How to Offer Criticism: Part 2

In an attempt to encourage healthy, honest dialog, and fruitful criticism in the Christian community, I am offering five thoughts on how to criticize well. In the first installment, we looked at the need to understand the argument (of view) of those we criticize. Today, we will focus on the need to be charitable in understanding that view. This is closely related to part one, but I wanted to separate it out to make the point clear.

In an attempt to encourage healthy, honest dialog, and fruitful criticism in the Christian community, I am offering five thoughts on how to criticize well. In the first installment, we looked at the need to understand the argument (of view) of those we criticize. Today, we will focus on the need to be charitable in understanding that view. This is closely related to part one, but I wanted to separate it out to make the point clear.

#2 Critique Fairly and Charitably

First, when offering criticism it is important to give the most charitable reading of a person's views-- even when you critique them. Yes, even if we think that person is wrong, we need to be charitable. This doesn't mean we avoid saying the hard things, or do not confront the error, but it does mean that we work hard to not simply paint someone's view in the worst possible light. Too often, we critique the worst of someone else's view with the best of their own.

Practically, this means that we allow the other person's points to remain in the context of their view. Too often, some strip words out of context in order to make a point the other person is not making, or that should even be inferred by their words. I would say that if something is unclear, it is better to interpret it in light of where they have been clear. It's a basic hermeneutic principle of Scripture called "the analogy of Scripture," where we interpret unclear passages in light of what is clear. This should also be how we read other people's writings as well.

So, if they are unclear, or haven't been as clear as they should be in a particular area, we should take it in light of the whole of their contributions and do so in the most charitable way. We can (and should) point out that they have not been clear, but be fair about what they mean.

Too often, I have seen a sentence, a tweet, or a quote in an interview used to discount everything else someone has to say. Regrettably, it seems some look for these "gotcha" moments without showing the grace to look at the whole. A better way to criticize would be to say that "this sentence" was problematic or "this idea" was unclear. Instead, it is often taken out of context, which hurts the person being criticized (and makes the critic seem unreasonable and lacking in charity).