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Her.meneutics is edited by associate editor Katelyn Beaty and online editor Sarah Pulliam Bailey.

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September 22, 2011

Real, Authentic Authenticity

It's an attribute that disappears as soon as it's intentionally sought.

Sharon Hodde Miller

The top-read Her.meneutics post of all time was Karen Swallow Prior’s “Doing Authentic Ministry with My Smokin’ Hot Bride,” published this July. To avoid misleading any church planters who might read the piece in earnest, the subtitle helpfully clarified that the post was a list of “the worst ever Christian clichés.”

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Among the greatest offenders was the overused virtue of authenticity. Listed under “Cliché Category #2: Good Words Gone Bad,” it elicited quite a few “Amens” from readers.

Christians are not alone in their over-usage. Last week The New York Times featured a segment titled “Authentic? Get Real,” in which reporter Stephanie Rosenbloom highlighted the popularity of authenticity as a self-descriptor among politicians and television personalities. Everyone from Michele Bachmann (“I’m a real person”) to Anderson Cooper (“I’ve always tried to just be authentic and real”) has touted their authenticity, often citing the attribute as the secret to their success.

Politicians are not alone. Rosenbloom noted that “legions of marketers and social networking coaches are preaching that to succeed online — on Twitter, Facebook, Match.com — we must all ‘be authentic!’ A proposed panel at next year’s South by Southwest interactive conference promises to teach attendees ‘how to be authentic and human without embarrassing yourself.’”

The truth is, Rosenbloom’s piece just as well described Christians as those outside the church. And to the extent that our society values “being real,” authenticity is near to becoming a core American ethic.

Of course, trying to be authentic poses problems. As communications specialist Jeff Pooley told the NYT, “What you can’t do is be told by a social media guru to act authentic and still be authentic.” What you end up with is “calculated authenticity,” or something like stage management.

Consistent with its most common usage, the word authentic means “not false” or “not an imitation.” It also carries the meaning of “conforming to fact” or “same as the original.” These latter definitions offer some insight into the term’s rising popularity among secular and Christian audiences. Americans are tired of being manipulated and lied to. Among politicians who purport to represent the people, and Christians who claim to represent Christ, authenticity is increasingly rare and therefore increasingly precious.

Authenticity should not be dismissed as a passing trend or cliche. Though it never appears explicitly in Scripture, authenticity is a thoroughly biblical idea. 1 Peter 1:7 tells us that genuine faith brings glory to God; Ephesians 4:25 instructs Christians to “put off falsehood;” Paul regularly condemned false prophets, false teachers, and those engaging in “false humility.” Authentic faith and authentic fellowship are valuable aims for the believer. I’d like to propose two perspectives for maintaining a Christian notion of it.

First, authenticity is a discipline that requires time. It cannot be flipped on like a light switch, and it is not maintained without work. I say this as one who struggles to write and teach from my true self, despite my greatest efforts. Both my speaking and my writing tend to mimic the styles of teachers and authors I admire. Finding my own voice, or even figuring out who I really am, has been a challenge.

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In fact, my entire life has been a struggle to get out from behind the faces I put on: I want to be perceived as having it all together, as being the perfect wife, as being an intelligent Christian woman, as being compassionate, kind, and inspirational. I have justified my slavery to these goals because they are mostly noble, but the method is entirely wrong. When rooted in a desire to be liked rather than in the spirit of Christ, each one of these “fruits” is an illusion, a fake.

This leads me to my second point about authenticity: It can only be had in Christ. C. S. Lewis wrote, “Until you have given up your self to Him you will not have a real self. . . . The very first step is to try to forget about the self altogether. You real, new self will not come as long as you are looking for it. It will come when you are looking for Him. . . . Christ will indeed give you a real personality.”

Lewis makes this statement as one who understands the deceptiveness and destructiveness of sin. Only God knows who we really are — that is, who he created each one of us to be. Sin leads us to construct alternative versions of ourselves, selves we prefer, selves that are more comfortable, selves that bring us the most glory. We may try to construct selves that will honor God, but even our best intentions will be perverted when working off a manmade blueprint.

In Christ, however, we become our true selves. God opens our eyes to our sins, to the self-deception, to the things in our lives that are not of him. Then he transforms us, conforming us to the only perfect human being who ever lived. In Christ, we stop operating according to the constraints of social expectations, personal insecurities, and lies. Rather than live in ways that are subhuman, we finally live in a manner worthy of God’s vision for humanity.

That is authenticity. It is a “human being fully alive” (Irenaeus). It is not built in a day, nor is it maintained easily. Like humility, realizing we are closer to it ensures that we will lose it. Yet the nature of authenticity is also good news. Because authenticity cannot be faked, because it does not, ironically, rest in our natural selves, our only option for being truly authentic people is to lose ourselves, casting ourselves on Christ’s mercy, joyfully acknowledging that Christ’s power is made perfect in weakness. The more we realize our desperate state and need of God’s grace, the more authentically human we will be.

