Matt Smallbone

I took the Narcissism Personality Inventory online test this morning. The average participant scores between 12 and 15.

True narcissists score over 20 and celebrities often score around 18.

Joel Stein of Time Magazine reports that reality TV show contestants generate scores that should only be attained by two-year olds or Fascist dictators (sic).

I scored 15 out of 40.

PHEW…. I was kind of worried about what my result would be. I have noticed of late that I use the words “I” and “me” a LOT throughout my blogs. I paid money to own mattsmallbone.com and I have a job that has me standing in front of thousands of people (often with my ugly mug on a big screen).

My more detailed results were:

Narcissistic Trait			Strength of Trait
Authority: 4.00
Self-Sufficiency: 3.00
Superiority: 3.00
Exhibitionism: 1.00
Exploitativeness: 1.00
Vanity: 1.00
Entitlement: 2.00

The big downer in my results is that I scored highly in ‘superiority’… suggesting that I feel superior to those around me. I was accused of this a lot at University… and I guess I always hoped that it wasn’t the case.

In 2007,  Campbell and Foster (2007)  reviewed the literature on narcissism. They argued that narcissists possess the following ‘basic ingredients’:

• Positive. Narcissists think they are better than others.
• Inflated. Narcissists’ views tend to be contrary to reality. In measure which compare self-report to objective measures, narcissists self-views tend to be greatly exaggerated.
• Agentic. Narcissists’ views tend to be most exaggerated in the agentic domain, relative to the communion domain.
• Special. Narcissists perceive themselves to be unique and special people.
• Selfish. Research upon narcissists’ behaviour in resource dilemmas supports the case for narcissists as being selfish.
• Oriented toward success. Narcissists are oriented towards success by being, for example, approach oriented.

Source: wiki

I wonder what God thinks of narcissism? A lot of the above stuff sounds like sin to me.

What should a disciple score on this test? I bet that it should be lower than 15.

In the book of Matthew, Jesus says that a disciple will: “Deny himself, take up his cross and follow me”.

The narcissist within me refuses to deny self. It feeds on self. It NEEDS self.

If you are attempting to be an authentic follower of Jesus, I suspect that the narcissistic parts of our make-up needs to be taken out to the back yard and beaten to a pulp.

Have a go at the Narcissism Personality Inventory. Let me know how you did.

Tags: Christian, disciple, narcissism

Isaac (then 2) and Bono in Central Park, NYC

One of the best books that I’ve read in the last five years is Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas.

The guys is a deep thinker and he expresses things of God in ways that Evangelical Christians can’t. The following is an extract from Conversations.

Bono: My understanding of the Scriptures has been made simple by the person of Christ. Christ teaches that God is love. What does that mean? What it means for me: a study of the life of Christ. Love here describes itself as a child born in straw poverty, the most vulnerable situation of all, without honor. I don’t let my religious world get too complicated. I just kind of go: Well, I think I know what God is. God is love, and as much as I respond [sighs] in allowing myself to be transformed by that love and acting in that love, that’s my religion. Where things get complicated for me, is when I try to live this love. Now that’s not so easy.

Michka Assayas: What about the God of the Old Testament? He wasn’t so “peace and love”?

Bono: There’s nothing hippie about my picture of Christ. The Gospels paint a picture of a very demanding, sometimes divisive love, but love it is. I accept the Old Testament as more of an action movie: blood, car chases, evacuations, a lot of special effects, seas dividing, mass murder, adultery. The children of God are running amok, wayward. Maybe that’s why they’re so relatable. But the way we would see it, those of us who are trying to figure out our Christian conundrum, is that the God of the Old Testament is like the journey from stern father to friend. When you’re a child, you need clear directions and some strict rules. But with Christ, we have access in a one-to-one relationship, for, as in the Old Testament, it was more one of worship and awe, a vertical relationship. The New Testament, on the other hand, we look across at a Jesus who looks familiar, horizontal. The combination is what makes the Cross.

Religion can be the enemy of God. It’s often what happens when God, like Elvis, has left the building. [laughs] A list of instructions where there was once conviction; dogma where once people just did it; a congregation led by a man where once they were led by the Holy Spirit. Discipline replacing discipleship.

I’m holding out for Grace. I’m holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don’t have to depend on my own religiosity.

Michka Assayas: The Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. I wish I could believe in that.

