075 | Transcending the Herd
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075 | Transcending the Herd
August 16, 2021
Minute of Transparency: The Rise & Fall of Mars Hill
Today's Topic: Transcending the Herd
In this episode:
Herd Mentality
It happens all the time
Seeing things in a different light
// 1. HERD MENTALITY
The Rise & Fall of Mars Hill is a podcast about a church, but like I said - the deeper message is a question about us - what we are ok with and what we allow to happen. If we speak up about things, or if we remain silent and simply go with the flow.
As you get to know the people at Mars Hill - the people who attended the church and the people who worked for Mark Driscoll - you start to hear a theme emerge.
People knew something wasn't right. They could feel that something was a little off. Especially looking back - they are able to identify a downward spiral, and see with 20/20 vision the issues that were driving the movement.
But not when they were in the situation. Not when they were knee deep in the movement - living life in that culture.
Back then - there was something that kept them there. And there was something that kept them from speaking up. From doing something when they heard a message that was a little off base. Or when they saw people treated poorly. Or even when some of the teachings seemed to be more Mark Driscoll than Biblical.
So what's going on here? How does this happen?
Allow me to suggest Herd Mentality.
Now we've all heard a lot about Herd Immunity lately - right?
Coming out of the COVID-19 Pandemic - this has been one of the main focuses. The science behind Herd Immunity is this according to the Mayo Clinic:
"Herd immunity occurs when a large portion of a community (the herd) becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. As a result, the whole community becomes protected — not just those who are immune."
Interestingly enough - Herd Mentality is similar...it just doesn't have to do with infectious diseases...
Wikipedia describes Herd Mentality like this:
"Herd mentality, mob mentality and pack mentality, also lesser known as gang mentality, describes how people can be influenced by their peers to adopt certain behaviors on a largely emotional, rather than rational, basis. When individuals are affected by mob mentality, they may make different decisions than they would have individually."
See the tie in?
Herd Immunity is a large number of people doing the same thing - and it produces a safe environment for everyone.
Herd Mentality is a large number of people doing the same thing - and it leads to a similarity of mind - though not necessarily safe for everyone involved.
So let's look at two illustrations of Herd Mentality:
Staff Members at Mars Hill:
The podcast conducted numerous interviews with people on staff at Mars Hill, and people who were part of Mark Driscoll's inner circle
Most of these people were able to look back and see that things had gone off the rails
However, at the time - they said nothing
They simply went with the flow and overlooked things that concerned them
This is key to the idea of Herd Mentality - that you will do things, or make decisions you would not normally make because of the environment you're in
It was a culture that produced an unhealthy Herd Mentality
Next, is what has become known as the Capitol Insurrection:
On January 6, 2021 a large group of people stormed Capitol Hill and took over the Capitol building
It is referred to as a riot - but I would suggest we could look at it as a herd - people acting out of Herd Mentality
Somehow this group - along with thousands of other people not involved in the incident had become part of a culture that fueled an inner desire to act out against the government
Now these people didn't attend a church with a charismatic and narcissistic leader who riled them up and created a culture where they gave up some of their individuality
Or maybe it was exactly like that
Maybe for this group of people, the internet was their church
Maybe social media fueled the cultural changes that they bought into and eventually committed crimes for
But no matter how you look at it - Herd Mentality played a big role in what happened that day
// 2. IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME
Now before you start to get frustrated with me - let me explain - I'm not using the Capitol Insurrection incident as an example because of my political beliefs - or because I'm so much better than the people involved that day.
I'm using it because I can see how it happened. I can understand how people get caught up in a belief system, and even change their behavior to match the rhetoric of their new culture.
To bring it full circle - isn't that what we do as Christians?