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Posted by Katelyn Beaty on September 22, 2011 11:10 AM

Comments

Last Sunday I listened to a sermon about churches banning Jesus from attending. When we are stuck in religious ruts they are as bad as any junk found in the world -- more so even. But this kind of attitude is prevalent and when Believers are truly following Jesus, want to do all He calls them to do and they have left their own agendas in the dust (or do so over and over when they get off track), many fellow Christians reject this kind of realness, this kind of radical faith. I've been part of some beautiful and lovely church families but these same loving church families can become quite unloving when a member isn't living by their rules, isn't acting within accepted boundaries of what humans have decided are acceptable. I wonder if Jesus would be welcome in most churches in America these days if He walked in Sunday morning?

Posted By: jane Hinrichs | September 22, 2011 11:31 AM

It is so hard to be "authentic" because it also means being VULNERABLE. I'll speak for myself, but I am afraid. I'm afraid of how others will treat me if they know how sinful and broken I really am.

I've been trying to be honest with my church family about the struggles in my marriage and my other hurts and my battles with sin. Actually, no one has been mean or judging at all! Thank God I have found a church filled with brothers and sisters who model the agape love of the Body of Christ.

But that can be very difficult to find. And even then it is a risk. It also means being open to the honesty of others and being willing to join in holding THEM up. It's a committment of time and energy. It's hard, but it's an investment that pays very well.

Posted By: Robyn | September 22, 2011 12:37 PM

mmHMM! Amen!

I was just telling someone the other day about how we HAVE to be authentic (I don't think I used that word though) selves, mess-ups and all. WE don't need to SELL the Gospel story - the Gospel stands alone in its power - and it is THROUGH our authenticity (ie. humanity - mess-ups, failures, ugliness, and all) that God is given the Glory He deserves. It reminds me of Paul's thorn, you know? We need to embrace our own thorns 1) so that we do not hide ourselves, and 2) so God's glory can be made manifest in our lives!

Incidentally, I keep getting comments on my own blog about how refreshingly REAL (dare I say authentic?) my posts are. But those comments, although so welcomed, are also confusing to me, because I wonder -- aren't we ALL supposed to be this real, raw, and honest? The blogs I read are similarly open and "authentic." I don't want to hide what I'm struggling with because I KNOW the God of all comfort who comforts me will use me to comfort others.

Anyways, the bottom line: totally agree with this article, and we definitely need to practice the discipline of authenticity. People are craving the reality of God and are looking to US to show them how to live it.

Posted By: even one sparrow | September 22, 2011 12:43 PM

Good points, Sharon. Another passage that I think relates to authenticity is Matthew 5:37 - But let your word 'yes' be 'yes,' and your 'no' be 'no.' Anything more than this is from the evil one. You don't get much more authentic (when it comes to communication and integrity anyway) than that.

Doing this is not easy, of course, if we are relying on ourselves. But the more we look to Jesus, the easier it gets. It's like C.S. Lewis said in the quote you used above, we become who we were really (or authentically) meant to be by turning to Jesus, not ourselves.

Cheers,
Tim

P.S. Rachel (aka Even One Sparrow), your comment reminds me of the times I'm in the grocery store and hand back to the clerk the extra money mistakenly given to me in change. A simple "thanks" I would understand, but some of the clerks (or customers in line behind me) start gushing as if I'd just solved world hunger and was moving on to world peace. "Wow, you are so nice! Most people wouldn't do that, you know."

Really? I'm nice because I didn't take something that doesn't belong to me - and the absence of which would get you (the clerk) in a lot of trouble when you count out your till at the end of the day - and most people wouldn't do the same? It makes you wonder what kind of people do these stores think they get as customers.

And by the way, Rachel, I too appreciate your willingness to open yourself up on your blog. I've enjoyed reading your stories, not only because they are insightful but also because they are flat-out good writing.

Posted By: Tim | September 22, 2011 1:57 PM

"A proposed panel at next year’s South by Southwest interactive conference promises to teach attendees ‘how to be authentic and human without embarrassing yourself.’”

Really???

Posted By: Resi Arriot | September 22, 2011 4:25 PM

So. . . if we are truly authentic, we'd stop the nonsense of attracting people to church with their own culture and getting back to the need for repentance from sin against a holy God who is angry (wrath=boiling anger) and in His sense of justice, His love rescued us from the penalty of hell due to our guilt. He has saved us to be recreated in His holy image. That's God's authenticity. That's a far cry from "We are all broken, but God loves you anyway (the way you are), so see you next week after you put money in the plate." Authentic is being honest and courageous to announce what the gospel really is and it's conditions of faith, repentance, and immersion that results in growth in obedience.

