Ten Elshof on Self-Deception

I'm wrapping a book review on Gregg Ten Elshof's book I Told Me So. Gregg is the chair of the philosophy department at Biola and a fellow student of Dallas Willard. Like Dallas, he is using his talent and training as a philosopher to provide some insight into the Christian life.

Anyway, here's the way I like to demonstrate the likelihood that YOU are self-deceived: Try this experiment. Write down three character traits that best represent you. Now, think of someone in your life who brings you displeasure, and write down three qualities that represent him or her. Would it surprise you to learn that the qualities you attributed to your rival, which were likely negative, are qualities that in reality best represent you? And furthermore, your self-attributed qualities, which were likely positive, are in actuality better attributions of your rival.

If this experiment worked on you (it devastates me), things get worse. It turns out, as Gregg argues, that our belief attributions are even likely deceived, like "the belief of the saving power of Christ" Christians like to attribute to themselves. The communal and emotional atmospheres of evangelistic rallies provide the perfect conditions for self-deception, and this is where many acquire their Christian beliefs. These beliefs are maintained in similar environments found at many church services.

What to do? Gregg is a little short shrift on this. I'm inclined to say that it is high-time for Christians to stop isolating themselves from "non-believers" and take opposing criticism seriously. That's at least a step in the right direction.