Introverts aren't cowards & neither was Gideon

 “Gideon was a coward and idolater."

So declares Carmen Joy Imes in an article posted on Christianity Today on March 4, 2025. Frankly, I expect better from someone who is an associate professor of Old Testament.

Sadly, misguided beat downs on Gideon are common in sermons and articles. This comes from the persistent cultural error of insistently mistaking the quiet strength and wisdom of introverts as cowardice and hesitation.

Gideon’s story shows up beginning in the sixth chapter of Judges. To get to the idea that Gideon is a coward, the first 10 verses – offering crucial context – are skipped over and preachers go right to verse 11 where it says, “Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress in order to hide it from the Midianites” (CSB). Then there’s the whole wet fleece, dry fleece thing at the end of the chapter.

“See!” the preacher gleefully declares. “Gideon was hiding! He was a scaredy cat! He was a coward! He was indecisive!” And this becomes the warped theme of their misleading sermons and articles.

No, Gideon was not a coward. Rather, he was a wise introvert.

Sadly, because most introverts tend to be quiet, cautious, and measured in their approach to challenging situations, others (extroverts) view them as being cowardly, hesitant, and indecisive.

This is a really wrong reading of what’s happening with both Gideon and introverts in general.

Let’s look at those oft-ignored verses in Judges 6.

The Israelites were enduring a 7-year discipline from the Lord (v. 1). This meant that “whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people of the east came and attacked them” (v. 3), so the Israelites “made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds” (v. 2). When the marauders came, they were “like a great swarm of locusts” and “entered the land to lay waste to it” (v. 5). As a result of this, they “destroyed the produce of the land” leaving “nothing for Israel to eat” nor did they leave any “sheep, ox, or donkey” (v. 4).

Imagine you’re an Israelite in this situation. You’re trying to survive. You plant a crop, and, Boom!, here come the marauders – as thick and voracious as locusts. They take everything that’s out in the open. Your food. The animals you need to help plant and harvest crops. And, for good measure, they take animals that could be used for food or transportation.

Experiencing legitimate and reasonable fear, you hide what you can in caves and hope for the best while waiting for the marauders to move on. This was the life of the Israelites – which includes Gideon – for seven years.

It is in this context that Gideon was “hiding.” Yes, he was fearful, but this doesn’t equate to cowardice. Anyone in that situation would be fearful.

In order to try to provide food for himself and his family, Gideon very wisely chose to do his wheat threshing as quietly and discreetly as possible. Had he “bravely” done this in the open, he likely would have been caught, his food taken, and maybe even his life forfeited.

You know that phrase, “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread”? It’s not referring to introverts. True bravery understands when guerrilla warfare is the better choice over a full frontal assault.

In reality, what Gideon was doing was being bold and brave. There was still serious risk. But he was wisely doing what he could to mitigate the risk by being stealthy and vigilant. In other words, he was behaving like a shrewd introvert! God understands this when the angel of the Lord addresses Gideon saying, “The Lord is with you, valiant warrior” (v. 12). You don’t call cowardly wimps “valiant warrior!”

In the next verses Gideon demonstrates typical introvert behavior. He seeks clarification, takes measured action, responds to the Holy Spirit, seeks additional clarification, and then displays his warrior side openly.

Throughout the entire process the angel of the Lord (aka God) never reprimands, chides, or rebukes Gideon. Even with the whole fleece thing, God is patient and methodical in dealing with Gideon, and, finally, encourages Gideon, saying “Peace to you. Don’t be afraid, for you will not die” (v. 23).

Simply put, God fully sees Gideon, understands his personality (the one he, God, gave him), and deals with him in a way that is respectful of his introversion (the way, he, God, created him).

Culturally, common labels too often attached to introverts include passive, halting, indecisive, shy, tentative, and wimpy. This is because introverts are shaped to be cautious, thoughtful, methodical, quiet, and intentional. In other words, God created introverts (like Gideon) to NOT be extroverts.

The bottom line? Two things.

First, read the Bible better. The bias against Gideon has been around for decades. That he is a coward is the default view. Yet, a close and careful reading of Judges 6-8 reveals a quietly brave man doing his best to serve God within the context of his God-given personality and character.