Posted By: The G | September 22, 2011 4:58 PM

On a slight tangent regarding authenticity, your reference to Karen Swallow Prior's post “Doing Authentic Ministry with My Smokin’ Hot Bride,” led me to think of the best NASCAR prayer ever, which not only seeks a blessing for the drivers but also gives thanks for a "smokin' hot wife." Boogity, boogity, boogity amen. Authentically meant, of course.

Cheers,
Tim

P.S. Apparently this is all a songified reference to a movie I've never seen, Talladega Nights, but now that I've seen the youtube video I feel like I don't even need to netflix the movie.

Posted By: Tim | September 22, 2011 5:16 PM

Good essay and something that many people already see and understand. I wonder what this means for the mega church movement with its "celebrity" entrepeneurial pastors/marketing experts? Maybe folks are starting to see the light on this stuff and realize that what they have been fed is rather thin, superficial, and even silly.
Let's hope so.

Posted By: mikep | September 22, 2011 5:50 PM

Incidentally, I just received an e-mail from a friend who moved out to the Denver-area. She used to go to the church my husband and I attend -- our little, broken church with all its little, broken people. She confessed how much she misses it -- she admitted to me that it wasn't perfect, but it was genuine (hey hey - another word for authentic). She feels duped by the megachurches she is going to out there -- like they are trying to put on a show to win her over. She just wants plain, simple, genuine people living out their lives for Christ. It reminded me of the article and I wanted to comment again. :)

P.S. Tim, thanks for both the understanding and the kind words!

Posted By: even one sparrow | September 22, 2011 7:00 PM

These words are breath for my soul. Thank you.

Posted By: Becca | September 22, 2011 8:45 PM

Real, true authenticity is one of my favorite things, so thank you for this thoughtful, important post.

From one teacher to another, the best description of the role of authenticity in teaching I've seen comes from The most succinct expression of my philosophy of teaching comes from Parker J. Palmer in The Courage to Teach:


"Good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher . . . Good teachers possess a capacity for connectedness. They are able to weave a complex web of connections among themselves, their subjects, and their students so that students can learn to weave a world for themselves. The methods used by these weavers vary . . . The connections made by good teachers are held not in their methods but in their hearts—meaning heart in its ancient sense, as the place where intellect and emotion and spirit and will converge in the human self." (10-11)

Posted By: KSP | September 22, 2011 8:59 PM

Great article!

Sometimes language has its limitations, and overuse of a word like "authentic" can make the word have a negative or hackneyed sound, rather than its original positive meaning.

The problem that politicians have is that in order to get elected in this country, they must satisfy a very diverse group of voters. Would that be possible if they were completely honest about who they are and what they believe?

Posted By: Suzy | September 23, 2011 8:15 AM

True authenticity means sticking to your values even when they don't mesh with popular trends. Often truly authentic women are overlooked because they do not fit the popular image.

Posted By: Janette | September 23, 2011 10:24 AM

I would make a distinction between integrity and authenticity.I would see integrity as living in alignment with your values whereas authenticity is more about living in alignment with the purpose for which God created you as an individual. In living out that purpose, we then live out of our true selves. Sharon speaks of it as a discipline but it first must be discovered. We can't practice what we haven't perceived yet. While I usually track with C.S. Lewis, I'm not sure his is the best take on how to have a real self. He speaks of forgetting ourselves first but it is more than that. Thomas Merton said, "There is only one problem on which all my existence, my peace, and my happiness depend: to discover myself in discovering God. If I find Him I will find myself and if I find my true self I will find Him." The most helpful book in discovering our true selves is David Benner's, The Gift of Being Yourself".

Posted By: Lane | September 23, 2011 6:54 PM

I'm learning more and more to just "be me", and I believe that is what authentic means. Its been a process that started after my husbands affair, and now after his death I am discovering more and more who the "true me" really is. Sometimes I say something and then I am self-conscious about it. But learning to be comfortable in our own skins is a key to enjoying life! God made us who we are- time to be real! Jenn.

Posted By: Anonymous | September 23, 2011 9:11 PM

'Finding my own voice, or even figuring out who I really am, has been a challenge. In fact, my entire life has been a struggle to get out from behind the faces I put on...'
How so many people reading that can identify with it! I certainly can; I've just written an article on my blog curiously enough talking about a similar issue.

We all put on different faces at different times; we are not the same with out boss as we are with our friends, and we wouldn't act the same with a homeless person as we would if we met Barack Obama, or the Queen of England! I know I wouldn't anyway. It's finding who we really are, in Jesus, and being comfortable with who we are, and also asking Jesus to forgive our usually sinful pasts and sinful lifestyles, and letting us move on to a better future, and the only true freedom, which can only be found in Jesus, and of course through following Him. In a world of billions of people, it is genuinely hard to stand out; with Jesus as our guide, we can be who we were really meant to be, and we can stand out too.

Posted By: Tim Childs | September 25, 2011 12:04 PM

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