Stereotypically - this is our process:
We evangelize - big word for getting other people to join us
So this brings new people into the church
We indoctrinate them with something they may or may not have heard before
We teach them the history, set expectations, cast vision and introduce them to the traditions of the church
They see new behaviors - behaviors that everyone seems to think are normal
Things like singing songs to God, raising their hands at times, saying "Amen" when they hear something that resonates with them, gojng to serve events, giving money to the church
Things they never did before, and probably wouldn't do outside the walls of the church
And there you have it - Herd Mentality
Now this isn't something I made up. This is science - and it has been researched in order to prove that the phenomenon actually exists.
Anyone who as taken an entry level Psychology class has heard about the famous research experiments done by Stanley Milgram, called the Milgram Shock Experiments.
In these experiments, participants were asked to apply an electric shock to another human being - to actually inflict pain on another person. And because they were being asked by someone in a position of authority - a large percentage of the participants followed through and administered the shock.
And this was just because of the perceived authority of the person asking them to do it.
So imagine the compounded impact a crowd could have on this scenario...
If you had an authority figure providing the vision and the call to action - and you were surrounded by hundreds or thousands of people doing what the authority figure was asking - you would have the perfect storm - the perfect scenario for Herd Mentality.
I found a Newsweek article in 2017 that took a look back at these experiments and asked an important question:
Was this a one off? Was it an anomaly that occurred at a certain point in our history? Or does this still exist today?
The article answers their own question with an experiment conducted in 2015 in Poland. This experiment confirms that it was not just an anomaly. Their experiment was very similar to the Milgram Experiments - and the crazy thing is that over 90% of these new, modern participants proceeded through the study to administer the highest level of shock to the person.
Crazy! Right?!
But at the same time - not crazy. Because it simply reinforces a few things about us as humans:
We crave authority:
I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but hear me out
On a subconscious level we want to be led, we want to be guided
We want someone else to step up and take on large amounts of responsibility so we don't have to
Think back to a time where you were at a conference:
You were sitting at round tables and the speaker said, "I need you to pick a spokesperson for your table."
In most situations - everyone freezes - right? Because nobody wants to be that person
In the end they usually have to say, "Okay then - it is going to be the person whose birthday falls last in the calendar year."
Right? They have to force you to do it because you crave authority, and you also want to fit in - which we'll talk more about in a minute
It isn't lost on me that the Bible refers to us a s sheep. And that Jesus is often referred to as the Good Shepherd
There's this phrase in the Christian culture that goes something like this, "We all have a God-shaped hole in our hearts."
Simply put - we craze authority in our lives and God is the only authority that fits well
We love having a purpose:
This goes right along with craving authority
We love it when someone casts vision for a preferred future
When we can look down the road and see that we are part of something bigger than ourselves - something we can we believe in
This generation - the one my kids are in - has shown us that
They don't just want jobs - making widgets from 9-5
They want to solve problems - fix things - be part of making the world a better place
And there's always a person or organization willing to offer that vision
You have Christianity. You have QAnon. And everything in between
We're social beings:
We like to be around other people
Most of us don't like spending large amounts of time by ourselves
Which means at a very young age we start looking around for our people - people we want in our lives and people we want to do life with
This is why we as parents push so hard for our kids to find a good group of friends
Because we know it will help shape them in the future
We want so badly to fit in:
Not only are we social - and want to be around people
But we also want to act like them so we don't stand out
In our example above about the table spokesperson - our fear is that we are being placed in authority, and that we might mess up, or look dumb in front of the group
This is a HUGE element in creating Herd Mentality
So there you have it - four things that can lead to Herd Mentality:
Craving authority
A desire for purpose and meaning
Being social
Wanting to fit in
And you can see how these four elements are wrapped up in any movement, cult, gang, and organization that is thriving today!
Both for the good and for the bad.
Don't believe me? All I had to do was Google: "Why gangs draw kids in" and here is what I found:
In an article from the LAPD - they explain the motivation for joining a gang:
Identity/Recognition
Protection
Fellowship/Brotherhood
Intimidation
Criminal Activity
Notice how the first three are very similar to what we talked about.
Protection - which kinda lines up with authority
Identity - or the purpose you get from being part of it
Fellowship - or the social aspect
Brotherhood - speaks to fitting in - being accepted
Now obviously the last two aren't really on my list.
I view Herd Mentality more as something we choose to be part of vs. being intimidated into it. But the criminal activity part is interesting. Even in Herd Mentality - if the vision of the group involves being violent - and you're a person that loves violent behavior - you might be drawn to this group for that reason. Because it's an environment in which you can blow off steam and express yourself through violence.
// 3. SEEING THINGS IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT
So what am I trying to say here...
Am I warning you about Herd Mentality? Warning you to stay away from it all together?
No - not at all. In fact the 4 things we looked at are things I believe God baked into us. Baked right into our hearts and minds. So if that's true - it's who we are.
And Herd Mentality is going to happen because of it.
So I'm not suggesting we remove ourselves fro the Herd, or Herds we run with.
I'm suggesting we Transcend them. That we see them for what they are. That we choose to be part of Herd's that are positive, and headed in the right direction.
And to realize that even within a Herd - we have the freedom of choice. We can make the right choices even if the Herd is choosing poorly.
But this is hard right? And this is exactly why Satan can use Herd Mentality to his advantage. He knows that our desire to fit in can be leveraged:
Call it peer pressure
Social norms
The cancel culture
The "ought to's", the must's" and the "should's"
And even the, "But if you do that something bad will happen"
All of these are ways the majority places pressure on us to give up our freedom of choice - and just go with the flow
But that's the important piece!
Be part of a Herd or two - but don't give up your freedom of choice! Don't change your behavior in such a way as to do things you know aren't right.
I did a fair amount of research on the January 6 Insurrection. I was looking for stories about people who felt bad - people who looked back and couldn't believe they got caught up in the Herd that day.
And while I found nothing - it could have been because those stories get drowned out by all the other stories - stories the large media outlets push out highlighting the violence, the inappropriate behavior, the injuries, the deaths and the way the courts are coming down on participants.
But I believe my stories are out there. Somewhere. I believe there were people there who had no intention of the storming the Capitol. But they got caught up in the Herd Mentality - and did things they can't believe they did looking back at it.
And this is the danger. Getting involved in Herd Mentality over flashpoint controversies like political ideation and religious intolerance, among others.
So how do we do that? How do we determine which Herd's are good and which are bad?
And even in a good Herd - how do we ensure we're not just along for the ride? How do we maintain our freedom of choice?
Well, for me, as a Christian, the Bible is typically where I turn to look for answers. So does the Bible actually talk about Herd Mentality?
Not really - at least not in those terms.
But as it is with so many things - the Bible speaks to the core issue in one way or another.
J. Refsland, in an article called, Are You Living In Christ Or Living the Herd Mentality? helps us understand:
In Exodus 32 there is a story that perfectly illustrates how Herd Mentality can start in a good culture:
The people of Israel had witnessed many miracles
God freed them from Egypt, He parted the Red Sea, He fed them when there was no food, etc.
And yet, while Moses was away getting the 10 Commandments from God, the people started complaining
Someone was probably the ring leader - an outgoing and convincing type who cast vision for a new way of doing things
Pretty soon, Herd Mentality took over and there was a large crowd all moving in a direction counter to the way God wanted them to go
Unfortunately, the story ends badly for this Herd
He mentions Martin Luther as an example of the opposite situation:
Luther wasn't in a good culture - he was part of a Herd that he knew was wrong
The Herd in question was the Roman Catholic Church
So Luther decided he needed to flex his muscles - exercise his freedom of choice
He spoke out against the beliefs and teachings he felt were wrong
He went against the Herd and was eventually Excommunicated for it
Not only that - but his life was put in danger
He escaped death - but many of the other reformers at that time did not - they were killed - often burned at the stake for speaking out against the church
And this brings up the final point I wanted to make about Herd Mentality.
Herd Mentality is based on the majority - often called "Groupthink:"
And herein lies the danger:
Groupthink is defined by Dictionary.com as:
The practice of approaching problems or issues as matters that are best dealt with by consensus of a group rather than by individuals acting independently; conformity
The lack of individual creativity, or of a sense of personal responsibility, that is sometimes characteristic of group interaction
In an article on MindTools.com called Avoiding Groupthink the authors describes three very obvious elements of Groupthink:
A strong, persuasive leader
A high level of group cohesion
Intense pressure from within the outside to make a good decision
They go on to offer two examples of this:
The Challenger Disaster: Engineers of the space shuttle knew about some faulty parts months before takeoff, but they did not want negative press so they pushed ahead with the launch anyway
The Bay of Pigs Invasion: Reportedly, President Kennedy made a decision and the people around him supported it despite their own concerns
So Groupthink and Herd Mentality are very similar. There is typically a strong leader involved - but there is also a group consensus, or majority rules element in play that gets people to go along with things that may go against their conscience.
Now we're getting somewhere...
So does the Bible say we should be part of a group? Or Herd in order to live well? Or in order to go to Heaven some day?
Yes. And no. Gotta love the ambiguity...
Here's why I say that:
Yes: Because if we are following God the way He asks us to follow Him - we will be doing so with other people. And that is our Herd
But at the same time No:
Because we aren't following the people in the Herd. Each of us in the Herd should be following the leader
Not just any leader - THE leader - Our Creator - someone we can trust with everything we have
He isn't going to mislead us - so we have nothing to fear by choosing to be part of His Herd
And in this setting we're often not the majority
Because I'm not talking about modern Christianity. I'm not talking about the Religious Right with their political influence and power. I'm not talking about the countless Mega Churches with their charismatic leaders and large flocks of attendees
I'm talking about the small Herd of actual Jesus followers - the people who choose NOT to be part of a popular Herd - and instead to just follow Jesus as best they can
How do I know this? I'll just give you two reasons - reasons found in the Bible:
God said so...
In God's economy - the majority is irrelevant
Nowhere does the Bible say we need to be doing things like everyone else
In fact, it often says the opposite
That we will be a small group of people, persecuted for our faith and that our saving grace is believing in Him
Matthew 7:13-14
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."
That sounds pretty obvious to me!
Groupthink, and Herd Mentality are based on majority - and this verse suggests the majority is headed in the wrong direction
In fact, the minority is considered the right way - the narrow path, the hard path - the path where you choose the right thing even if everyone else is making the opposite choice
In the end, God wins no matter what...
All you need to do is read the final book in the Bible
It explains what happens in the end
God wins
And it isn't because He is able to get the majority of us to follow Him
Winning isn't based on majority - though Satan wants us to believe that for sure!
No - God wins - end of story
Satan has no chance of winning so his only plan is to take as many of us with him as possible
At the end of the day - God wins even if none of us choose Him
Let that sink in - pretty crazy right?
Let’s Land the Plane:
This week ask yourself the following questions:
What Herd, or Herds are you part of?
In these Herds:
Do you fall for Grouthink?
Do you give up your freedom of choice in any way?
Do you ignore your conscience in order to not ruffle feathers?
What does it look like to Transcend the Herd?
Are there things you need to stand up for that might kick you out of your Herd?
Is your conscience telling you there is something bigger than the Herd or Herds you have been running with?
If so - step into that this week
What does it look like to rise above the Herd and choose a more Transcendent Path?
Thanks for joining us again this week. As always, we would love for you to share this podcast with your friends and family members. And ratings and reviews on Apple Podcasts do help people find us faster.
Before you go I have some exciting news - well, at least exciting to me 🙂
Back in June I put out an episode called the TH Insider. And in this short update I referred to a series we are working on called Transcendent Parenting.
I'm excited to say that Tammy and I are recording the last few episodes soon - and once we have those in the can we will start running them on the show.
It turned out to be a much larger project than we expected - but in a good way. We kept finding new things to add, and new topics to cover - so when it's all said and done it will be a 10 week series.
Can't wait to share those episodes with you.
But for now, have a great week, exit Groupthink and as always keep Transcending Human!