The Coddling of the American Mind, Questioning One's Salvation, and Showing Grace and Mercy

Three veins of thought I recently read and heard come together into one theme for this post.  Each of them intersected into a common orbit, like three strangers meeting at an English roundabout and deciding to stay.  First I want to credit the three sources.

The first, The Coddling of the American Mind, was mentioned by popular linguist and author, Columbia professor John McWhorter at Substack in a part of his anti-anti-racist series, the article titled, Black Fragility as Black Strength.  He borrowed from the recent conservative book, The Coddling of the American Mind, for the outline of his article.  The title of that Lukianoff and Haidt book also takes from a now classic published in 1987 by University of Chicago professor, Allan Bloom, titled, The Closing of the American Mind.  The coddling of the American mind is a later iteration of closing the American mind, both occurring on university campuses.  Truth approaches a coddled mind and it closes like the Mimosa pudica to escape injury, remaining in error.

Questioning salvation is scriptural.  At least two books of the New Testament, 1 John and James, have this as their subject matter.  Parts of several other New Testament books speak to the unconverted in a mixed multitude, including Hebrews.  Jesus Himself addresses this crowd.  Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves."

With an attitude of great surprise, Tim McKnight on his post, "Social Media: 7 Tips for Christians," started with these two sentences:

Last night I experienced a first on social media. A person claiming to follow Jesus Christ questioned my salvation.

McKnight, a person claiming to follow Jesus Christ, questioned someone questioning his salvation.  The Apostle Paul said, question people's salvation, Jesus questioned people's salvation, and every true evangelist will question someone's salvation.  It shouldn't have been a first on social media, but this was considered an offense.

The above offense of questioning salvation then also dovetails with number three, a sermon I was listening to on Christian radio in our area, where the speaker was emphasizing "showing grace and mercy" to others.  As I listened to his defining the practice, I tried to connect the practice to scripture.  I understood from what he said that "showing grace and mercy" was a kind of toleration of unacceptable behavior, putting up with how others behave without saying anything.  That might have become the standard understanding of the concept of showing grace and mercy.

Let me put this together.  Coddled minds, who don't want their salvation questioned, need us to show them grace and mercy by leaving them alone.  The Apostle Paul didn't coddle the Corinthians when he called on them to question their own salvation.  Would he have done better to coddle them and would this have been to show them grace and mercy?

Often the Apostle Paul starts his three pastoral epistles with these almost identical statements:

Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Not outdone by Paul, the Apostle John began 2 John with the following in verse 3:

Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

He proceeded to question the salvation of many people in verses 9-10:

Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:  For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

He also encourages you to question the salvation of others.  Someone could be coddled all the way to eternal damnation, thinking they're saved, when they're not.

I'm very much for showing grace and mercy, but I also want to get a handle on what that means.  Everyone needs mercy.  We don't condemn people when they sin or if they offend us personally.  We show them grace by helping them stop sinning, not by ignoring their sin.  There is a gracious way to help people.  What Paul writes toward the end of 1 Thessalonians is good instruction (5:14):

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

Some need comfort, some support, but others warning.  Everyone needs patience.  How long is patient?  It isn't interminable or else you'd never warn the unruly.

Paul told Titus that grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lust (Titus 2:12).  Showing grace means teaching others to deny ungodliness and worldly lust or to do just what Paul did in Ephesians 5:11 when he wrote:  "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."  Is that showing grace?  Not to a coddled mind.

We're in a difficult situation today where people need the most questioning in history and with their coddled minds, they can endure none of that.  Questioning is occurring, but it's mainly about questioning.  They will not show you grace if you do not show them grace, all depending on the meaning of grace.

I recognize that I'm probably preaching to the choir with this post.  Everyone else, show me some grace, okay?