News Archive
Opinion versus counsel
In my job, I am on the receiving end of loads of opinion. I was much struck by some recent teaching I heard on the important subject of opinion versus counsel by Brian Houston, leader of Hillsong in Sydney, who says: "The recipe for perpetual ignorance is to be satisfied by your own opinion." I’ve discovered that I prefer counsel, and here’s why...
1. Opinion is imposed; counsel is invited. Now I love discussion and debate like the next person. I don’t think I’m overly argumentative, but neither am I a shrinking violet. But I’ve discovered that unsolicited opinions, whether I’m giving them or receiving them, rarely help people. Getting something off my chest might make me feel better, but it rarely benefits the recipient.2. Opinion blocks truth; counsel brings truth. The above quote about perpetual ignorance is very true. As my grandparents used to say (in their colloquial Lancastrian brogue), “You learn nowt with your gob open.” Another I grew up with was, “You’ve got two ears and one mouth; so spend twice as much time listening as speaking.”
3. Opinion judges; counsel guides. I think it's right that the context for opinion is normally a win or lose scenario. The classic example of this is the adversarial debate in the house of parliament. But counsel is offered in a spirit of wanting the best for the recipient, rather than wanting to prove a point. Francis Schaeffer, the brilliant writer, said that “Truth without compassion is the ugliest thing in the world.”
4. Opinion divides; counsel unites. Similar to my last point, opinion attempts to bring people round to my way of thinking. My experience of "counsel givers" is that they only offer their words after recourse to God. In other words it comes to you after a two-way conversation rather than being offloaded without prior reflection. And the end result of wise counsel, even if it’s really hard to take (or offer), will always unite, never divide. Godly comments are much better than clever ones.
It’s made me think about whether I’m overly quick to speak; or whether I have the recipient’s good in mind when I speak; in a nutshell, whether my words are helpful or detrimental. And that’s as much about how I speak as about what I speak. Of course the ultimate in this arena is God himself who is “wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom.” (Is 28:29). So, a challenge! Let’s think about the forums within which we exchange ideas. May we help them to be crucibles of wise counsel rather than furnaces of strong opinion.