Several years after Dr. Hyles had gone to Heaven I attended national pastors conference. At that conference the host pastor was touting to the gathered delegates the large number of new ministries they had started over the past year.
Are we like Jonah? Are we like the Pharisees? Do we vainly perform the part of a good Christian to keep our position and title looking good from the outside?
To keep this post short, let us accept at the beginning that not all criticism is harmful, or unwarranted. Sometimes, criticism is constructive, and sometimes it is deserved. For the purpose of this article, let us confine our definition to harmful, negative, destructive, criticism.