One of the things I appreciate (and wrestle with, depending on the day) about Reformed theology is its view of sin and idolatry. Human sin is pervasive — even our best intentions are marred by self-interest. I suspect this is why Presbyterian governance mistrusts power in the hands of any one person or group. We have a tendency to mess things up and to abuse power when left to our own devices.
I don’t think this view of sin is popular these days. After all, isn’t it bad for our sense of self-worth to think of ourselves as bad people? And who gets to define what sin is, anyway? If we focus on sin, don’t we become rigidly judgmental people?
My ears perked up when I heard social psychologist and NYU professor, Dolly Chugh, encourage people to see themselves as “good-ish people” rather than as “good people.” It resonated with my Reformed sensibilities. Of course we are not “good people” — no one is good! Chugh was interviewed by Laurie Santos for the podcast “The Happiness Lab” about “how to be a better ally.”
Chugh argued that to be a better ally for marginalized groups, one must adopt a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset (a concept researched by Carol Dweck from Stanford University). A person with a fixed mindset believes “either I’m a good person or I’m not.” When that belief is challenged by a mistake, brain activation related to the mistake goes down. After all, there is no room for improvement. People with fixed mindsets are unwilling to examine their mistakes because they believe somewhere deep down that they are not going to change.
I suspect this is why people in non-marginalized groups can be quick to get defensive when they are called out for their implicit bias or microaggressions. I see this especially in myself as a white person. I want to believe that I’m not a racist, and so it feels devastating to be called out for injuring someone by perpetuating a racist system. I’m tempted to respond with why I’m not a racist, rather than listening and then apologizing for what I’ve done (especially when it feels unintentional on my part).
To be a good-ish person is to recognize that one has not yet arrived at being good. Good-ish people strive to be good, but they recognize that it is going to take work to get there. Good-ish people have a growth mindset, so they are open to examining their mistakes and learning from them. Mistakes offer us the opportunity to get better. The best thing we can do is own the mistake, acknowledge it and then act on it.
This is where being a “good-ish person” diverges from Calvin. I suspect Calvin and others had a fixed mindset, which is why theologians and others have been arguing about concepts like original sin for centuries. Original sin seems to imply that everyone is bad until they are saved — and then they become good. There’s no room for growth. Sure, we talk about sanctification, but in our Protestant, evangelical traditions, it is the justification part that’s so much more important.
It makes me wonder if “being saved” can actually keep us from learning from our mistakes. Again, when we think of ourselves “as once lost but now found,” it can be difficult to own up to our residual lostness. We know from history and contemporary experience that Christians can be just as racist as non-Christians. “Salvation” is no guarantee that a person will actually be “good.” Maybe if we saw ourselves as “saved and good-ish,” we might find ourselves growing more like Jesus.
I’m striving to be a better ally by adopting a growth mindset. As Laurie Santos says, “I’m not a good person – yet – but I can be, if I put in some work.” Non-marginalized groups are more likely to authentically listen to the experiences of marginalized groups when they adopt a growth mindset. And this makes them better allies.
RACHEL YOUNG is the associate pastor of spiritual formation at Clear Lake Presbyterian Church, in Houston, Texas. She is married to Josh, who also serves on staff at Clear Lake Presbyterian as the director of contemporary worship and media.