Second, quiet is not the same as weakness. The bias against introverts and for extroverts is just as persistent. Society equates bravery with boisterousness and brash action. This is deceptive as well as not fair to introverts. Bold is not a synonym for extroversion. Both introverts and extroverts can be appropriately bold within the context of their personality type.

Gideon, the “coward,” led an army of 300 men and routed the Midianite marauders. He and his army pursued every last one, even though exhausted (v. 8:4). Don’t underestimate the persistence of an introvert once they’ve caught a clear vision!

As for the idolator part of Imes' accusation, he wasn’t the one who committed idolatry. The people asked him to be king. Instead of agreeing to be king, or suggesting everyone take a break so he could think things over, he rashly creates an “ephod” which was a kind of idol.

While the details are sketchy, Gideon takes this ephod and erects it in the city. His intention may have been to create a visual reminder of all God had done for him and his people, but instead, the ephod became an object of worship and a “snare” to those who worshipped it.

Even introverts make mistakes. Fortunately, we can confess these and find forgiveness.

Still, the story of Gideon demonstrates how God acknowledges different personality types, and deals patiently and encouragingly with an introvert.

Gideon was not an extroverted, outgoing, charismatic, or flashy warrior hero. He was, instead a quiet hero who faced a tremendous challenge successfully. Just as introvert heroes are doing daily. Look carefully and you may just spot one!

 

 

Agree? Disagree? Love it? Hate it? Have a question about this blog or this post? Email me at Stephen@QuietlyFaithful.com or leave a comment below. Share your story about being a Christian introvert or let me know a specific topic you’d like to see addressed.  

Read more here:

#12. Gideon (Part 1): He’s no wimp!

#13. Gideon (Part 2): Mistakes were made.

#29. Introvert privilege? Hating on the meet-and-greet.

In a Facebook group catering to Christian introverts, I invited comment on what they thought about meet-and-greet times in church. The reaction? Well, in short, it’s not just disliked, it’s loathed!

What it is

The meet-and-greet is that time during the service when everything stops and someone up front instructs us to “turn to the people on your left and right, behind you and in front of you, and greet them and I don't want you to just say ‘Hi!’ or shake their hand but tell them that there's good news and that there's nothing God can't do and then maybe tell them your name as well and.....” on it goes.

This is an actual instruction given in my church one Sunday. I agree it’s a tad much. The leader doing the instructing is a well-intentioned extrovert.

An introvert leader might say simply, “Turn and greet those around you.” We like to keep things simple.

A little history

This activity grew from the “passing of the peace” that seems to have started in the Catholic church. Over the decades it’s been adopted into mostly more liturgy-leaning churches, such as Presbyterian, Lutheran, Episcopal, and so on. Congregants are simply supposed to approach those near them, shake hands, and say, “The peace of Christ.” It’s a form of blessing.

Evangelical churches, snubbing formality and embracing chaos, have adapted this into the meet-and-greet time. It’s viewed as a way to ensure newcomers are acknowledged and allow people to see who is sitting around them. You never know who slipped in late.

The goal is essentially to offer acknowledgement and encourage sociability. Each church has their own rationale and process.

On the fence

I’m ambivalent about the practice. As an introvert, it’s sometimes a bit challenging to greet strangers. On the other hand, I do want to get to know people in our church (it’s big). And I understand the importance of making newcomers feel welcomed. But some question if this is the most effective way to address newcomers.

At any rate, I can roll with it and sometimes even really get into it.

Survey says!

Thom Rainer is an expert on church revitalization and author of books such as Autopsy of a Deceased Church and Anatomy of a Revived Church. Some years ago he surveyed those inside and outside the church on various aspects of churchgoing. One thing that popped out is that 6 out of 10 church members and 9 out of 10 visitors don’t like the meet-and-greet!

So, there is data to back up the dislike of the practice. Yet, it persists. In fact, as Rainer writes about in one of his books, pastors discontinue doing it at their own peril.

People are definitely fickle. We don’t like doing it but don’t dare not let us!

Back to my introvert friends

As I said earlier, many claiming the title of introvert literally loathe the practice. Some hate it so much they’ve left their church for another that had no meet-and-greets!

This seems a little excessive to me, even for those who are very introverted. I’m guessing there’s more going on in these situations but won’t speculate here.

