The Diderot Effect
Romans 12:1-8 NIV
Have you ever had the experience of making what should be a small change – such as paint a room or add a piece of furniture – and discover that you have to change everything to go with it? For example, Sheila buys a chair. Now, because of the chair’s colors, we have to buy a rug. Then another chair has to be painted to match, etc.
There’s a name for this. It’s called the Diderot Effect. Diderot was an 18th century French philosopher who once received a beautiful scarlet robe. Upon seeing it he immediately discarded the old one. But then, when he looked around, he felt his surroundings appeared shabby, so he replaced all his comfortable furnishings with newer, finer things. In the end, Diderot found himself seated in the stylish but uncomfortable formality of his new stuff, regretting the work his robe forced upon him. You see, everything else had to CONFORM to the robe. His life became modeled after, and controlled by that robe.
The opening words of our scripture present an appeal to the Roman church warning them against this kind of conforming. A 5th century theologian once said that the difference between asking and appealing is that we ask about unimportant things but appeal about important ones. Listen up, Paul said. This is important: Do not conform. Do not get distract from what is good and pleasing in God’s perfect will, or you may come to regret it.
I heard a speaker call for a renewed emphasis for the church on being able to test and approve what God’s will is. God is calling us away from the patterns of this world. And what might those patterns be?
I once went to a Bible study on today’s scripture led by a notable seminary professor. After some remarks on Rom. 12:1-2, he showed a series of slides on how he sees this world today. The images he chose showed the shabbiness of our surroundings in this world compared to the robe he thought we should wear. The challenge is to test and approve what God’s will is – so, what would have been Paul’s slide show?
In Paul’s Rome, the world was defined by the Emperor and politics. There was a strict social order, and how you lived depended on your social status – and it was hard to climb the social ladder without getting knocked down. Religion did not depend on personal behavior – just do the rituals and hope the gods favor you. After all, your goal was personal advantage and gain. These were the “robes” of Roman life. Anyone who would resist faced shame, blame and persecution. Rome would tell you what to think, believe and do.
In contrast, Paul would have us wear a robe of grace, ruled by God’s will. Our goal is to offer our lives to Christ in whom there is no social status, no one superior or inferior to another. The gifts differ, but everyone works together serving the same Lord. No shame, blame or persecution, for it is God who tells us what to think, believe and do.
This is a radically different mindset from what this world of ours would have us think. Another notable professor from the early Church warned that many people think they know what God’s will is, and they are mistaken. Our mind is renewed by reflection on the Word of God and the spiritual understanding of it.
Let me pause here to confess that I wrestled with what my own slide show might look like. What images would I choose to show the pattern of this world? Paul’s words caution us: any of us can suffer from a Diderot Effect, allowing some pet peeve or personal agenda or pent up anger to control our faith, especially when there are some big robes the world offers while telling us our robe is shabby. You are too churchy or evangelical. You are too spiritual or not spiritual enough. Throw it out and wear this robe, says the world – or else be shamed, blamed and persecuted.
But look closely at the pattern of the robe Paul urges us to wear. As your read ahead, it is woven with love, patience, peace and prayer. Its pattern is diverse: some witnessing to the gospel, others serving, yet others teaching the faith; some encouraging or giving generously, others leading with care or cheerfully showing mercy. This is not a robe of shame, blame and persecution, but of a priesthood of believers from every walk of life, changed by grace and changing this world as we humbly offer ourselves to God in service to others.
MLK understood the spirit of this scripture when he said: You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. And you can be that servant.
Write it down: I can be that servant. I have been changed by the renewal of my mind, my heart filled with grace, my soul with love.