The Idol of Niceness

The idol of niceness refers to the ways we make ourselves pleasant, agreeable, acceptable, or likable in order to get something. We use niceness to achieve belonging or avoid conflict, but we also use it to amass influence and power. We use niceness to succeed in the workplace or to manage the way people perceive us. Niceness has incredible weight in our culture—both inside and outside the church—and although few of us would admit to using it so slickly (and we maybe haven’t been aware that we are until now), many of us do.

Niceness motivates us, reassures us, and promises greater…