Narcissistic Leadership

Read a good article in Slate about the epidemic of narcissism in America. The APA says around 1% of Americans are narcissistic to the point of mental illness, but the Slate article makes the case that a nation that buys now on credit and ignores the fact that they can't actually pay for the new house they bought has a dysfunction that is larger than 1% of the population. 

We are a self-centered people. Face it. Even in the church, it is all about "me". We wonder from church to church looking for a church that is as perfect as "me". We finally conclude that there is no church good enough and create our own little Church of Greater Narcissism. 

The article says we acquire this in a Freudian way from our parents. They can ignore our needs and trigger narcissism or they can cater to our needs and trigger narcissism. Strange that either extreme triggers the "me" centered reflex. Truth is we live in a fallen world that is wasting away in self. Only Jesus takes us out of this self-centered spiral.

Interestingly, the Slate article suggests that a bit of healthy narcissism is essential for leadership. I disagree. In our next series at LCC we are going to explore this more. Biblical leadership is the opposite of narcissism. Can't wait for April 19 when we begin exploring how to stop following and start leading!