Dr Paul Allen

Cynicism among Christians appears as a collection of negative attitudes and expectations. Those attitudes may be directed toward ourselves or others, the church, conversions, gospel progress, growth in sanctification, and even toward God himself. A clear biblical example appears in Malachi: “It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts?” (Malachi 3:14). But cynicism may be a deep attitude of heart or mind, even if it is not spoken out loud. Cynicism today, as at any time, contradicts the three vital signs of Christianity according to Paul: faith in Jesus Christ, love for all the saints, and hope as we await the return of Christ (1 Corinthians 13:13; 1 Thessalonians 1:2–3; Colossians 1:3–6). The general cure for cynicism is to cultivate and increase our faith in Christ, our love for God’s people, and our firm hope in the return of Christ. Alongside that general cure, however, God has given us many specific cu...

We are living in times when cynicism is not only acceptable but in some places, it is expected. It is mainstream, even admired. By cynicism, I mean the general disinclination to trust others, especially purported authorities, or the inclination to believe the worst in others and of the world altogether. And it increasingly is the air we breathe. This mood of cynicism didn’t appear out of nowhere. It is the result of secularism, the pretence that there is no God, or at least that he is off-limits in public discourse and polite company. Secularism offers no firm hope, and soon produces cynicism, and cynicism begins to pick at the basic pillars and long-standing givens of human life and civilization, one after another. End to Our Cynicism So secularism breeds cynicism. And cynicism does not breed productive action. Cynicism breeds laziness. It did on the island of Crete in Titus’s day, and it does in our day. And this morning we turn for the first time to Paul’s letter to Titus, which he ...