Bloviation and the Fear of God

            A character from an old TV program was famous for always behaving like he knew everything about everything, when the truth was he knew practically nothing about nothing. The character, played by actor John Ratzenberger, was Cliff Clavin, who was one of the regular patrons of a bar in Boston on a show called Cheers. Ratzenberger (his voice, anyway) has appeared in every single feature length animated movie from Pixar. Cliff Clavin is the bar know-it-all, a man who has something to say about any and every possible subject. Full of uninteresting trivia and bizarre stories of plausible half-truths, he is really nothing more than a pompous blowhard.

            Have you ever been listening to someone blab on about something you know nothing about, yet you still try to contribute to the conversation? Welcome to the age of overconfidence, says David Dunning, a professor at Cornell University. Dunning reflects on overconfidence through our predisposition to be ready to talk knowingly about things that we know nothing about. "There's actual science behind that phenomenon, argues Cornell professor David Dunning. He's recreated similar experiments in the lab, asking subjects about fictitious political figures, for example, or nonexistent cities—and gets much the same results as the late night hosts [Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel] do. Dunning says, "What we find is that people are quite ready to start talking about things they can't possibly know anything about because we made that thing up in our office just the week before." Mark Twain’s well-known proverb is a great reminder: “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”

We have such an urge to impress or to be accepted by someone else that we may speak too freely of “that which we know not”. We do not want to look or feel stupid or ignorant, so we pontificate and end up – if caught – proving we are just that. Truly, our pride leads us to foolish places sometimes. It is sometimes an act of courage, and definitely an act of wisdom to say, “I don’t know” when that is the truth. I know I have had to do that sometimes when answering people’s questions (theological or biblical) in Sunday school classes and Bible studies. Biblical and theological studies are so big (there is so much to know) that – for me, anyway – I cannot master it all. It’s better to go find answers (get help from what others have learned and taught through the history of the Church) than to wax eloquent about that which I am clueless.

This doesn’t mean we can’t know anything about anything. I believe we certainly can, and God’s Word is the sure foundation of our knowledge and wisdom, and the basis of true confidence. Yet care must be given that we are not guided by our pride of knowledge. Instead, our knowledge may inform, and be informed by our humility. That we know anything is surely a result of the grace of God. May He continue to give us grace to know more, and to use what we know wisely and humbly. AMEN.

Psalm 19:7-10 (NIV) ⁷  The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. ⁸  The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. ⁹  The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. ¹⁰  They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.

John 20:30-31 (NIV) ³⁰  Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. ³¹  But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

1 John 5:13 (NIV)  I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Proverbs 9:10 (NIV)  "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 16:18 (NIV)  Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

Romans 11:33-36 (NIV) ³³  Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! ³⁴  "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" ³⁵  "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" ³⁶  For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

1 Corinthians 13:2 (NIV)  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

2 Corinthians 4:6 (NIV)  For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

Philippians 3:10-11 (NIV) ¹⁰  I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹  and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Colossians 2:2-3 (NIV) ²  My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, ³  in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

PRAYER:  Father, grant wisdom and grace to me, for I desperately need both. In Christ’s name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott