Geniuses and Their Annoying, God-Given Gifts |
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Fair or not, some people are favored with sublime talents as writers, inventors, athletes, artists, business leaders, and so on across the landscape of human endeavor. Those people can easily rub mere mortals the wrong way, as CT editor Kate Lucky concedes in her review of The Genius Myth: A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea, a new book from Atlantic staff writer Helen Lewis. |
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On some level, human nature being what it is, the non-genius masses (my people!) simply envy the impressive gifts that geniuses enjoy. But Lewis’s book emphasizes another reason for our sidelong glances at the best and brightest: the long leash the “genius” label affords for megalomania, obnoxious behavior, and unwarranted confidence in every thought that pops into their heads. |
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As Lucky notes in her review, “I left the book more convinced than I already was that genius isn’t a helpful category. It’s detrimental for whoever is labeled as one, conferring status that just isn’t conducive to well-ordered relationships and a correct sense of a person’s place in the world. And it’s not helpful for us ‘normies,’ either. Deeming someone a genius inclines us to overlook their bad (even criminally bad) behavior and overrate their off-the-cuff pronouncements on topics outside their domains. |
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“Just as Hollywood and Silicon Valley shelter their respective stars, Christians are liable to idolize our greats, like brilliant Bible scholars and well-spoken pastors. Sometimes we risk excusing what we shouldn’t, turning a blind eye to wrongdoing. Society has incorrectly assumed, writes Lewis, that ‘superior knowledge and expertise in one domain confers authority in others.’ But maybe the very gifted apologist doesn’t also know everything about dietary supplements or running for elected office.” |
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Yet this isn’t the whole story. If, as Lucky affirms, genius ultimately comes from God, then surely we owe both the gift and the Giver some measure of awe and gratitude. |
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“Some very gifted people really do produce exemplary things. Annoying as I have found the geniuses I’ve come across, I’m also a little jealous—of their monomaniacal focus, their sheer force of will, the research they produce, and the art they make. I wish Tolstoy had been kinder to his wife and Mozart had been better adjusted. But I’m still glad we have Anna Karenina and those piano concertos. |
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“Lewis addresses this distinction at the beginning and end of The Genius Myth. Her argument is interesting (and, I think, convincing) for Christians. ‘We all hunger to experience the transcendent, the extraordinary, the inexplicable,’ she acknowledges. Brushing up against genuine genus elicits a ‘vertiginous falling-away as you contemplate an artwork, or an equation, or a new concept … and have no idea how it was created by a human brain.’ Looking out an airplane window, perhaps you’ve wondered along with Lewis, ‘How did the Wright brothers do it—how did they know to do it?’” |
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Many people today want to regain a sense of control over their frenzied home lives. They might employ calendar apps to manage family schedules or rely on smart fridges to keep track of which groceries need replenishing. |
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Christians, of course, have the added burden of watching over the spiritual health of our homes. We want them to run on rhythms of prayer, worship, and Sabbath rest rather than the background hum of individualism and consumerism that pervades the surrounding culture. We want them to abound with the fruits of the Spirit rather than rivalry or acrimony. |
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In her latest book, Every Home a Foundation: Experiencing God Through Your Everyday Routines, author and podcaster Phylicia Masonheimer recommends household disciplines that can imbue domestic life with eternal significance. Simona Gorton, a homemaking writer from Pennsylvania, reviewed the book for CT. |
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Gorton, author of Mothering Against Futility, credits Masonheimer with giving helpful advice while wondering whether she devotes insufficient attention to God’s own work in building our homes and reshaping our hearts. |
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“To Masonheimer,” she writes, “discipline is hardly a dirty word. By embracing and cultivating it, she argues, we establish something beautiful and, by God’s grace, eternal. She describes regular habits of Bible study, meditation, and prayer as bringing renewed vitality to our work, relationships, and physical health. |
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“‘When we live without boundaries,’ Masonheimer writes, ‘we constantly experience the unwanted consequences of our actions. … Undisciplined people experience the most bondage—bondage to stress, overwhelm, fear, and chaos.’ But setting such boundaries will accomplish nothing without an underlying change of heart. In fact, Jesus pointed to self-righteousness, not lack of discipline, as the most enslaving spiritual position (Luke 18:9–14; Matt. 19:16–22; Luke 5:31–32). |
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“A disorganized home might mask disorder at a deeper level, but an outwardly organized home can be equally disordered. Masonheimer writes skillfully to those unaccustomed to exercising practical dominion in their homes. Yet structure and routines can easily become idolatry, especially to the task-oriented. |
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“Christianity’s claim is not that better systems and routines can solve our sin but that only Jesus and his forgiveness can effect lasting transformation in our hearts and homes. If our goal is faithfulness to Christ rather than fruitfulness of our own making, we must guard against building household structure simply to feed idols of control or measurable success.” |
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I have never had much patience for geniuses. Very smart! Very productive! Also: very annoying. Think of the rude eccentric who talks out of turn, sharing his unsolicited opinions on…
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If you, like me, do not yet own a shiny robot from Elon Musk, you probably do your own dishes, vacuum your own floors, and tackle your personal Everest of…
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It's easy to live in a state of panic, anxiety, and fear, from the pinging of our phones to politics and the state of the church. In this issue, we acknowledge panic and point to Christian ways through it. Russell Moore brings us to the place of panic in Caesarea Philippi with Jesus and Peter. Laura M. Fabrycky writes about American inclinations toward hero-making. Mindy Belz reports on the restorative work of Dr. Denis Mukwege for rape victims in Congo. We’re also thrilled to give you a first look at the Global Flourishing Study, a multiyear research project about what makes a flourishing life across the globe. While panic may be profitable or natural, we have a sure and steady anchor for our souls in Jesus. |
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