Epiphany #4 and #5 - Shadows and The 3rd Way
Early Christians weren’t called “Christians”. In Jewish or non-Roman circles, they were simply known as “The Way”. In Roman circles, they were considered atheists because they didn’t worship Caesar.
We would do well to recover that in our faith in 21st century America. But America is the land of “the pursuit of happiness” and “master of my own fate”. We not only want individual control, it’s the foundation of our entire country. It’s in our DNA. Some of this good and has had wonderful effects. But with every strength, there is a shadow side.
One of my strengths is that I’m undaunted by failure and have a relentless bias toward action. That has served me well in my entrepreneurial endeavors.
However, there is a shadow side: I can be stubborn, impatient, and lack discernment.
That’s why I’m such a strong proponent of collaborative leadership. Communal discernment, planning, and responsiveness amongst a team of diverse equals (women, men, people of color, different personalities) leads to healthier teams, organizations, and impact. Unfortunately, in many American churches, you’ll find a “Lead Pastor” essentially operating as a CEO with only a small group of likeminded men offering counsel. And statistics show, these churches have a much higher rate of abuse and moral failure.
Epiphany #4 - Be aware and responsive to your shadow side.
And Epiphany #5 is directly related to this. Many people don’t want to seek healing from their wounds or shadow sides.
Progressives want to charge forward. The foundation of the progressive mentality is to build and improve upon the past. But when you build upon pain, injustice, death, or sin, it makes for a really shaky foundation. I’ve heard this dubbed, “The Myth of Progress” and that resonates with me. When people believe in “The Myth of Progress”, it’s easier to dismiss an actual, physical resurrection of Christ. Progress builds upon death, not upon life. So therefore, the Resurrection is non-essential.
Recall my Epiphany #3, that I’ve learned to embrace and depend on The Supernatural. I’m a miracle man. I cling to the belief that Christ lived, died, and broke Natural Law in the coolest and most amazing way, by walking out of his own tomb. I mean, that’s a bad ass move, and one that gives me so much hope. I need that because I believe people who have been victims of genocide, women who have been silently abused for years, or children who have been tortured, black men who have been falsely imprisoned and executed for crimes they didn’t commit…I need to believe they have resurrection to look forward to and eternity with the Prince of Peace. That is real justice that only the supernatural can deliver.
Back to Epiphany #5, some Evangelicals/Conservatives acknowledge their wounds or shadows, but like progressives, get hyper individualistic about it or tend to speak in surface level generalities, “I’m just a sinner saved by grace”, but never lean into or pursue healing from that. They pull themselves up, or try to apply the Bible to their lives like it’s some sort of healing ointment or Bandaid. Or worse, they view the Bible as a divine instruction book thinking, “If I just do what the Bible says, life will get better.” It’s bullshit and I’ve lost my patience for it. (See, that’s my shadow side)
Epiphany #5 - Both the progressive and conservative worldviews are fatally flawed. We have a 3rd way to live.
A phrase I’ve used when describing my worldview, “I’m not a progressive. I’m not an evangelical. I am a restorationist.” When Christ died on that cross and walked out of that tomb, heaven started spilling into Earth. We are on a journey with Him into that reality and we have the opportunity to join Him in that story. Everyone is invited, nothing disqualifies you from participating, and healing and restoration has begun.