Superficiality... Its causes and cure

You may have never heard of the Platte River before. Located in the midwestern part of the United States, it gets its name from the French word meaning “flat”. This is an apt description of the river, which is muddy, wide, and shallow. These characteristics — particularly, its lack of depth — makes the Platte unsuitable for use as a major navigational route. In 1889, American journalist Edgar Nye described the river like this: “It has a very large circulation, but very little influence. It covers a good deal of ground, but is not deep. In some places it is a mile wide and three-quarters of an inch deep.”

Ironically, while the Platte River may not be very well known, the phrase used to describe it — “a mile wide and an inch deep” — has entered into common parlance. It is widely used to describe someone who knows a bit about many things, but not a lot about anything. In other words, to be a mile wide and an inch deep means to be superficial.

while the Platte River may not be very well known, the phrase used to describe it — “a mile wide and an inch deep” — has entered into common parlance. It is widely used to describe someone who knows a bit about many things, but not a lot about anything.

Sadly, contemporary evangelicalism has been characterised as being very wide, but not very deep. This is not a recent phenomenon either. In a 2008 essay entitled What is the Future of Evangelicalism?, J I Packer observed: “It has often been said that Christianity in North America is 3,000 miles wide and half an inch deep. Something similar is true, by all accounts, in Africa and Asia, and (I can testify to this) in Britain also. Worshippers in evangelical churches, from the very young to the very old, and particularly the youth and the twenty- and thirty-somethings, know far less about the Bible and the faith than one would hope, than they themselves need to know for holy living.”

Where have things gone wrong? Packer lamented the decline of faithful, solid Bible teaching. Instead of being anchored in Scripture, sermons have focused on personal experiences. But, Packer added, “versions of Christianity that care more for experiences of life than for principles of truth will neither strengthen churches nor glorify God”.

Since then, the proliferation of smartphones and social media has not helped. We are even more inundated with distractions that foster a superficial “spirituality” built around shallow thinking and surface-level relationships. But while technology may have exacerbated the problem, it did not cause it. The roots of superficiality go deeper.

In Colossians, the apostle Paul warns believers of the peril of being deluded by “plausible arguments” (Col 2:4) that destabilise and derail our faith. Such arguments are especially dangerous because they seem to make sense to us. They appear reasonable and persuasive. Like the infamous siren songs, they subtly lure us away from Christ. We become superficial Christians if other things keep us from growing deeper in the gospel. What sort of plausible arguments might we be tempted to trust in? Here are eight examples of common “-isms”.

1. Legalism

This reduces Christianity to a set of rules to be kept in order to gain God’s approval. We come up with man-made standards that we attempt to adhere to, thinking we can commend ourselves to God. In so doing, we veer into pride and self-righteousness when we perform well, to discouragement and despair when we fail. But legalism is a different gospel altogether. It reveals a superficial understanding of God’s holiness and our sinfulness. We imagine we can somehow solve our sin problem. What’s more, legalism gets God wrong. Because it tends to view God as a harsh judge, legalism discourages us from drawing near to God through Jesus Christ, resulting in a shallow relationship with God.

2. Consumerism

When we see ourselves as consumers rather than disciples, our preferences, wants, convenience, and comfort become the main things. Instead of counting the cost of discipleship, we follow Jesus only if it is easy and beneficial for us. We go to church expecting to be served, not to serve. Such superficial “faith” will not endure when trials come. We are like the rocky ground in Jesus’ parable of the sower: “This is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.” (Mt 13:20-21)

3. Formalism

This wants an appearance of godliness, rather than its substance and power. Content with a superficial semblance of Christianity, we are strangers to the true transforming work of the gospel. It is enough for us to look impressive to others, so that we gain their approval. But man’s praise is empty; what we desperately need is for Jesus to change us from the inside-out, through the sanctifying work of His Spirit. We need God to give us new hearts. Only in Christ alone can we gain the approval that truly matters — God’s.

4. Activism

Perhaps we find our identity and worth in being busy. We measure our spiritual wellbeing by our participation in all sorts of causes, activities, and programmes. The more we do, the better we feel about ourselves. The irony is that our busyness leaves us little time and energy to grow deeper in the gospel through dwelling in God’s word and cultivating spiritual friendships with our brothers and sisters in the church. Like Martha, we need to be reminded to prioritise the good portion — to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to His teaching. His Word is the one thing necessary for our spiritual health.