Here are some other comments:

• I refuse to allow someone to make me feel guilty for feeling [being uncomfortable doing this].
• I just go to the bathroom in order to avoid it.
• To me it is a forced friendliness that is fake and uncomfortable.
• They seem phony to me.
• I think it's the forced concept of it that makes us uncomfortable.
•  Greeting needs to be organic, in context, MEANINGFUL. Not a game of Simon Says.

You get the drift. In addition to being viewed as phony and forced, other choice descriptors I've heard include manipulative, controlling, hypocritical, and choreographed.

But the most offered reason for avoiding the meet-and-greet is, “It makes me uncomfortable.”

Discomfort is not always a bad thing

In this sad day and age of widespread abuse happening in churches, when something makes us uncomfortable, we do need to pay attention. We then need to discern if the discomfort is being caused by something genuinely harmful, or rather, is an opportunity for spiritual growth.

If it is something harmful, we need to speak out about it and get it addressed.

But if it’s merely something that is causing our spiritual muscles to be stretched, that’s pushing us past the edges of our comfy existence, that is the Holy Spirit nudging us to do something we wouldn’t normally choose to do, then we need to pay attention and view it as good discomfort.

Genuine spiritual growth and the process of maturity is seldom comfortable.

The danger of introvert privilege

There is danger in thinking or saying, “Because I’m an introvert I will not do this or that thing.”

We introverts are already too often viewed as reclusive, standoffish, rude, anti-social, and more because of how we are shaped as introverts.

If we react so vehemently and negatively to something as simple as taking two minutes to shake hands with a couple of people next to us during a church service, then we give power to those wrong labels. We make them legitimate.

People look at our reticence toward greeting others and declare, “See! I told you they didn’t like people and are stuck-up snobs!”

We know we’re not snobs, but our less-than-selfless behavior can make us look like we are.

A better approach

One introvert commenter understands that we are called to connect, even as introverts. She wrote, “If being an introvert has you hovering in the corner of your pew every Sunday, I challenge you to get out of that seat, seek out one person who looks like they need a friend, and go speak to them. Smile and say ‘Good Morning!’ like you mean it.”

In other words, see and acknowledge someone else the way you’d like someone else to see and acknowledge you. Just one person. It’s okay to not greet the entire congregation.

Plus, keep this in mind. Once the meet-and-greet is done, you get to sit quietly in the darkened sanctuary listening to the sermon for 20, 40, or 60 minutes and recover from those two minutes of extroverting.

Jesus commanded us to love one another. John reminds us to not love only “in word or speech, but in action and in truth” (1 John 3:18, CSB).

Being part of the community of faith means, occasionally, doing good things that make us feel a little uncomfortable. Greeting one or two people around us for two minutes on Sunday morning is a small thing that can reap big rewards.

For us, we get to express Christian love and hospitality in a safe place for a short time. For those we greet, we offer the blessing of acknowledging and seeing them. In time, the discomfort will fade as the joy of connection grows.

 

 

Agree? Disagree? Love it? Hate it? Have a question about this blog or this post? Email me at Stephen@QuietlyFaithful.com or leave a comment below. Share your story about being a Christian introvert or let me know a specific topic you’d like to see addressed.  

#27. Big is not better or the introvert way

Commencement and political speeches often exhort listeners to “go out there and change the world! Now!” While the intent is to inspire, changing the whole wide world all a once is a tad daunting. Couple this challenge with the mantra to “Go big or go home!” -- introverts would likely choose home. And that’s not a bad thing.

Many churches, organizations, and people focus on the big thing, the huge gesture, the over-the-top-everybody-all-at-once outreach -- and the tiny details be damned. But details are critical. Just ask any introvert who will likely say, “Let’s stop and think about this a minute.”

Big is overrated. Small is beautiful. In his book, Reversed Thunder, Eugene Peterson writes, "All day long we are doing eternally important things without knowing it." This is the introvert’s life! We excel at doing the little things quietly that others tend to not see or simply discount.

Introverts love process, breaking out the huge and complex into smaller, simpler bits, taming chaos step by patient step, understanding incremental change can yield a stronger foundation.

Still, many impatiently think the way to significance is to make a big splash all at once right now. Few actually accomplish this. Even “overnight” sensations will tell you that it took years to achieve their big breakthrough. The reality is that true “flash in the pan” stars tend to fade quickly into obscurity.

