As we interact with others during our daily routines, what are the different methods we can use for sharing our faith with others? What are the pros and cons? What role does a person’s personality temperament(s) play in how he or she responds each of the primary teaching methods?
Most of us already know there are certain ways we respond to any given situation. For example, imagine four friends, all of whom have completely different personality temperaments, going to the upcoming new/used car show at the local sports arena. The first is a choleric, the second a melancholic, the third a sanguine and the fourth a phlegmatic. Upon arrival at the arena doors, all of the friends agree to part ways and check out vehicles on their own. The first person (the choleric), who analyzed all of the prospective vehicles ahead of time, goes straight to his chosen dealership with a list of required technical specifications. The second person (the melancholic), who also researched ahead of time, goes straight to his respective dealership with a specific color and/or design in mind. As for the third person (the sanguine), he just walks in and checks out the first vehicle that catches his attention. As for the fourth person (the phlegmatic), he barely makes it into the car show as he gets distracted talking to people and reading all of the pamphlets in the arena entrance.
If you think that is confusing, just add a pushy car salesman into the scenario. The first person (the choleric), who already did his research and had his checkbook in hand to buy a car, will probably walk away from the pushy salesman and buy his car somewhere else – even if it costs more money – just over the principle of the matter. The second person (the melancholic), who had a certain color/design in mind, will probably consider walking away from the salesman…unless he already bonded with the vehicle. The third person (the sanguine), who goes for anything that catches his attention, will likely buy a vehicle from the pushy salesman unless he sees another vehicle during the interim. As for the fourth person (the phlegmatic), who barely made it into the arena, he is probably driving the pushy salesman nuts by talking to him too much and not making any decisions about a car purchase.
In general, you could say variety in people makes life interesting, but when you add the spice of variety to a church setting and/or sharing one’s faith with another it can make things really complicated. So what are the main differences between the three teaching methods and their application to your faith (e.g., sharing your faith with others and/or receiving instruction from your spiritual mentor[s])? All three teaching methods do serve a purpose and may be beneficial to a person at different stages of his or her life; however, one must consider the short-term and long-term implications of each method.
The three teaching methods are described below, which include the pros and cons for each respectively:
Authoritarian – complete obedience or subjection to authorities as opposed to individual freedom
Pros: All discipline
Cons: No love
Permissive – characteristically accepting or tolerant of something, such as social behavior
Pros: All love
Cons: No discipline
Authoritative – having the sanction or weight of authority, such as the ability to determine
Pros: Love with discipline
Cons: Involves a lot more work
Overall, we need to reflect on the various teaching methods we use for sharing our faith with others. Likewise, what impact do these methods have on our personal testimonies as well as a representation of the church? The words of the Apostle Paul summarize the importance of our personal testimonies in relation to others, “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care…being examples to the flock.” (I Peter 5:2-3 NIV)
No comments:
Post a Comment