Ask A Theologian: What Is the Theological Difference Between “Judgment” and “Discernment”?

A friend recently told me something that felt like a judgment, but they called it their “discernment.” What is the theological difference between those words and experiences?

Response:

My first thought is that we use the word “judgmental” to speak of a feeling-driven judgment, whereas we don’t speak of “discernamental.” Certainly, there are times when a judgment is based less on an outward standard and more on moral emotion. When we say, “I’m feeling judged,” I suspect we’re saying we think there is something behind the judgment that is more about the other’s feelings than it is about us; and we may not deserve the feelings and judgment the other is “offering” to us.

All discernment is a form of judgment. But not all judgment is an exercise in discernment.

Both judgment and discernment are words used to speak about religious experiences. To judge is to decide between right and wrong from a particular moral and ethical point of view. [An aside: one of my favorite provocative lines in theology was written by H. Richard Niebuhr in his 1938 book about how Christianity functions in the U. S. “A God without wrath brought men without sin into a Kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a Cross.” In case you missed it: that is a judgment!] The Hebrew Bible prophets spoke often of God’s judgment, actions of God meant to rectify the people’s path when they strayed from their covenant with God. Jesus is one of their heirs. While there are times Jesus did not judge a person in a particular circumstance, there are many times when he did. Ask the rich young ruler.

Discernment is an ancient religious concept often paired with the word spiritual: spiritual discernment. We employ the word in relation to God’s will for us, or for me. How do we know which action to take, which path to follow, or whether to take an action? To discern often means to judge between paths in preparation for choosing to align one’s path with God’s will.

Whereas judgment is related to a moral or ethical code and deciding if an action violates a code or not, discernment requires a different process. For Christians, to discern involves prayer, scripture study, conversation, paying close attention to the circumstances, and “testing the spirits.” A discernment process can be very lengthy. I love the sense given by Catholic leaders when dealing with a tough issue. Sometimes they declare it is not yet time to decide because the issue is not “ripe.” Reaching that conclusion is an exercise in discernment.

Both discernment and judgment can be misused; we may discern wrongly and judge falsely. We human beings are fallible. We are partial in what we can see. And our self-interest can interfere with judging or discerning rightly. I see why humility, grace, repentance, and forgiveness are virtues never far away when we judge or discern—or are on the receiving end of such.