If you find yourself criticized as a ministry leader or a pastor, the response I am going to identify really is your best answer.

It has several strong advantages . . . .

• It has the ability to deal with almost any criticisms
• It has not outgrown its usefulness. though often employed.
• Most people have little to no ability to respond to it meaningfully.
• Others listening will accept it as thoroughly sufficient and refutational.
• It seems perfectly logical.
• It can be adapted in a good number of useful ways.
• It relies on “the law of excluded middle” for its strength.

Here it is . . . . 

“There are no perfect churches!”

Again, I just came across this very argument in recent days. Like I said, it is oft employed, and it has not outgrown its usefulness.

And here is the nice things about this response; it can be adapted in a good number of other useful ways. 

• There are no perfect pastors.
• There are no perfect ministries.
• There are no perfect husbands /wives / children.
• There are no perfect jobs.
• There are no perfect believers.
• There are no perfect church members.
• There are no perfect presentations.

What makes the argument so appealing and disarming is that you have limited the choices down to the  “perfect” ones.

The operative word is “perfect.” 

As I pointed out, its strength relies on “the excluded middle.” [1]. That is what makes it work so well!

The word “perfect” has left out the many other possibilities in between and even those possibilities which are far less than perfect.  

When dealing with criticisms, you do not want to talk about the good, better, the best, or even the great. The choice must be “the perfect.”

Stay with the “perfect” as the standard of comparison.

Go back to it.

Repeat the phrase as needed and watch it work!

Since there are no perfect “anythings” when it comes to people or their endeavors, you are always safe from contradiction! [2]

 

Obviously, (maybe to most) all this is said “tongue in cheek.”  Such an response or argument is disingenuous!  It is so disingenuous that one could drive “a Canadian Truck” through it (since there are no perfect governments)! [3]

Nevertheless, and unfortunately, it is all too reflective of how legitimate, and even illegitimate, criticism is addressed. Or should I say, is not addressed! 

This kind of argument deflects criticism! 

No one is asking for the perfect!  

Instead, the discussion should be about good, better, best. 

There is a continuum, not merely two poles.

Stating this argument avoids the reality that there are degrees of genuine evaluation.

The honest way to deal with issues include . . . . 

Great – – Really Good – – Good – – Average – – Weak – – Terrible – – Really Terrible – – Atrocious

As it has been memorialized, “The perfect is the enemy of the good.” 

In this case, “the perfect” is the defender of “the average to the atrocious!”

 

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1. The law of excluded middle is a fallacious law of logic. It states any proposition is true, or its negation is true. It avoids degrees of truth.

2. Note: You can even use the word “perfect” when it comes to church music or dress, or even when it comes to any church literature or church announcements.

3. Please Note: I will probably have to change that allusion to “Canadian Truckers” in the coming months since it may be lost over time, though hopefully not! If I have made any spelling or grammatical mistakes, realize that few perfect blogs or articles do not contain such errors — TIC= [Tongue In Cheek].