May 20, 2010
The Importance of Good Critics
I’m taking a day off from my series on the Holy Spirit in order to share some thoughts that have been on my mind for a few weeks now about the role of critics.
I need good critics. We all do. I need critics who will read what I have written, think on it deeply, and then offer suggestions where I may be in error.
Such work is an invaluable ministry. A good critic is a blessing.
Unfortunately, we often run into bad critics. What is the difference?
A bad critic cares more about defending and justifying his/her own views and winning the argument rather than helping you see something with greater clarity. The only way forward for a bad critic is for the one receiving the criticism to yield to his/her superior wisdom.
Bad critics fail to understand fully what they critique, which prevents them from offering truly helpful and redemptive advice. At their worst they can be bullies.
Sometimes we receive critique from a good critic, and we mistake a good critic for a bad one because we’ve had so many negative experiences receiving criticism, that we can’t imagine someone who questions us will also have our best in mind. Receiving criticism is a humbling, difficult process that pushes us into unfamiliar places.
To the extent that it helps us grow and learn, criticism is invaluable. A bad critic will close us off to fresh possibilities and limit the extent of our development.
However, a good critic pushes us to deeper thought, study, and conversation. A good critic is a gift.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by edcyzewski and edcyzewski, Sarah Styles Bessey. Sarah Styles Bessey said: RT @edcyzewski: Can critics become a blessing? Do we really need them? http://bit.ly/cL7Z27 [...]
Good critics are definitely gifts! And your description of “bad critics” is spot on:
“A bad critic cares more about…winning the argument…than helping you see something with greater clarity.”
After so many years of working as a writer, I’ve gotten amazingly used to critiques of my work—I’ve moved beyond that impulse to take it all too personally, and instead I see the learning opportunities. Now if I could only learn to be more open to critique in other areas of my life.