A Jewish woman shared this recently on a religious forum I use now and I found it helpful. If you haven’t already encountered Brian McLaren’s work perhaps you’d find interesting too.
“I have long had this vague idea of stages of spirituality, similar to the cognitive stages presented by Piaget, or the moral stages presented by Kohlberg. Recently, I found an author, Brian McLaren, who did a stupendous job of taking my vague idea and bringing it into clarity. The four stages he presents are:
Simplicity – the black and white, true or false, right or wrong religious orientation that young children actually need at their level of maturity.
Complexity – the stage most adolescents go through in order to adjust their beliefs to the more complex realities they are becoming conscious of.
Perplexity – the stage many adults enter into where they realize the significant shortcomings of their religion (contradictions, moral shortcomings, scandals, skewed values, contradictions with known facts). During this stage, they often encounter pushback from those in their faith who perceive their questions and doubts as threatening, and they feel pushed out. It is in this stage that some people opt for agnosticism, atheism, secularism, or simply converting to a more tolerant religion.
Serenity/Harmonization – in this stage people embrace their doubts as part of their faith. They become less focused on right belief, and more focused on loving others.”
I find it helpful in understanding why people of the same faith can vary so much in the way they hold it. I’ve wondered why some are moved by their faith to profound insight into our human condition and cherish life while others seem to hold it in a superficial way that seems to infantilize them. If there really are natural stages to spiritual development that would explain a lot. But you’d still hope that those who get stuck would help to progress.
I think you will find many variations on what constitutes spiritual growth. Within the URC in England they have been talking of a scale from minus 10 (Depraved and ignorant) to plus ten (Sainthood and secure). The idea being that we are all somewhere between the two, and should be aiming for the plus 10. I have my reservations about whether it is both fasable or hepful/
I think thre is a tendency to talk about growth in therms of wheening from milk to more substantial theology., but always there is a emhasis of growth and a fear of stagnation (encouraged by Sripture)
The question that underpins all this is whether there is actually a goad of uniformity that all will fit into. It almost reverts back to the “Black & white” starting point of McLaren.
Perhaps levels of faith are part of God’s creation? Paul would certainly suggest that we have different gfts and levels of faith, but how they are either achoeved of given would depend on your understanding of God’s grace and sovereignty. I get the impression that Paul looked on it as “You have what you have” and to make the best of what you have rather than filogging the dead horse of change.
Its not so much whether we can, or should grow as to what level is right for each individulal rather than suggesting a goal for all. There have always been “saints” and “sinners” with an imaginary line betwen the two, but I am less convinced that sainthood is a viable goal for everyone. (Ignoring the view that we cannot do anything at all without God, for now)
IOW there is a level that might fit one person, but be untennable for the next,
God wolud seem to have levelled the playng field with the Passion of Christ. If perfection is actually impossible, perhaps it is not a sensible goal?
It seems to me that what motivates this guy is what I see motivating a lot of you, a desire to be inclusive and service centered albeit without watering down your own tradition.
I wonder how many here are already familiar with Brian McLaren? In addition to being an author he had also been a pastor. Here is the blurb about him on his website:
ABOUT BRIAN
Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A former college English teacher and pastor, he is a passionate advocate for “a new kind of Christianity” - just, generous, and working with people of all faiths for the common good. He is an Auburn Senior Fellow, a contributor to We Stand With Love, and a leader in the Convergence Network, through which he is developing an innovative training/mentoring program for pastors and church planters.
Obviously he has been a prolific write (also taken from his website):
Ok - after glancing through all McLaren’s books you put there, I now realize that not only have I heard of him, I’ve actually read one of his books! (“Do I Stay Christian”). So I feel a bit silly after posting my “Ever heard of this guy?” query over in the private political thread. I remember now it was a really good book too.
I wrote to the guy through his website and asked for a recommendation from among his titles. I steered him to where I read about it elsewhere as well as to where I shared it here. So with some massive luck maybe he’ll pay us a visit.
And if I’d had your childhood I’m pretty sure I’d have stayed Christian too. The crux move for nons and borderline nons is the move from level 3 to level 4. I’m glad to finally have gotten past the place.
“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” -Colossians 4:6
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