Prior to the 2019 fire, when visiting the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, what visitors saw was an awesome, inspiring, and beautiful cathedral. After the fire, what suddenly came to light were the painstaking details that went into the construction of the cathedral over hundreds of years. It was a lot of very little things that added up to the one big thing.

While we serve a vast Kingdom, most are seldom called to do “big all-at-once things.” Even when this happens, God often tones down our idea of how to do this thing to something smaller that makes it clear that He did it through us. Just ask Gideon.

Or David. When looking at the big picture, it’s important not to lose the details. Sometimes, a carefully considered and chosen stone can, used just right, change the world.

For we introverts, a better saying could be, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!” We also take comfort in such biblical passages as “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin…” (Zechariah 4:10, NLT).

What many deem insignificant, introverts view as infinitely valuable. Just as Jesus did.

In Matthew 25:35-36, Jesus explains how to change the world: “‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me’” (CSB).

These “little” things of offering a glass of water, seeing people others overlook, attending to the vital small stuff others eschew, pointing out potential pitfalls others ignore, pausing a moment while others rush on, these are “eternally important things” that reveal the deep value and strength of introverts.

 

Agree? Disagree? Love it? Hate it? Have a question about this blog or this post? Email me at Stephen@QuietlyFaithful.com or leave a comment below. Share your story about being a Christian introvert or let me know a specific topic you’d like to see addressed. 

#20. No fear

Christian introverts are often mis-identified as being fearful, timid, or shy. A favorite verse tossed our way is 2 Timothy 1:7 that says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment” (CSB). We are then exhorted to be more “bold” like our extroverted brothers and sisters.

First, introversion is not a lack of boldness or a spirit of fear or shyness. Being an introvert is related to our energy, environment, and focus. (For more on these, see the 11/13/23 column, “Introvert essentials”).  

Second, being biblically bold isn’t about behaving in an extroverted manner. Often, when we talk about someone who is being bold, we add the connotations of extroversion. But when you look up the meaning of “bold,” words such as courageous, fearless, and confident populate the definition. What isn’t included in the definition are words such as loud, outgoing, or expressive. The reality is that you can be bold and quiet at the same time. Let’s look at a couple of examples from the New Testament.

Boldy approaching

Hebrews 4:16 encourages, “Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need” (CSB). The word translated as “boldness,” in the Greek can mean freedom to speak, to be open and frank, to share without ambiguity. In fact, some versions translate the word as confidence. There is no mention of anything such as exuberant, loud, forceful, or other adjectives that we often attribute to extroverts. In other words, being bold is not an exclusively extroverted behavior. God doesn’t need us to shout for us to be heard.

Boldy giving

At the end of Mark 12, Jesus points out to his disciples the quiet yet decisive act of a widow. We know this as the story of “The Widow’s Mite.” The full passage is found in verses 41-44: “Sitting across from the temple treasury, he watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury. Many rich people were putting in large sums. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little. Summoning his disciples, he said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had—all she had to live on’” (CSB).

This widow made no show of what she was doing. No one else but Jesus knew what was happening. Yet, the widow was acting boldly in her quiet manner. With confidence, she gave what she had knowing God would provide what she needed.

Boldly seeking

In fact, Jesus cautions against inappropriate outward exuberance. In Luke 18:10-14 he shared the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee. The Pharisee prayed in what we could label a “bold” manner, telling God all about his own goodness. The tax collector, however, was quiet and humble, yet boldly sought God’s forgiveness. Jesus concludes this parable stating, “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

In essence, Jesus is saying that the introverted behavior of the tax collector, in this instance, is more appropriate than the extroverted behavior of the Pharisee.

Both/and

Bold is not a synonym for extroversion. Both introverts and extroverts can be appropriately bold within the context of their personality type. To be bold merely means to be frank, open, unambiguous, confident, and honest. These are characteristics all Christians are called to exhibit, whether boisterously or quietly.

 

Agree? Disagree? Love it? Hate it? Have a question about this blog or this post? Email me at Stephen@QuietlyFaithful.com or leave a comment below. Share your story about being a Christian introvert or let me know a specific topic you’d like to see addressed.