5. Biblicism

It is possible to enjoy Bible study and to think we know the Bible well, while neglecting the One to whom Scripture points. Knowledge can puff us up, inflating our sense of self-importance and superiority. But in our enthusiasm to master the Word, do we also humbly acknowledge our more fundamental need to be mastered by it? It is superficial to simply know the truth without living it out. For example, we can know a lot about God without actually knowing Him. Have we been personally gripped by His grace? It is good to know Scripture well, but biblical Christianity is not merely intellectual. The truth ought to stir our affections for Christ and move us to love Him and His people. May we take to heart Jesus’ words to the Jewish religious leaders: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” (Jn 5:39-40)

6. Mysticism

In avoiding the ditch of intellectualism, we need also beware of falling into the hole of emotionalism. A superficial faith that constantly chases after “spiritual highs” will struggle during life’s more mundane moments. Merely emotional experiences cannot sustain us through seasons of suffering and affliction. How shall we persevere in patient endurance when we don’t feel like it? While our emotions are a key part of our Christian lives, we must not separate them from God’s word. Indeed, it is when we rightly grasp the truth of the gospel that we are moved to joyful, grateful worship. The gospel is the foundation and fuel for our hope. We can even rejoice amid our trials, because we know who God is. We know what God has done, is doing, and will do for us through His beloved Son.

7. Individualism

This turns us inwards, which leads to superficial relationships. Self-centredness isolates us from community, hindering us from knowing and being known by our spiritual brothers and sisters. This is to our spiritual detriment, for we are not meant to live the Christian life alone. In Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s classic book on the importance of Christian community, he sounds this sobering warning: “…one who seeks solitude without fellowship perishes in the abyss of vanity, self-infatuation and despair.” God intends for us to put into regular practice the “one-another” commands in Scripture not only for the sake of others, but also for our own good. For it is through our obedience to such commands that we grow in the Spirit-borne fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Do we languish in superficiality because we have been trying to live the Christian life on our own, apart from the spiritual family that is the church?

8. Social-ism

On the other hand, we can also make the mistake of loving the social aspects of community more than we love Jesus and his people. It might look like we are very connected to the church, but in reality, our commitment is superficial, contingent on whether we feel there are folks we can get along with. Again, Bonhoeffer warns: “The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community.” Jesus calls us to love others, as He has loved us. Deep, Christ-like love is not comfortable or convenient. It loves those who are different and difficult. We are to “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave (us)” (Eph 4:32). In this way, we walk in love.

What is the remedy for “-isms” like these? It must begin with a clear view of the supremacy of Christ. Unless we behold Him in all his glory, our prone-to-wandering hearts are so easily enticed by the phony “glory” of plausible arguments. For this reason, Paul begins his letter to the Colossians with a magnificent hymn of adoration to the glorious Christ, who is supreme in creation and redemption: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.” (Col 1:15-20)

It is in Scripture that we see King Jesus, God’s promised Saviour of the world. Therefore, to not be superficial in our faith, we must centre ourselves on Christ and on His Word, which bears witness to him. For this reason, Paul toils with God-given energy to proclaim Christ. It is only by hearing the word of Christ that we grow to maturity in Him. We should not be satisfied with shallowness. God has given us His Word, that we might plumb the depths of the glorious gospel of His Son. It is by knowing Jesus more and more through His word that we “reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:2-3). Therefore, let the word of Christ dwell in us richly (Col 3:16).

Colossians also exhorts us to grow deeper in Christ, in community, in the local church. The gospel gathers us into a people. Hence, we are meant to experience growth corporately, not individualistically. The local church is where God’s redeemed people assemble regularly to encourage one another in the faith. The members of the body of Christ are meant to work together for the building up of the whole. To this end, Paul urges believers to apply the gospel in their relationships with one another: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” (Col 3:12-15)

In this way, as we walk in faith and love with our brothers- and sisters-in-Christ, we gain gospel fluency. This gives us true spiritual depth. The remedy for superficiality is to return to the Bible’s plan for discipleship, which is Christ-centred, word-centred, and local church-centred.

American journalist Edgar Nye described the river like this: “It has a very large circulation, but very little influence. It covers a good deal of ground, but is not deep.

The Platte River may be a mile wide and an inch deep, but our spiritual life need not be stuck in superficiality. In Christ, we can have genuine depth of conviction and character that blesses others. Jesus invites us to turn and trust in Him: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (Jn 7:37-38)

Eugene Low is lead pastor of Grace Baptist Church. He and his wife, Claire, have two teenage sons, Zachary and Iain. He is grateful for the fellowship of other believers in the local church, which encourages him to press on.