Christ And Criticism Series

Some years back at the University of Wisconsin a group of literary students formed a club. The

purpose of the club was to criticize. The members would submit a story, and it would be dissected

mercilessly with no punches pulled. The sessions were so brutal that the club members dubbed

themselves, "The Stranglers." This was a masculine club only, so the girls on campus formed "The

Wranglers." They read manuscripts also, but the criticism was much gentler, and more constructive.

Every effort, however feeble, was encouraged. 20 years later an alumnus made an analysis of his

classmates careers. He discovered that not one of the Stranglers had made a literary career of any

kind, but out of the Wranglers had come half a dozen successful writers. The Stranglers had

fulfilled their name well. They took developing talent and by excessive criticism they strangled it.

The Wranglers by use of constructive criticism lifted struggling talent to its feet so it could climb to

success.

There are few things more destructive and harmful then criticism. The only sin Jesus ever said

was unforgivable is directly connected with criticism, for blasphemy of the Holy Spirit means to

speak against the spirit with scornful and malignant criticism. There is a legitimate place for

expressing critical feelings. It is just that it is a delicate matter. It is almost as delicate as trying to

catch soap bubbles on a pin. Dr. Curtis Hutson says we must make distinctions in criticism.

There is:

1. Destructive criticism. Jesus forbids this when He says, "Judge not." It is a desire to damage and

destroy.

2. Deluded criticism. The brother with the log hanging out of his eye trying to help another get the

speck out of his eye. This is folly.

3. Discriminating criticism. Jesus says, "Give not that which is holy to dogs, and don't cast your

pearls before swine." You have to be critical and make judgments to avoid being stupid.

Jesus was critical of the Pharisees.

Paul was critical of the Judaisers.

Christians are critical of the cults.

Americans are critical of communists.

Criticism is what keeps us on the right path. It is essential in our form of government that wrong

actions be criticized. The world is full of valid criticism. Wise and mature Christians need to

develop a critical spirit by which they test all things, and hold to that which is true. But we are

looking at that negative critical spirit which makes us agents of evil and quenchers of the spirit. By

a spirit of pride we easily think we are experts in all areas, and can make critical judgments of the

works of others. The poet illustrates the point.

"That owl up there,

Said the man in the chair,

Is stuffed all wrong, I do declare.

See the feet-wrong size!

Wrong feathers, wrong eyes."

And the barber kept on shaving,

And, then when the man in the chair got through,

The owl hopped off its perch and it flew,

And the barber kept on shaving.

CRITICISM IS INEVITABLE.

The life of Jesus makes it clear that even perfection cannot escape the poisonous tongue of the

critic. One author wrote, "Be thou chaste as the lily, be thou as pure as the unsullied snow, thou

canst not escape criticism!" If the very Son of God, with perfect love and wisdom, doing only the

will of God, which is always the best for man, and fully fulfilling the highest ideals of man, could be

called a devil, then let us not hope to do better, and get through life without criticism. We have so

much to be justly criticized for, but Jesus did only good, and yet He was accused of being a agent of

Satan. Because of ignorance, even his own family thought he was losing his mind, and they wanted

to stop his ministry.

The criticism here is so vile and vulgar that it is unbelievable that the tongue of man could

pronounce such blasphemy. The Pharisees said Jesus had power to cast out demons because He was

possessed by the prince of demons. Beelzebub was the fly-god of the Philistines, also known as the

dung-god, for flys and the dung heap would be naturally connected. This low and foul criticism was

directed, not at the blood thirsty Romans who delighted in seeing Gladiators kill one another; not at

the pious frauds who prayed on the street corner, but secretly devoured widows houses by unjust

maneuvers, but, rather, at the perfect and sinless Son of God. His life was pure and undefiled that

the shedding of His blood washed away our sin, and made it possible for us to become white as

snow.

What a lesson this teaches us about life. It shows us that any person who wants to succeed as a