The Dictionary defines Narcissism as an “Excessive admiration or love of oneself.” In Greek mythology, Narcissus was a hunter who was known for his beauty, eventually falling in love with his own reflection in a pool of water, staring at it until the gods turned him into a flower that bears his name to this day.
In America we can find a lot of narcissism in our culture. Divorce, crime, politics, and even our sports, bear a lot of narcissistic characteristics. Many look to their own needs and desires, seeking self-gratification. “In the last days” Paul says, “men will be lovers of self…lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Tm. 3: 1-5). Many rebel against the scriptures, seeking their own lifestyle and wants, and some seek a church that plays along with them. Such churches are easily found.
The apostle Paul spoke of this kind of religious narcissism when he said, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth” (2 Tm. 4:3,4). As Christians we are to look outward and upward, not inward to our own self-centered cravings.
-Dennis Doughty