No Wonder Many Label The Church as Close-minded, Bigoted, Narrow-minded, or Judgmental
“Humans are not naturally rational. Information overload is exhausting and confusing, so we filter out the noise. We only see parts of the world. We tend to notice things that are repeating, whether there are any patterns or outliers, and we tend to preserve memory by generalizing and resorting to type,”[1] argued Dr. Agarwal, in her work “Sway: Unravelling Unconscious Bias.”
It’s true. Humans are a complicated and complex system of neurons, muscle, flesh, blood, and water.
According to cognitive and psychological research, our brain processes over 11 million pieces of information per second. To help manage that overload, our minds make unconscious decisions so that our conscious mind can process more significant choices. Agarwal calls this “System 1,” the primarily involuntary and independent of working memory, “which means we don’t have time to experience our cognitive rational thinking. It is rapid, more subjective, and value-, context- and domain-specific.”[2]
Our unconscious bias is shaped by experience, background, culture, and specified religious orientation. These things shape our beliefs, opinions, values, and way of thinking without realizing it.
On the other hand, “System 2 is more rational and logical. It is mostly voluntary processing of information, detached from emotions and more controlled.”[3]
Evolutionary psychology has shown that the development of these systems is directly correlated with the need to survive and develop trust among a tribe or community of people. This is where we get the concept and the social practice of tribalism, a gathering of like-minded people who tend to cut off those who do not fit in with the customs, traditions, and belief systems of the tribe.
Agarwal argues, “Social norms underlie our gut instincts about people. Our default bias is associated with these social norms. Often bias is created when a particular object or person does not meet the normative standard in society, and our instinct is to view them with suspicion and to alienate or stigmatize them.”[4]
No matter how much we might like the idea of novelty, when immediately confronted with them, our bodies’ bodies kick in a stress response to this very unfamiliar situation. So long before you consciously think positively about the unfamiliar nature of what you are experiencing, your unconsciousness responds with an alert system.
Our unconscious bias gives us instantaneous decisions and opinions on almost everything around us. The problem is that anthropologists have proven that our unconscious bias is wrong a lot of the time, especially when it involves rational thinking. For example, we hold an unconscious bias against certain people based on age, gender, sexuality, nationality, religious affiliation, political allegiance, economic status, or other categories.
As much as we like to think we are complex creatures with complex thoughts, opinions, and assumptions, “lurking” in our minds is an instinct formed over time that is much harder to change.
It is no wonder that our society is so divided, why we subscribe to our tribal news outlets, herd towards our like-minded groups, and alienate those different from us.
And the church, well, it is not immune. More often than not, the healthy theological opening of our minds to a different way of life, a different expression of humanness, or a different social arrangement, reacts in a strong stress response, questioning the validity of things that go against our norm.
What have we theologically questioned as a result of our assumptions? What have we called “biblically-based” that really was unconscious biases based on our upbringing and context? What new thing is God doing that we have closed ourselves off to with a System 1 stress response?
It is no wonder that many label the church as close-minded, bigoted, narrow-minded, or judgmental. This is because the church has failed to open ourselves up to God’s diverse creation, maybe intentionally and subconsciously, to what is unknown and unfamiliar.
It’s kind of like Jesus’ encounters with the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Temple rulers who were so caught off guard by his inclusive love for the so-called sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes, sick, and unwanted that the only thing knew to do was to question, condemn, and murder.
[1] Agarwal, Pragya. Sway: Unravelling Unconscious Bias. Bloomsbury Sigma series. (London;
New York: Bloomsbury Sigma, 2020), 30.
[2] Ibid, 29.
[3] Ibid, 30.
[4] Ibid, 37.
About the Author
Andy Hale
Associate Executive Coordinator of CBF North Carolina, CBF Podcast Creator and Host, & Professional Coach11 responses to “No Wonder Many Label The Church as Close-minded, Bigoted, Narrow-minded, or Judgmental”
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Andy, thank you for a clear, concise, and challenging post. When you referenced calling things “biblically-based,” it made me think how people on both sides of the slavery issue appealed to the Bible for support. As someone that Bebbington might term committed to “biblicism,” how do we properly interpret the Bible and avoid the errors of bias? To ask it another way, what kind of hermeneutic helps us chart a biblical course more than a biased one?
Great question. We first have to learn how . Second, I think we have to understand and talk about the biases of the biblical characters and writers.
Andy: You bring out some good points about the church in light of Argawal’s book this week. The church can do a better job of being more inclusive of all types of people. As you mentioned with Jesus and how inclusive he was with sinners and those from different walks of life, the church must also welcome all people to the Gospel. Did this book challenge you in this area?
Troy, great question. My biggest challenge is to check my ungracious biases towards the faith tradition I was reared and give people the same space I was granted to deconstruct and reconstruct.
Andy: You state “It is no wonder that many label the church as close-minded, bigoted, narrow-minded, or judgmental. This is because the church has failed to open ourselves up to God’s diverse creation, maybe intentionally and subconsciously, to what is unknown and unfamiliar.” From your context and experience, do you think the root of this is fear? or is there something else driving this?
Absolutely. I preached today on superiority, which has its roots in our desire for rightness, an unhealthy relationship with our faults, and our fear of the unknown, unfamiliar, and uncertain.
Andy, humans superiority is evidence of the idolatry of ourselves that Calvin was concerned about. In what ways do you see identity, fear and idolatry playing in a sand box together? As leaders how do we help parse these for people of faith in healthy ways ? How would Friedman calls us to do it?
Hey there Andy. Concise and to the point! Well done.
Great questions regarding the Church. What new thing is God up to? You have been talking about this ever since I have known you!
Do you have a sense of this new thing? What are you seeing and sensing God is up to? I realize that may be too loaded to answer here… I am sure I will here about it at some point! Just know that I am watching and listening, and I want to better understand as I am incredibly curious!
That’s a loaded question. But I expect nothing less out of you.
I see the new thing God is doing as the abundant and flourishing future of the church to continue to be collaborators in the working of redeeming God’s world.
Our struggle as the institutional church is to recognize and embrace it despite our inability to recognize it in the face of our comfortable creation of what we think God wants from us. Remember when the Jewish Christians thought they had it right when they believed God wanted people to first follow the Jewish customs before they could be fully Christian?
I think we share more in common on this front than you might expect. I too am expecting and anticipating a significant change for the good. I imagine it will look very different than what we see right now, but like you, I believe it will be for the good.
My gut? I think it will significantly change the face (and role) of “professional” ministry. I can’t but help think we have commodified something that was never to be commodified.
Hey Andy…thank you for your thoughtful and thought-provoking post! Like others, I love the questions you raised. What discipleship practices is your community engaging to counter our collective and reactive brain chemistry to “…subscribe to our tribal news outlets, herd towards our like-minded groups, and alienate those different from us”?