Sunday Service Thoughts (SST) #003: Low self-esteem is an American societal epidemic. How much of that is because of harmful Christian encouragements to "hate the flesh"? To "die to ourselves"? Have we been prioritizing the wrong parts of Scripture? (What good does that kind of self- deprivation actually do, anyway? Why promote it? A man who has slaves will tell them negativities about themselves repeatedly so they will believe him and remain reliant on him and never go out of line. An abusive lover will degrade and gaslight their partner in order to do the same thing. Nowhere else in the world do we see this phenomenon of promoting such negative and horrible statements EXCEPT in cases like that of manipulation and abuse. So why the hell is this dialogue allowed and even encouraged within our church...?)