Episode 06: Mark Driscoll & Ego

Ego
 

Ego can look like the solution to low self-esteem, but it’s a slippery slope that will leave you vulnerable in the long term. In this episode, science is providing us the climbing shoes to come back from the ego trap, and we’ll look at how the disgraced leader of a mega-church might have escaped his downward slide.

 

Show Notes:

In our era of Twitter influencers, news commentators, and Hollywood stars, it seems like ego is a hack to get ahead in life. Ego can get us the attention we want, and it can get us the money we need. And, if we’ve earned our position at work, having a big ego can feel completely justified.

In today’s episode we explore the difference between true self-esteem and ego. And we start by busting the myths that ego can get you whatever you want, that our ego can be reigned in when it gets out of hand, and that our friends will keep us humble when our ego starts to swell. We also look into the fiasco of the Mark Hill Church; a perfect example of what happens when one man’s ego dominates a community, and how that community conspired to deflate his ballooning ego, and expel him from his own congregation.

History Links:

The rise and fall of Mars Hill Church | The Seattle Times

https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/11/houston-mark-driscoll-megachurch-meltdown/382487/

https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2019/february/wounded-church-harvest-bible-chapel-elders-resign-mars-hill.html

https://www.wthrockmorton.com/2014/07/29/mark-driscoll-year-2000-we-live-in-a-completely-pussified-nation/

Science Links:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2009/07/07/the-bigger-the-ego-the-harder-the-fall-how-self-awareness-buffers-against-social-rejection/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/07/980720081130.htm

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ambigamy/201402/ego-ten-myths-you-ll-be-relieved-debunk

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Episode 7: Prison Letters & Hybristophilia

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Episode 05: Franklin Roosevelt and stress