Is Nastiness the New Authenticity?

During a radio show the host said he couldn’t support Donald Trump because he wasn’t acting Presidential. His guest said that that’s what many find so compelling about Donald Trump. His behavior, even when it’s so inappropriate, comes across as authentic in this day of political correctness. He went on to include others in that list of authentic people, whose often rude, tasteless or boorish behavior he considered so refreshingly authentic, including Kayne West and all of his escapades.

Apparently, nastiness is the new authenticity. Apparently, the cruder and ruder a person is, the more real that person is.

Imagine a society where everyone bought into that. Where everyone looked out for #1, inserted him/herself into another person’s moment in time, belittled, devalued, used rude, offensive language, and overall acted nastily toward everyone! (It would probably look a lot like politicians in election cycles.)

The question is: What’s so authentic about nastiness? Why is nastiness and meanness and boorishness more authentic than grace? Than serving? Than believing the best about others? Than speaking the best about others? Why is living down more authentic than living up?

Perhaps no one lived a more authentic life than did Jesus. He wore his emotions on his sleeve yet never resorted to nastiness. In fact, his life demonstrated real authenticity: serving others.

It was Jesus who spoke these authentic words:

Love your neighbor as yourself

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Love your enemies. Pray for them and bless them.

Turn the other cheek.

Or how about Paul…who before he met Jesus was a violent, nasty terrorist. After his encounter with Jesus, Paul discovered true authenticity.

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.

Seasoned with salt means that our language tastes good, so to speak. It doesn’t put a bad taste in the minds of others.

Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.

Paul paints a picture of inauthentic living: sex sins, sinful desires, wild living…hating, fighting, being jealous, being angry, arguing, dividing into little groups and thinking the other groups are wrong, false teaching, wanting something someone else has, killing other people, using strong drink, wild parties, and all things like these.

He then goes on to say that when the Spirit of Christ lives in us, we are filled with these authentic fruits: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, and Self-control.

Authenticity is never found in meanness or nastiness. It’s found when we reconnect with our Creator through Christ…When by his Spirit we live up, not down…When by his Spirit we walk in love.

As Paul put it: The authentic life is found in this:

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had:

 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.

 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.

 When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God, and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

 That’s the authentic kind of life for which we are created and redeemed!