The Perilous Profession

Richard Baxter's Timely Word to Teachers

This week we're running a long post, "The Perilous Profession," for both free and paid subscribers. I've been working on it for a while. Though widely beloved by future generations, Puritan Richard Baxter faced his share of vicious and often unfair attacks throughout his life. He shares some wise words for the evil spirit behind some (not all) attacks, and discusses how teachers can respond in a spiritually healthy way so that they're not polluted themselves by responding in kind. We're making it free for everyone because it's admittedly a very focused and somewhat limited discussion. But while it may not feel relevant to you, you may know a local pastor or leader who might be encouraged by Baxter's words and want to forward this on to them. 

Next week, paid subscribers will receive a video, "Do Men Have Less Empathy than Women?" (or do they just express it differently?). Free and paid subscribers will receive a powerful excerpt from Jodie Berndt's new book, Praying the Scriptures for Your Marriage. Have a great week!"

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Teaching is a perilous profession. 

No teacher is perfect. It’s of teachers that James writes, “We all stumble in many ways” (3:2).

But we live in a world where some believe “one strike and you’re out.”

Here’s the challenge: just because others say, “one strike and you’re out,” doesn’t mean God does. If you want to be faithful to God’s call, there are a couple of things you would do well to learn, and that’s what this blog post is all about.

If you speak or write long enough, in the regular pursuit of coming up with something fresh and something new, the time will come when you choose an inartful phrase or a regrettable illustration, and some whose passion of choice is to go hunting for teachers to ridicule will want to undercut your entire ministry.

I’ve been a victim of this myself, but more recently, I’ve seen several others put in the crosshairs, having their entire preaching ministry judged by a 90-second sermon clip or an entire 70,000-word book discounted by a 300-word excerpt.

Sometimes the critique might actually be fair; other times, it might be malicious and unkind, and even unreasonable. Some critics love truth. Other critics just love to attack.

Here’s what critics and the criticized alike need to keep in mind: There is only one hero in Scripture and his name is Jesus. The rest of us infallibly stumble along, trying to encourage each other and refine each other, hopefully in a spirit of grace, patience and good-will.

If we believe Scripture that every teacher stumbles in many ways, we need to find a way to correct in an encouraging way rather than a rageful, mob approach. Every action of a Christian should be marked by love, not malice. Hating someone who is wrong is still hate, and both parties are in sin.

I think we all should aspire after Scott Saul’s description of Tim Keller:

"Tim is one of the best examples I have seen of covering shame with the gospel. In five years of serving under his leadership, never once did I see him tear another person down to his or her face, on the Internet, or through gossip. Instead, he seemed to always assume the good in people. Occasionally, he would talk about how having the forgiveness and affirmation of Jesus frees us to “catch people doing good” instead of looking for things to criticize or be offended by. Even when someone had truly done wrong or been in error, Tim would respond with humble restraint and self-reflection instead of venting negativity and criticism. Like the grace of God does, Tim covered people’s flaws and sins—including mine on more than one occasion. He did this because that’s what grace does … it reminds us that in Jesus we are shielded and protected from the worst things about ourselves. Because Jesus shields us like this, we of all people should restore reputations versus destroying reputations, protect a good name versus calling someone a name, shut down gossip versus feeding gossip, and restore broken relationships versus begrudging broken people."

Tim has himself been the victim of ridiculous creepy interpretations, as well as some valid academic debate, so he’s had plenty of experience to figure this out.

Disagreement is to be expected and is even a healthy part of academic work. But much of what we’re seeing today isn’t about making a point; it’s about tearing a person apart. Social media has given these attacks more visibility, but such personal attacks against teachers aren’t anything new. Puritan Richard Baxter wrote about them three hundred and fifty years ago. There’s a spiritual strategy behind them that needs to be exposed, and a Christlike response on the part of the teachers that needs to be pursued.

 I’m going to use two excerpts from Baxter’s book A Christian Directory, Volume 1. The first explains why attacks are inevitable: they are a part of Satan’s strategy to discourage the teacher and to undercut her or his calling. The second excerpt contains Baxter’s wise words about teachers protecting their hearts so that they themselves don’t become toxic in response to toxic attacks. Nobody wins when a hater turns you into a hater.

Let me again state upfront that disagreement over doctrine isn’t an “attack.” Teachers should expect debate and pushback, and even allow the kernels of truth to refine their own teaching, writing, and preaching. Respectful dialogue is beautiful, encouraging, and often enjoyable and helpful.

Calling out false teaching also isn’t an attack. No one teacher is authoritative in her or his self—all of us must speak and write under the authority of Scripture, and where our words do not line up with Scripture, we need to be corrected.

Having said that, there’s an academic and a Christ-like way to do this. Ridicule, slander, misrepresentation, malice, character assassinations, assuming the worst, creating creepy interpretations that aren’t justified but seem “fun” to certain crowds—those are the attacks I believe Baxter is addressing. And there are plenty of those going on today.

So let’s get to Baxter. In this excerpt, he explains the spiritual dynamics behind attacks that are intended not just to challenge what a teacher has said in the past, but render the teacher ineffective in anything he might say in the future:

“Satan will labor to load the ablest ministers with reproaches and slanders, which thousands shall hear, who never hear the truth in their defense: and so making them odious, the people will receive no more good by their preaching, than from [those preaching a false religion], till the very truth itself prevail. And to this end especially he doth all that he can to foment continual ‘divisions in the church;’ that while every party is engaged against the other, the interest of their several causes may make them think it necessary to make the chief that are against them seem odious or contemptible to the people, that so they may be able to do their cause and them no harm: and so they disable them from serving Christ and saving souls, that they may disable them to hurt themselves, or their faction, or their impotent cause.”

I’ve witnessed some men and women shut themselves down in the face of ridicule over one thing they could have said a little better, and the ridicule they received keeps them from saying much good in the future. That’s why teachers need courage. Just because you could have stated something a little better in the past doesn’t mean you don’t have something more artful to say in the future. If you never want to be ridiculed or regret something you’ve said, stay silent all the time—but in doing that, you’ll forfeit producing much spiritual fruit. Humility will support your courage.

And if you’re the one trying to take someone “down” instead of lift them up toward greater truth, be aware that it might not be God’s kingdom you’re serving.

Baxter again: "[Satan] does what he can to keep the most holy ministers under persecution; that they may be as the wounded deer, whom all the rest of the herd will shun; or like a worried dog, whom the rest will fall upon; or that the people may be afraid to hear them, lest they suffer with them; or may come to them only as Nicodemus did to Christ, by night."

If Satan can make a teacher a laughingstock, people will ignore him or her. It’s safest not to quote them, platform them, read them, and certainly not to cite them. This is “cancel culture” three centuries before the Internet existed!

So, for teachers, buck up! Recognize Satan’s timeworn attack and don’t give in. You won’t get everything right, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have much helpful stuff to share in the future. Humbly consider where you might have gone wrong and maybe even where you need to take a seat for a while, but when you can discern with counsel and prayer that the attacks have their genesis from hell rather than heaven, take your hits and press on.

A Healthier Response

Let’s turn to the excerpt where Baxter urges teachers who have faced such opposition to protect their hearts and integrity to essentially not become toxic themselves in the face of toxic attacks. I’d love to have a conversation in the comments section about this: how this applies to current division online; or perhaps, in some of your minds, how it doesn’t. We live in a particularly contentious age, so I think it’s crucial that we seek to get this right.

“Take heed lest any persecution or wrong from others, provoke you to any unwarrantable passions and practices, and deprive you of the charity, meekness, and innocence of a Christian; or make you go beyond your bounds, in censuring, reviling, or resisting your rulers, who are the officers of God.

“Persecution and wrongs are called temptations in Scripture, because they try you, whether you will hold your integrity. As many fall in such trials, through the fear of men, and the love of the world, and their prosperity; so when you seem most confirmed against any sinful compliance, there is a snare laid for you on the other side, to draw you into passions and practices that are unwarrantable.

“Those that are tainted with pride, uncharitableness, and schism, will itch to be persecuting those that comply not with them in their way; and yet, while they do it, they will most cry out against pride, uncharitableness, and schism themselves. This is, and hath been, and will be too ordinary in the world. You may think that schism should be far from them, that seem to do all for order and unity. But never look to see this generally cured, when you have said and done the best you can: you must, therefore, resolve, not only to fly from church division yourselves, but also to undergo the persecutions or wrongs of proud or zealous church dividers.

