this is, fostering insincerity, among other vices. Thanks again, Marlena!

Great article. You raised points that are not well discussed within Christian circles.

Marlena, We in our humanness have a strong temptation to accept praise for the work God created in advance for us. He desires to be glorified through us, but we like the taste of the glory and allow this to distract us from praising our savior. Thanks for the reminder!

Marlena, I think we need to ask ourselves, "Does the desire of my heart bring honor and glory to God." If you love the Lord and walk with Him, you can trust that those desires are put in our heart by God, whether it be writing the all American novel or becoming a fantastic lawyer. Further, God wants us to use the resources available to us. That could mean anything from going back to school to special training in the field we want to pursue. Sometimes in order to be credentialed we need to become visible. Think of it as "Student Teaching." In order to get a degree in education, we must have a certain amount of hours in the classroom (field.) For an aspiring writer that could mean everything you are doing and more. If our motivation is to honor God with what He's given us, why would you think the various opportunities in which you are involved is not pleasing to Him? Remember, Jesus did not throw Himself from the Temple because...Jesus is God; His works would be known, but in His timing. Unfortunately, in this world, (and because we are not God,) we do have to prove ourselves. We're not promoting ourself so much as we are promoting that which God has given us for the greater good and God's glory. Now, as for J.D. Salinger...do we really know why he chose to live a quiet life? Based on a NY Times article and what his neighbors say of him, he was not so much a recluse as he was a retired writer who lived a simple life. Obviously, he had nothing else to prove to the world; sadly though, he probably still had much to give.

It might also be helpful to consider the psychological implications of a personal drive for seclusion. Was it the result of discomfort with notoriety or a loss in depth of self-worth?

What a great article. I'm gonna join your platform- . Seriously, this was well said. I have a small hobby turned business, and recently attended a Christian Networking group. People were talking about getting out there and promoting our product/service, all I could think was..."if I get assertive enough to approach strangers, shouldn't I be sharing the gospel instead?" I don't do that regularly, but if I do get over my nervousness, shoudl business be my focus? Would that be redeeming the time? Not that I think there's anything wrong with promoting your business...but yeah, it certainly is a quandary, isn't it.

Annette says: "If our motivation is to honor God with what He's given us, why would you think the various opportunities in which you are involved is not pleasing to Him?"

I think that touches on the core issue but doesn't quite hit it. I think you need to go back and ask yourself why you wrote the book in the first place.

Was it because you feel deeply driven to share the Word through your words? Is it because you have some perspective on belief or good works or whatever other matter of faith is central to your novel that you feel others would benefit from reading? That is, you genuinely feel that their own understanding of faith would be deepened, even if only a little bit, by reading your book?

If those are your sole motives, and you can retain that humble perspective while building your platform, then you can probably engage in platform-building activities with a clean conscience.

You must, of course, beware of the very issue you raise: not letting any fame and adulation you may receive as a side-effect of your platform building distract you from the message you're trying to share: the one that drove you to write the book in the first place.

If, in your heart of hearts, you can say "yes!" to all that, then go for it.

This also relates to the thing that bothers me so much about the movement in Christian America today towards mega-churches, which is itself just the latest manifestation of what started with the 700 Club and other TV-ministries. While I appreciate literal economies of scale, there is no getting around the fact that a traditional pastor who ministers to a congregation of a couple of hundred has a very different relationship to his congregation than one who ministers to a congregation of ten-thousand, as some of these mega-churches can hold.

I'm sure that here and there is a pastor at a mega-church who can and does keep his heart of hearts focused on the Word, and resists the temptation of ego that comes from having thousands of voices echo your every "Amen!" I'm sure there are some.

But as a writer, if I know anything it's people. And people are flawed. Of all the mega-churches popping up around the nation, it's ridiculous to think that every single one of them is led by one of these genuinely humble-hearted pastors. That's just not realistic.

I think mega-churches, by their very nature, distract the congregation and the minister alike from what should be central: faith itself. It's too easy to get caught up in the excitement of the crowd and begin to venerate the _man_ behind the lectern, rather than the _spirit_ behind the man behind the lectern.

I mean, look what happened to Jim and Tammy-Fay Baker. They weren't directly in front of their audience--but they had TV ratings telling them that millions of people were watching them. They couldn't resist temptation.

Great beautifully-written reflection!
I think, we always need to be careful about to whom we are giving the glory. All this talk about platforms and branding really is worrysome. It doesn't feel quite right and yet it has come to stay. Thank you for bringing this up! Blessings on your journey!

Sometimes I think we're too concious of ourselves. I've had doubts about self-promotion, too, but I've come to the point that if I ask God for knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, then I can move forward when doors open. I don't try to shove doors open but I'm not afraid to do whatever is necessary to have my voice heard. In my case, my message is far more important than me--so, I promote it.

Thank you! This very issue has truly taken away my drive to do anything with publishing. I am so wary of my own heart and so desire to make God's name famous- not mine. I can't yet see clearly how to do that in this world. It was so comforting to find this.

When writing my first resume many years ago, I felt as if bragging about my accomplishments was so worldly and not at all spiritual. My wise pastor, in his King James Version vernacular advised, "Toot thine own horn; else the same shall not be tooted."

Will your book glorify God? It won't get published until the publishers are comfortable that your name is recognizable. Toot.

God bless you.

I have struggled very much with this in my own writing career. A friend challenged me to begin each day asking God what I should write. Today was one of those good days where I did that everything fell into place with so many good ideas and a high word count. However, I have my share of mercenary moments that I need to confess when I have a Tower of Babel moment... building a name for myself.

The marketing game is like biting the apple in Eden, if I can belabor another Genesis reference. Once you know it's out there, everything can become tainted by the desire for a platform.

Fantastic article. This is exactly what I am trying to process through in my life. Thanks.

Loved this article. I have a lot of unanswered questions in regards to self-promotion. As a teacher I find a desire to encourage, inspire and help others in their life process but feel a sense of personal defilement in the self-promoting area. I am very curious as to the correct way to pursue one's dreams and giftings in such an egocentric culture. Maybe there are no easy answers

I have no problem with promotion if I believe Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." Promote away! Find a great brand for it! People think that the opposite of self-exultation is being quiet and hiding one's gifts because they fear being self-exalting. Well guess what? That's another form of obsession with self. If you are a believer, Christ indwells you, and He is making Himself known through you and your writing. Why not promote it? Why not shout it from the rooftops and brand it as best you can? For example, I love marketing my blog. I'm so excited with what God is doing in my life. I love my brand. I promote it because of Galatians 2:20. Don't be fooled into thinking hiding away is godly. It can be just as narcissistic. So, on that note, here's my blog that I use to create a plausibility structure for the gospel: http://www.livewithflair.blogspot.com/

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