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(The Conversation) — Being a religious leader means wearing many different hats. Sometimes their congregations expect them to radiate passionate confidence—to be a model of faith and strength. But wise leadership also means listening and being willing to change minds: from navigating a church in crisis to questioning once-held beliefs.
Those who can effectively balance these tensions seem to have an important virtue: intellectual humility.
Psychologist Daryl Van Tongeren and colleagues define this virtue as ‘humility about one’s ideas, beliefs, or positions’. On a personal level, this involves a willingness to acknowledge our limitations, along with an openness to revising beliefs in light of new evidence. Intellectual humility also helps promote respect for people with different views, who place more importance on learning than on proving we are “right.”
This openness can be particularly difficult for leaders. Religious traditions consider humility a virtue, yet many expect adherents to courageously proclaim their teachings: what researchers call the ‘humility-religious paradox.” Sometimes strong beliefs can make it difficult to acknowledge other perspectives or consider counterevidence. This is especially true for clergy, who are expected to exemplify their faith.
But religious leaders can also be examples of intellectual humility, thanks to their deep study of sacred traditions and texts, combined with the amount of human suffering they witness. Many also mediate conflicts and differing perspectives among their congregants.
As psychologists and researchers, we are leading a research project about intellectual humility and religion in ‘real’ environments.
Keep an open mind
Think of Martin Luther King Jr. The pastor and activist listened to, learned from, and befriended leaders of many faith traditions – like Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel And Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh – whose teachings he integrated into the Civil Rights Movement.
Research confirms how important this kind of intellectual humility is for interfaith dialogue and social justice work. Psychological research has found that Christian seminary students who report having more intellectual humility tend to have it greater commitment to respecting diversity and promoting fairness and inclusivity. For example, more intellectually modest leaders in training were more likely to say they were more committed to combating racism, sexism and poverty.
Humility can also help religious leaders navigating difficult situations in their work. Research has shown that the more intellectually humble someone thinks their religious leader is, the more likely they are to forgive that leaderespecially when it comes to conflicts over religious values. Congregants also have that more often are satisfied with the leadership of their clergy if those leaders are intellectually humble.
Talking about disagreements about texts and traditions can be an important part of the clergy’s work.
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Congregants often discuss mental health issues with clergy, but some religious groups are hesitant to recommend therapy or incorporate psychology into their work. However, a survey of nearly four hundred religious leaders showed that more intellectually modest leaders tended to be so more open to the integration of psychology with ministry – meaning they may feel more comfortable offering spiritual support while also helping congregants access professional mental health care.
Painful questions
On the other hand, the role of clergy can sometimes be at odds with intellectual humility.
Being intellectually humble means being open to new insights; to deepen or revise beliefs. Religious leaders who are more aware of the possible limitations of their faith are less likely to view themselves as superior to other people a study of approximately 250 clergy.
However, the researchers of that study also found that this type of awareness can cause clergy to experience fear and doubt their relationship with God.
Genuinely questioning religious beliefs can be stressful for anyone. This is even more true for the head of a congregation, someone who is seen by the members as an example of firm faith. This challenge is especially acute in communities or situations where leaders are expected to maintain certainty about their beliefs and where questioning or revision is discouraged—which can heighten shame, fear, and isolation for people struggling with their faith.
Leadership is often lonely, especially when your faith has been shaken.
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However, that is not the full story. Like any virtue, humility has many dimensions, and some can help buffer the anxiety that comes with questioning beliefs. According to the same study According to American clergy, cognitive humility (being humble about your ideas) is less likely to make you feel insecure if you also demonstrate humility in other ways, whether through respect for other people or through self-awareness.
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t
Practicing intellectual humility can be even more difficult for female clergy, people of color, or anyone else who might be discouraged from holding a leadership position.
These people are more likely to have their authority challenged and are often expected to be submissive. For example, women are often taught a submissive version of humility: modest, reverent, and quiet. According to psychological research, women tend to underestimate their own intelligencewhile men tend to overestimate theirs.
To overcome these stereotypes, female leaders may feel the need to be particularly assertive. But the same actions that are considered confident in a man can be seen as arrogant in a woman. In contrast, showing healthy humility – openness, awareness, respect for others – can be seen as “soft” or indecisive. An intellectually humble leader can bring multiple perspectives to a congregation decision, while some members may expect that leader to strongly express their own views.
Theologian Choi Hee An argues that sexism makes it virtually impossible for women to practice intellectual humility within religious groups where intelligence itself is seen a sacred privilege and power given to man by God and where women are typically excluded from leadership roles. It’s hard to have healthy humility in an area where you haven’t had any empowerment, such as an environment where you haven’t been encouraged to think for yourself or make meaningful decisions.
In these contexts, there is no victory for a religious leader. She’s damned if she does, and damned if she doesn’t.
Given these challenges, we are currently exploring what types of skills and mindsets can help religious leaders practice intellectual humility. But it depends not only on individuals, but also on their environment communities and congregations – who can reward or punish modest leaders.
Steven Sandage is receiving funding related to this research from a grant from the John Templeton Foundation on “Intellectual Humility and Religious Leaders” and a grant from the Peale Foundation on “Positive Psychology and the Formation-Based Flourishing of Spiritual Leaders and Therapists’.
(Elise Ji Young Choe, psychology researcher, The Danielsen Institute, Boston University. Steven Sandage, professor of psychology of religion and theology, Boston University. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.)