Bono: But I love the idea of the Sacrificial Lamb. I love the idea that God says: Look, you cretins, there are certain results to the way we are, to selfishness, and there’s a mortality as part of your very sinful nature, and, let’s face it, you’re not living a very good life, are you? There are consequences to actions. The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That’s the point. It should keep us humbled… . It’s not our own good works that get us through the gates of heaven.

Michka Assayas: That’s a great idea, no denying it. Such great hope is wonderful, even though it’s close to lunacy, in my view. Christ has his rank among the world’s great thinkers. But Son of God, isn’t that far fetched?

Bono: No, it’s not far fetched to me. Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: he was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn’t allow you that. He doesn’t let you off that hook. Christ says: No. I’m not saying I’m a teacher, don’t call me teacher. I’m not saying I’m a prophet. I’m saying: “I’m the Messiah.” I’m saying: “I am God incarnate.” And people say: No, no, please, just be a prophet. A prophet, we can take. You’re a bit eccentric. We’ve had John the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey, we can handle that. But don’t mention the “M” word! Because, you know, we’re gonna have to crucify you. And he goes: No, no. I know you’re expecting me to come back with an army, and set you free from these creeps, but actually I am the Messiah. At this point, everyone starts staring at their shoes, and says: Oh, my God, he’s gonna keep saying this. So what you’re left with is: either Christ was who He said He was—the Messiah—or a complete nutcase. I mean, we’re talking nutcase on the level of Charles Manson. This man was like some of the people we’ve been talking about earlier. This man was strapping himself to a bomb, and had “King of the Jews” on his head, and, as they were putting him up on the Cross, was going: OK, martyrdom, here we go. Bring on the pain! I can take it. I’m not joking here. The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me, that’s far fetched.

Tags: Bono, Good Friday, Jesus

None of us can claim to be totally unbiased. We view the world in our own peculiar way. This way or ‘world-view’ is shaped a bit by your genetics and a lot by your experiences.

For example…

If your father abused you, this affects the way that you will view men. If your mother was an alcoholic, this affects your thoughts on alcohol. If you are caucasian, this affects your dancing ability, and hence affects your ability to be cool at parties …

Basically, you view life through a particular type of lens. Mine is more or less a Christian lens.

My lens tells me that people are born bad. My lens tells me that all are lost and undeserving of rescue. My lens tells me that there is nothing that I can do to be good enough (in fact… being good isn’t even really that important in terms of my eternity).

So why then don’t I just rob a bank and move to a Pacific Island?

It’s because despite what my lens tells me is true about the world and people around me… I have a great hope for my future.

And it is only because of Grace.

2000 years ago Jesus chose to make all of the difference for me. He chose to hang on a Roman cross so that I could be free.

It takes a leap of faith to think like this… but on Sunday I was reminded of how much the King of the Kings did for me. I was reminded that I am loved… no matter what.

I like my lens. It has made all of the difference.

Tags: God, lens, worldview

A couple of times a month I play bass in the music team at Cumberland Church, Franklin, TN. It is probably the  best church worship band that I have ever been in (yes… even better than the glory days at Rangeville Uniting Church in Toowoomba…which was my ‘summer of 69′ era). All of the guys are A-level players… but there is a real humility about each and every one of them. It is always a highlight of my week.

Anyway… yesterday I was deeply affected by a Palm Sunday message that was given by Andy Stanley on the big screen. It is the best one that I have ever heard.

Please come back and watch the following link when you have an uninterrupted 30 minutes… but do it before Easter. If you are married… watch this with your spouse.

If you don’t typically go to church… I think that you will find this interesting.

Click on this: The Final Hours by Andy Stanley

Tags: Andy Stanley, crucifixion, Easter

I didn’t turn my computer on yesterday. Not once. It has been a long time since that happened.

As a result, yesterday was one of the best days that I have had in a long time. It was all about my real family… not my Facebook family. There really is something to the old “Remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy”. I guess that that is why God handed that out as a command rather than a loose piece of advice to the Israelites.

This is what God said…

“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days a week are set apart for your daily duties and regular work, but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any kind of work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; then he rested on the seventh day. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy”. New Living Translation

I have broken this command about 1663 times.

I know that the earthbound days of Jesus and subsequent death and resurrection changed some things… the new covenant and all… but I’ve got to tell you… I feel empowered to change the world after my day of rest with my family.

My life changed for the better yesterday. Maybe you should join me next week. The Sabbath is not very rock and roll, but I think that that is probably the point.

Peace,

Matt