Am I Supposed to Love Myself or Hate Myself?

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By John R.W. Stott on May 22, 2009 ,

Am I Supposed to Love Myself or Hate Myself?

By John R. W. Stott

The cross points a way between self-love and self-denial.

HOW SHOULD I THINK OF MYSELF? What attitude should I adopt toward myself? These are contemporary questions of great importance, questions to which a satisfactory answer cannot be given without refer­ence to the Cross.

A low self-image is common, since many modem influences dehumanize human beings and make them feel worthless. Wherever people are politically or eco­nomically oppressed, they feel demeaned. Racial and sexual prejudice have the same effect. As Arnold Toynbee put it, technol­ogy demotes persons into serial num­bers, "punched on a card and designed to travel through the entrails of a comput­er." Ethologists like Desmond Morris tell us that human beings are nothing but animals, and behaviorists like B. F. Skinner say that they are nothing but ma­chines programmed to make automatic responses to external stimuli. . .

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John R.W. Stott

Preacher

John R.W. Stott, (1921 – 2011) is known worldwide as a preacher, evangelist and communicator of Scripture. For many years he served as Rector of All Souls Church in London, where he carried out an effective urban pastoral ministry. A leader among evangelicals in Britain, the United States and around the world, Stott was a principal framer of the landmark Lausanne Covenant (1974). His many books, including Why I Am a Christian and The Cross of Christ, have sold millions of copies around the world and in dozens of languages.

 

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