The Cult of Authenticity
Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things.
I’m just broken, man. I’m really struggling, bro. Dude... it’s been really rough.
All things I’ve said to friends and family. All things I’ve meant with all my heart. All things I have said sometimes on purpose for a little bit of emphasis and a little more evasion of change.
Genuineness has been all the rage in Christian circles. A certain version of it anyway.
I can truthfully say I dislike the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole (sorry to the fans). I can truthfully say I love Spicy Nacho Doritos even though I’m older and “should know better.”
I can also truthfully say I can convince people I’m authentic. And it’s actually because I am. Just not as much as they think I am.
See being “real” is more on a spectrum than on a scale. Authenticity isn’t quite the opposite of being shallow. Being genuine isn’t synonymous with being good. Fake it till you make it, something people can even do when showing that they are “real.”
Now hear me loud and hear me clear; being authentic is, actually, good. Blessed are the true is a personal motto of mine. Nothing is as disarming, comforting, and powerful as a wholehearted and agenda-less confession of shortcomings, of fears, and, especially, of places of shame.
But, transparency for the sake of transparency isn’t all that great. Sometimes, actually, it’s manipulative. Being honest isn’t synonymous with being earnest.
It may seem I am complicating what is straightforward. Simply put, how can one be authentic AND fake? Genuine AND duplicitous? Congruent AND disintegrated?
I’d argue that this is at heart of the war between the True and False self. It’s the distinction between authenticity that fosters growth and transparency which directly negates it.
It’s funny how many stories are, by all broad strokes and appearances, merely about good vs. evil. Not that hard to find them: LOTR, Narnia, Star Wars, most comic books, etc. Additionally, it’s odd that characters that embody goodness fully, almost as an archetype, are never as liked as the characters who have layers.
Generally, people like Han more than Luke. Prefer Tyrion Lannister over Ned Stark. Team Iron Man over Team Captain America.
Sometimes this isn’t the case, but more often than not the more fleshed out a character is, especially all of their various faults, the more people will connect with and appreciate those characters. And on the flip side, the more a character is morally good, seemingly without fault, and also without cause to be good, the less liked he or she will be.
But actually, I think the latter point is the bread and butter of whether a “good” character is well liked. See in the Bible we love long suffering Joseph who forgives his brothers. We appreciate the boldness of Paul to describe a thorn in his flesh while also seemingly bragging about how good of a Pharisee he was. Peter put a foot in his mouth one too many times but then became the rock Christ built His church on. And then there’s Jesus, of course.
If any character, at a glance, could come across as “boring,” it would be Him. No faults, completely blameless, 100% righteous.
Yet Jesus compelling vision of “goodness,” along with his inspiring embodiment of that very goodness, we are mesmerized by.
While so often “good” characters without cause to be or rationale for it make for dull characters, altruistic characters who remain so in spite of strain, in spite of weakness, in spite of adversity? This always draws people in.
Simply put, just “being vulnerable” isn’t enough on its own. If Ellen Degeneres is vulnerable or Bill Cosby is transparent or Harvey Weinstein is genuine, we honestly don’t care. Their actions betray the heart of what true authenticity is all about. One tweet-able statement hardly covers up for years of blatant immorality.
If authenticity is anything, it’s a striving for an ideal while also being fully aware of the brokenness that keeps us from that ideal. All the while, when authenticity is received by with grace, kindness, and understanding, it also does something surprising.
Authenticity kills shame. Where people meet us in our broken pieces, somehow we walk away feeling whole.
The main point I want for anyone to take away is that authenticity is a wonderful thing. It’s becoming more viable with the younger generations too. This I am glad to see.
And yet, authenticity doesn’t hide sin. It’s not a replacement for repentance. Being genuine isn’t synonymous with being apologetic.
Your heart can be concealed with words but is always revealed by action. Like that great Batman quote says, “it’s not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you.”
So let the way you are authentic define you in a good way. And not in a way that hinders you from growth in character or detracts others from speaking into your life from places of love.