Feature
4 March 2024

Introduction
In the book of Job, the righteous Job observes that certain people are only interested in religion if they can gain some benefit for themselves. He is perplexed by their frame of mind as reflected in these lines:

Yet they say to God, “Leave us alone! We have no desire to know your ways.
Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
What would we gain by praying to him?” (Job 21:14-15)

Unbeknown to Job, he himself had been the subject of sneer by Satan, who insinuates that his faith is not “for nothing” (Job 1:9). In other words, Job had been accused of expecting a return for fearing God. Indeed, his life has been one of wealth and possessions. Surely with that blessing believing comes easy. As Satan taunts, would Job’s faith hold if his life takes a bad turn? Might he not even curse God to his face should the untoward happen? (Job 1:11).

Job’s perplexity about people believing for benefits, and Satan’s sneer provide a good context for thinking about disinterestedness, a notion which is not much discussed in Christian circles these days. Most believers, as we shall see, are quite unsure what the word means. Outside the context of religion, the political philosopher Ken Minogue has recently raised the alarm “that the very concept of ‘disinterestedness’ has almost disappeared from the language”. In what follows, I shall be concerned to urge that the said concept be given due attention. It is as we become more disinterested that we can move towards a deeper level of relationship with God.

Falling out of favour
Several factors are responsible for the notion of disinterestedness falling out favour. The rise of a consumerist culture is clearly one. In such a culture, it is normal for people to expect something in return for their efforts. Whether conscious or not, people operate by a simple pragmatic rule: “We want a bang from every buck”.

Another factor may well be that there are many social and moral problems calling out for remedy. Consequently, on a crowded agenda the question of disinterestedness is either deferred or put to one side.

Perhaps the key factor for the loss of disinterestedness is the embrace of the so-called doctrine of retribution, the view that “we reap whatever we sow” (Gal 6:7). Admittedly, the Bible does teach that we are rewarded for what we do. When instructing his disciples to love their enemies and do good, Jesus assures them that their reward will be great (Lk 6:35). The subtleties to retributive doctrine are not always apparent but they certainly require careful engagement. It is, however, beyond our scope here to do so. Suffice it to say there is a proper place for rewards or blessings—if they are not our sole focus in believing in God.

Confusion
Matters are not helped by the fact that the use of “disinterestedness” (with its cognate “disinterested”) and “uninterestedness” (with its cognate “uninterested”) is often confused. The two terms are not interchangeable, as they do not have the same meaning. It is embarrassing if one says one is “disinterested” thinking that it is just a more stylish way of saying one is “uninterested”.

The former might best be understood as being impartial, or unbiased by personal interest or advantage, whereas the latter means not paying attention, indifferent, or not wanting to learn more. To illustrate this distinction, I cite a slightly antiquated passage, “A disinterested man may take a deep interest in any subject; and, the deeper the interest, the more disinterested he may be. The uninterested man can have no interest in that subject…”

The Disinterested Believer
In his commentary on Job, the theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez concludes that “disinterested religion alone is true religion”. Not all will agree with his conclusion; but to my understanding of disinterestedness, Gutiérrez is not in the least overstating his case. The disinterested believer fears and loves God for who God is—with “no strings attached” as it were. Nor does he or she primarily believe in God in order to escape condemnation or punishment. Such a disinterested faith is virtuous for it has been conceived as a higher interest. In the case of the uninterested believer, he or she inspires no one, because the faith that he or she professes is one in which he or she has little or no interest!

An analogy by Søren Kierkegaard illustrating the concept of disinterestedness is worth recalling. The Danish philosopher writes, “The work of love in remembering one who is dead is thus a work of the most disinterested, the freest, the most faithful love” (Works of Love, 328). For with the dead, there is simply no possibility of the love being reciprocated.

Is disinterested religion possible?
Consideration of disinterestedness often raises the question: Is it possible for one to be disinterested? To Satan and those who think of religion in consequentialist terms, it is not. In Job’s case, not only does he defend its possibility, but also exemplifies that form of believing. His faith remains unshakeable throughout his long ordeal. To his wife’s suggestion to forsake God, he famously responds, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:10).

It is interesting to learn that when C.S. Lewis first embraced the Christian faith, he had “as yet no belief in a future life” (Surprised by Joy, 231). His focus was entirely on enjoying God, and in loving him for who God is. In a later reflection, Lewis reveals that “the happiest moments are those when we forget our precious selves and have neither [self-regard nor self-approval] but have everything else (God, our fellow humans, animals, the garden and the sky) instead” (Letters of C.S. Lewis, 256).

Conclusion
In noting its possibility, we are far from saying that the cultivation of disinterestedness is easy; it is not. Like other virtues, disinterestedness strikes hard at the root of our pride and ego. Knowing and talking about it does not a disinterested person make. We need to pray for God’s grace and help, as an unknown hymn-writer has prayed:

My God, I love Thee, not because
I hope for heav’n thereby,
Nor yet for fear that, loving thee not,
I might forever die.
. . .   . . .   . . .
But as thyself has loved me,
O ever-loving Lord.

Dr Lim K Tham recently retired as dean of Discipleship Training Centre. He was the general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Singapore, as well as the Bible Society of Singapore. Dr Lim was also a member of the Presidential Council on Religious Harmony. He is the author of Not Beyond Language: Wittgenstein and Lindbeck on the Problem of Speaking about God.