THE RADICAL MIDDLE (part 2)
“Our theology and experience of the Spirit must be more interwoven if our experienced life of the Spirit is to be more effective.”
- Gordon Fee
In my previous blog post “The Radical Middle - Part 1,” I mentioned that over the past few years I’ve had various conversations with devoted Christians that identify as spiritual skeptics. This simply means that they are sincere believers who desire a closeness with God but struggle with charismatic extremisms. For a long time I saw them attend church faithfully while withholding some engagement, and my curiosity finally drove me to listen to their heart.
THE SPIRITUAL SKEPTIC
Generally speaking, it is healthy to have some level of skepticism in life, as it usually serves as a guardrail for the experiences we go through. Yet, sometimes one’s skepticism can go too far, and in this case it can cause a spiritual paralysis to set in. Perhaps one could ask, “How did I get to this point?” and then begin a healthy dialogue. What I’ve found is that the spiritual skeptic has some profound hurts, doubts and fears, while also having some very insightful truths we could all learn from.
What are some of these hurts, doubts and fears? Here are just a few:
They don’t feel like they “fit in” to the spiritual elitism that the spiritual enthusiasts create
They are hurt or confused with the exaggerations that happen in these “Holy Spirit moments” in church
They are fearful of the spiritual enthusiasts who look down on them, rebuke them, or come across as “too spiritual” to be corrected or held accountable
They cringe every time theology gets compromised for the sake of the “spiritual hype”
They feel disoriented in church gatherings when “orderliness” is labelled as “stifling the Holy Spirit”
They are shipwrecked in their faith (some are) because a spiritual enthusiast has mislead them, or made them feel like their striving for godliness is simply not enough
These reasons are NOT illegitimate, especially when I’ve sat across the table from sincere brothers and sisters in Christ who are deeply hurting from this. It’s alarming, to say the least, and as a brother and pastor it often feels like an uphill battle when attempting to help them re-engage with the Holy Spirit and a community of the Spirit. The trust is simply shattered, and so I’ve had to journey with them very slowly, and compassionately.
When this problem became evident within our church, I knew that our top priority was to create a safe space for spiritual skeptics, and to my amazement it was not easy. The attempt meant that we had to address some cultural situations within our church that would facilitate healthy dialogue and safe space for both sides to walk in grace toward one another. Sadly, most of the time I felt alone in this journey of healing in our church. I saw the people hurting and paralyzed from engagement, and I also saw those that simply wanted to run on ahead. It was very difficult, but I could not leave anyone behind, and was determined to stop for them. After all, Jesus stopped for people all the time, and miraculous things happened.
One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned from the spiritual skeptic is that Biblical truth matters, and Biblical truth brings healing. So many people expressed how they found comfort in the Scriptures while working through their confusion, doubts, pain, and fears. They’d go to God with simplicity and honesty. They had been sitting quietly in the congregation for so long waiting for someone to finally see them and listen to their heart.
Here’s what I’ve found will help the spiritual skeptic re-engage with the Holy Spirit. Some are “Don’ts” and others are “Do’s”:
Don’t assume they’re not engaged with the Holy Spirit. Just because they don’t call attention to themselves, does not mean they are not spending time with God at a personal level.
Don’t EVER say that they are being a hindrance to the Spirit’s move because they don’t do things the way you do. Although they are watching, many have been praying quietly and faithfully.
Take the time to listen to their story of faith, and personal with them.
Be both invitational and inclusive toward them. They are equal members of the body of Christ, and they belong with us.
Give them time to open up. You will be surprised at the insightful truths they will share with you. Truths that have been burning deep within their soul.
When trust begins to establish, welcome them to pray with you. Seek God’s presence together, and listen for what God is saying to you (plural).
The strength they often bring to the table is: good theology. “Everyone has a theology [that is, some rudimentary view of God and the world on the basis of which they live]; the question is not whether you have a theology—you do—but whether you have a good one.” (Gordon Fee)
When the spiritual skeptic is validated in their desire for truth, health, and overall church edification, all of a sudden they begin to step into engagement with the community. You will quickly see they were not in the wrong, but simply needed to work through some stuff. If ignored, then they run the risk of going into spiritual paralysis. We cannot allow that to happen. Let us, then, initiate conversation and be the gracious listeners Jesus calls us to be.