Social Cognitive Theory

Recently, my wife and I went to a Pentecostal Free Will Baptist Camp Meeting service.(1)  The night that we went, the speaker was a 16 year-old young man named, Tyler.  I had heard Tyler was preaching that night, and I had also heard that he was a very good preacher.  Despite this information, however, I was a bit skeptical. 

Well, one thing is true, Tyler was a phenomenal preacher; by “phenomenal” I mean that he exhibited mastery in the art of stereotypical, southern, evangelistic Pentecostal preaching—the kind that intends to arouse all your emotions (except contrition), the kind that somehow subliminally causes one to feel like they are better Christians than others, and the kind that generally leaves you with a few hours (maybe days) of feeling “better.” (I am speaking from my perspective, not my experience.  Also, I am not dogging the people who preach this way, simply this preaching style and content.  In all honesty, I have yet to hear this kind of preaching done where there is real meat in the message, zero insulting of other believers and especially denominations that aren’t Pentecostal or are but don’t speak in tongues enough, and where the Scriptures are expounded on in a legitimate, respectful, and honest manner.) 

As my wife and I contemplated the spectacle we had just observed, we concluded that this kind of preaching and service is purely cultural—which leads us back to the title of this post.

Albert Bandura, a Stanford psychologist, developed a theory on human life-span development called the Social Cognitive Theory.  By this, he simply means that people develop (i.e. learn) by their interactions with other people; more specifically, by observing others.  Bandura emphasized how this entails more than passive learning (e.g. classical and operant conditioning), but called for a deliberate attempt by the person to pay attention and learn from who or what they were observing. 

Although Bandura’s theory doesn’t have claim over all other theories (i.e. a lot of theories contain some element of legitimate explanation of human life-span development), what he describes in his theory, nonetheless, is very descriptive of how people can and do learn. 

Tyler, a 16 year-old young man, seems to have settled on an identity; this identity has, without a doubt, been shaped and confirmed by the denomination that he has been a part of his short life.  I imagine at a young age he observed a Pentecostal evangelist come to his church and preach a revival.  I imagine that Tyler was captivated by this demonstration of preaching and said to himself in some way, “I want to be like that!”  No, he didn’t want to be a “skater,” or an “athlete,”  or a “gangster.”  He wanted to be a “Pentecostal evangelist preacher” (this isn’t to take away from a possible calling of God on his life, rather, perhaps a confirmation). 

He definitely has become like that, and I would be confident to say that this is the case after many, many hours of practice—imitating the kind of person he’s observed.

To be fair, Bandura’s theory can also help explain why it’s the case that my wife and I get hardly any edification from these kinds of services.  We did not grow up in this “culture.”  This kind of preaching does not minister to my spirit because my development thus far has not involved observing and imitating this kind of proclamation.  It does not appeal to me because I’ve hardly been blessed by it.  Conversely, those who do receive some blessing from this kind of service would not appreciate the kind of service I am more apt to appreciate. 

This reality—a phenomenon that will never be changed—is entirely okay.  I do not expect, nor do I necessarily want people to conform to one kind of service or preaching style.  This isn’t necessary.  However, what is absolutely necessary for all believers, especially those who preach and teach, is that truth be told in an honest fashion and lives be eternally changed, exhibited through day-to-day obedience—a Christ-likeness.  What is necessary is for there to be a lifting up of all believers.  It is necessary for there to be some kind of practical guidance provided to the listeners.  It is necessary for there to be a moving on from the “elementary doctrine of Christ,” going on to maturity (Heb. 6:1).  These are just to name of few; there are more I’m sure.

So, since it is the case that we can and do learn through observation, the question then is:

“Who are you imitating?”

(1) Pentecostal Free Will Baptist (PFWB) is the denomination that my wife and I are currently a part of.  I serve as a part-time youth pastor in small PFWB church in Dunn, NC.  This denomination is rooted in the Azuzu Street revival of the early 20th century.   However, it wasn’t until the middle of the century when people from the Original Free Will Baptist denomination left to form the PFWB denomination.