[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fdeath-by-assumicide":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fdeath-by-assumicide-surround":105},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":10,"columnName":87,"date":88,"description":89,"extension":90,"image":91,"meta":92,"minRead":93,"navigation":94,"path":95,"postType":96,"publication":97,"publicationUrl":91,"seo":98,"stem":99,"topics":100,"__hash__":104},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fdeath-by-assumicide.md","Death by Assumicide",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9],"Romans",{"type":11,"value":12,"toc":83},"minimark",[13,21,24,27,38,41,44,47,50,53,56,59,62,65,68,71,74,77,80],[14,15,16,20],"p",{},[17,18,19],"em",{},"He sure seems surly",", I thought to myself. I met him only moments before, but the fellow across the table from me at a fellowship dinner wasn’t generating a lot of fellowship. When anyone spoke to him he gave a quick answer, then looked down and fiddled with his I-Phone.",[14,22,23],{},"Later I learned from a mutual friend that my “surly” dinner companion actually was a good man who’s been through a lot this year including a house fire and his wife’s battle with cancer.",[14,25,26],{},"I was guilty of assumicide.",[14,28,29,30,33,34,37],{},"It doesn’t appear in the dictionary, but the word ",[17,31,32],{},"assumicide"," keeps popping up, especially in the field of education. Experts warn teachers not to assume a student already has mastered certain skills or that children with disabilities will never learn to read. Office managers commit assumicide when they mistakenly assume their employees all understand and agree with the organization’s mission and core values. Sales representatives err when they assume they already know what their customers want. A book by Michael Francis Conrad is called ",[17,35,36],{},"How to Stop Assumicide: How to Think Critically About What You Believe Without Destroying Your Faith",".",[14,39,40],{},"Have you ever been guilty of assumicide? Have you misjudged others because you thought you already had them figured out? It’s easy to prejudge.",[14,42,43],{},"“She’s old, so obviously she is resistant to change.” (During her lifetime she’s actually adapted to more changes than most younger people could imagine.)",[14,45,46],{},"“That teenager looks hard and unapproachable, so I’d better stay away from him.” (Truth is, he’s lonely and hungry for adult attention.)",[14,48,49],{},"“He’s rich, so he must be greedy and selfish.” (He’s one of the most generous people you will ever meet.)",[14,51,52],{},"“She’s pretty, so she probably thinks she’s better than everyone else.” (She privately struggles with low self-esteem.)",[14,54,55],{},"“He’s from a different race, so he wouldn’t want to be my friend.” (He would welcome an invitation to eat lunch with you.)",[14,57,58],{},"“My coworker came to work mean and grumpy today, so I’d better avoid her.” (She’s upset because it’s the anniversary of her husband’s death.)",[14,60,61],{},"“She lives in a poor neighborhood, so she must be uneducated.” (She has a Ph.D.)",[14,63,64],{},"“He’s from a Muslim country, so he doesn’t have any interest in Jesus Christ.” (He surfs the Internet reading articles about Christianity, but he doesn’t have a Christian friend to sit down and talk with him about his questions.)",[14,66,67],{},"“He’s a professor at a big university, so he’s probably an atheist.” (Actually he’s a strong believer who teaches Sunday school.)",[14,69,70],{},"“Their church is growing fast, so they must be compromising the gospel.” (Attendees are impressed by the church’s firm stand on biblical truth.)",[14,72,73],{},"“Their church is small, so they must not care about evangelism.” (The congregation gives 25 per cent of its offerings to support global missions.)",[14,75,76],{},"“The church’s music is pretty traditional, so their worship services must be boring and dead.” (Visitors are touched by the friendliness of the people and feel a strong sense of the presence of God.)",[14,78,79],{},"“That church’s music is edgy and contemporary, so their worship services must be little more than entertainment.” (The songs are rooted in Scripture and the minister is a skillful and dedicated Bible teacher.)",[14,81,82],{},"Let’s stop pre-judging based on outward appearances and personal biases. Instead, why not try to understand where others are coming from, withholding judgment until we know the facts? “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Romans 15:7). Let’s not destroy the body of Christ by assumicide.",{"title":84,"searchDepth":85,"depth":85,"links":86},"",2,[],"Another Look","2010-02-28","*He sure seems surly*, I thought to myself. I met him only moments before, but the fellow across the table from me at a fellowship dinner wasn’t generating a lot of fellowship. When anyone spoke to him he gave a quick answer, then looked down and fiddled with his I-Phone.","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fdeath-by-assumicide","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":89},"articles\u002Fdeath-by-assumicide",[101,102,103],"Biblical Theology","Church Leadership","Intergenerational Ministry","UhZBIVFDL_ei_aFY-2HDa4g5CVC-nw7cscih6LWSyTQ",[106,111],{"title":107,"path":108,"stem":109,"description":110,"children":-1},"Dealing With the Death of a Friend","\u002Farticles\u002Fdealing-with-the-death-of-a-friend","articles\u002Fdealing-with-the-death-of-a-friend","Where can you find hope in times of grief? Just ask King David: The Good Shepherd walks with us through the valley of death (Psalm 23).",{"title":112,"path":113,"stem":114,"description":115,"children":-1},"Death Won’t Win","\u002Farticles\u002Fdeath-won-t-win","articles\u002Fdeath-won-t-win","Sometimes it looks like death is winning."]