“It is great weakness in you, to think such usage strange: do you not know that enmity is put, from the beginning, between the woman's and the serpent's seed? And do you think the name or dead profession of Christianity doth extinguish the enmity in the serpent's seed? Do you think to find more kindness from proud, ungodly Christians, than Abel might have expected from his brother Cain? Do you not know that the Pharisees (by their zeal for their pre-eminence, and traditions, and ceremonies, and the expectation of worldly dignity and rule from the Messiah) were more zealous enemies of Christ than the heathens were? And that the carnal members of the church are oft the greatest persecutors of the spiritual members?"   “As then he that was born after the flesh, did persecute him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now," (and will be,) Gal. 4:29. It is enough for you, that you shall have the inheritance, when the sons of the bondwoman shall be cast out. It is your taking the ordinary case of the godly for a strange thing, that makes you so disturbed and passionate, when you suffer: and reason is down, when passion is up.  It is by overwhelming reason with passion and discontent, that "oppression maketh" some "wise men mad," Eccles. 7:7; for passion is a short, imperfect madness. You will think in your passion, that you do well, when you do ill; and you will not perceive the force of reason, when it is never so plain and full against you. Remember, therefore, that the great motive that causeth the devil to persecute you is not to hurt your bodies, but to tempt your souls to impatience and sin: and if it may be said of you as of Job, chap. 1:22, "In all this Job sinned not," you have got the victory, and are "more than conquerors," Rom. 8:37-39.

“Doth it seem strange to you, that the wicked should hate the godly, and the world hate them that are ‘chosen out of the world?’ What of all this should seem strange? Expect it as the common lot of the faithful, and you will be better prepared for it.”

“See therefore that you ‘resist not evil,’ (by any revengeful, irregular violence,) Matt. 5:39. Imitate your Lord, that ‘when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not, but committed all to him that judgeth righteously; leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps,’ 1 Pet. 2:21, 23. An angry zeal against those that cross and hurt us is so easily kindled and hardly suppressed, that it appeareth there is more in it of corrupted nature than of God. We are very ready to think that we may ‘call for fire from heaven’ upon the enemies of the gospel; but ‘you know not what manner of spirit ye are then of,’ Luke 9:55. But Christ saith unto you, ‘Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven,’ Matt. 5:44, 45. You find no such prohibition against patient suffering wrong from any. Take heed of giving way to secret wishes of hurt to your adversaries, or to reproachful words against them: take heed of hurting yourself by passion or sin, because others hurt you by slanders or persecutions. Keep you in the way of your duty, and leave your names and lives to God. Be careful that you keep your innocence, and in your patience possess your souls, and God will keep you from any hurt from enemies, but what he will cause to work for your good. Read Psalm 37. ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noon-day. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in anywise to do evil,’ (ver. 5-8).”

Courage, Not Bitterness

So teacher, take courage: attacks are part of your calling. Zealously pursue good works instead of obsessing over the bad works of others. If you’re not willing to endure unfair treatment, you’re like a football player who doesn’t want to get hit; you’re playing the wrong game! And second, play defense. Don’t let toxic, hateful, and mean people turn you into someone who is toxic, hateful and mean to them. You won’t always be able to govern your feelings, but you can govern your actions, and your words, and your online comments.

Frank Viola, in his excellent book, 48 Laws of Spiritual Power, has helped me confront the vicious temptation of becoming bitter.

“One safeguard against becoming bitter and acerbic is to exercise empathy and refuse to take anything personally.

When people mistreat others, they merely expose something dark within themselves. They are holding up a huge sign that says, ‘I have major unresolved issues.’

Though you might have contributed to their feelings, how they react is on them, not you. The mindset you must adopt sounds something like this:

‘Lee must be dealing with some internal issues. Perhaps he hates himself. Perhaps he’s harboring a grudge. Perhaps he experienced deep pain and abuse during his childhood or young adulthood. He’s acting out of his own insecurity, pain, and self-loathing. This isn’t about me. It’s about him and his issues. I’ve given him and his conduct to the Lord. I’ve surrendered the hurt I feel to my God.’”

Finally, Guard Your Joy

Finally, don’t let mean people steal your joy in ministry. There’s an inspiring example from the books of Acts:

“The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” (13:49-52).

Note, even though there was great persecution and malicious opposition, the true disciples were filled with “joy and the Holy Spirit.” If you wake up angry more than joyful, that’s not a healthy sign. You’re tending toward bitterness rather than life in Christ.

I realize this is a somewhat specialized post, so there might not be as much interest in it, but I’d still love to hear your thoughts in the comments section, for those of you who are so inclined. And if you know of a teacher facing such harsh treatment, please consider passing this on to them.  We’ll post it on the free side so that you can share it with anyone.