12. How to Break the Condemnation Cycle

John Ortberg asks a surprisingly practical question:What should I be looking for in people (especially the ones I disagree with) if I want to stop the cycle of condemnation?

Along the way, John draws from:
- Arthur Brooks on how contempt corrodes our culture (and inboxes)
- Social psychology’s painfully accurate idea of motivational attribution asymmetry
- A dramatic moment in the Gospels where religious leaders look right at suffering… and somehow miss it
- The difference between a hermeneutic of suspicion and a far rarer hermeneutic of charity

You’ll hear why:
- We assume good motives for ourselves and bad motives for “those people”
Social media makes us feel morally informed while quietly shrinking our souls
- Jesus keeps asking a question we’d rather not answer: What are you actually looking for?
- The invitation here is deceptively simple and genuinely difficult:Look for the image of God.Not agreement. Not ammunition. Not confirmation that you’re right.
- When we see people the way Jesus does, contempt loses its grip—and condemnation doesn’t get the last word.

Also included: academic shade, Gospel-level tension, and a timer reminding John when it’s time to stop talking.

Today's Resources:
Arthur C. Brooks, Love Your Enemies

🙌 New episodes every weekday.
📲 Subscribe, like, and share to help others grow spiritually. One day at a time.

Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.
TEXT US at 855-888-0444
EMAIL US at [email protected]

GET OUR WEEKDAY EMAILS WITH EXTRA GOODIES at becomenew.com/subscribe
GET A TEXT REMINDER FOR NEW VIDEOS: text BECOME to 855-888-0444
SEND US PRAYER REQUESTS: via text or email; we'll send you a written prayer from our team

😊 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CnqywVp9s/
🤳Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/become.new/

Music Credits:
Believe Me by Glass Echoes - MB01UU8HNMQ8GT0
Frost on My Window by Coldbrew - MB01IZWASF1DYPO