Thursday, February 01, 2007

Spiritual... or Nuts?

Most of us would like to think of ourselves as spiritual people. We like to be around others who are spiritual. However, most folks recognize a point of being too spiritual. In other words, there is a line that is crossed when someone's spirituality ceases to be attractive and begins to seem "nutty". It is hard to define that line, but we all know when it's crossed. Of course, this line has a lot to do with our religious background, as far as determining a realm of comfortable and seemingly normal expressions and behaviors.

For example:

"I feel called to participate in mission work" -> spiritual
"The Lord told me to go to 456 Elm Street and invite them to VBS" -> possibly nuts

It's a fine and arbitrary line. But, I dare say we all have one-a limit to what we can except as reasonable spiritual speech and behavior.

Loosely related to this is Richard Beck's Defensive Theology Scale. Here is a list of 5 tendencies from the scale:

1. Special protectionTheme: The belief that the believer will experience less misfortune than non-believers due to God's protection.
Narcotic Function: Creates an aura of "safety," allowing for equanimity and a reduction of basic anxiety.

2. Special Insight Theme: The belief that the believer can clearly discern the actions of God in life and the will of God in personal choices.
Narcotic Function: Reduces the existential burden of freedom and choice. Further, allows seemingly chaotic circumstances to be "explained" by God's Providence.

3. Divine Solicitousness Theme: The belief that all the believer's concerns, even the most trivial, are of import to God.
Narcotic Function: Makes the mundane issues of life cosmically significance. Creates a sense of "specialness" to have the Deity acting as, to put it crudely, a butler.

4. Special Destiny Theme: The belief that God has a very specific plan for one's life.
Narcotic Function: Allows life to be seen as intrinsically meaningful and heroic. Reduces the existential burden of meaning: A pre-existing "destiny" is handed to the person rather than constructed by the person by hard work and risk.

5. Denial of Randomness Theme: The belief that God's hand is involved in all the events around us, that nothing is inherently "due to chance."
Narcotic Function: Unpredictability is inherently scary. Further, chaos makes us feel that God is not in control. Thus, by banishing randomness/chance/accidents/chaos from the world the believer maintains his/her equanimity.

Check out the whole post here -> Experimental Theology

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Are you saying you agree with these (themes) Jason?

raysom said...

Like the term "Jesus Freak". who do you think will make it to Heaven? The Jesus Freak or the guy who is worried about being spiritually unattractive.

Unknown said...

Anonymous,

No. I don't agree with them as theological statements. Please follow the link to Beck's blog. He is studying these as psychological constructs not as theological truths or non-truths.

I found the post to be interesting because it reminds me that the line between spiritual and out-of-touch can be quite thin. Not so different than the line between genius and insanity.

raysom,

I think I understand what you are expressing, however, my post is not specifically about dedication but rather relevance.

I'm associating the phrase "Jesus Freak" with Toby Mac and dc talk. I do not think of those folks as "too spiritual" or out-of-touch. Jesus was the most spiritual person to ever live, yet He didn't go around acting like a puritan (something for which He was highly criticized by his opponents).

Jennifer said...

I would hope to cause people to think of me as a Jesus Freak. There's nothing else worthy of being as far as I'm concerned. You're either in it all the way or you're just deceiving yourself and everyone else around you. So, a freak I desire to be.

As long as God is using me, I know I'm doing well. ;)

Jennifer

Jennifer said...

Also, considering the examples used at the beginning of the post:

"I feel called to participate in mission work" -> spiritual

"The Lord told me to go to 456 Elm Street and invite them to VBS" -> possibly nuts


I believe God is very specific in where He wants us to go and when He wants us to do it and how He wants us to accomplish it....whatever it be. I happen to be living this out at the moment with the adoption of Zoe.

If we don't feel that God is being direct with us, maybe it's because it's not quite time yet for our mission for God, OR...maybe we have forgotten how to listen to His voice because we've squelched the spirit too many times.

How often do we tell the Holy Spirit that lives within us, "I can't do THAT!" The spirit continues to try to move us in the direction that God wants us to be in and we are maybe refusing to go. While in the process missing out on a tremendous blessing that only comes from simple obedience. Obedience doesn't have to accompany understanding. We go and we do because He said to go and to do....not because we understand why or how, etc.

Faith is all we need to move forward. Fear holds us back.

Jennifer

raysom said...

Well put Jennifer. I admire your faith.

Anonymous said...

Jason,
Your comments moved me to submit my thoughts on this subject. I particularly refer to the idea of there being a fine line between being spiritual and nuts. Working for God to do His will and using God’s will for us as an excuse to justify sin is a difficult line to discern.
I think of Christ’s comments to the Pharisees. He called them hypocrites (Matthew 15). They spouted their religious beliefs and made public displays of their religion to show how religious they were but did not keep the commandments. I believe that God’s plan for us is to do his will with out the need to announce it. Scripture tells us (Matthew 6: 1-7) we are not to do “your righteousness before men, to be seen of them: else ye have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.” The thanks we receive here on earth for the works we do does not lay up treasures for us in heaven. People who need to announce their religion and the good works they do have received all of the thanks they get.
Our spiritual life should be about doing for others without the thanks. We should not be taking from others for our selves to receive glory here on earth. People should know us as a Christian for the life we live, not the degree to which we tell them about how religious we are. My parents are prime examples of people who have worked hard all of their lives to do God’s will without the need for recognition from those they have helped.
We must remember that God’s will for us and the comfort and guidance we receive from the Holy Spirit does not take away our freedom of choice. We must use caution in thinking that our desires are the will of God, even in what we may perceive as service to Him.
For example, we may have some knowledge that in our misguided thoughts, we think telling is doing God’s will. But we need to consider the permanent damage we could do by sharing this information, in the name of God’s will. At what point does this become God’s will for us or our misguided belief that it is a service to God?
Often times people use “God’s will” to excuse their behavior. Look at the “religious leaders” in our world, who use this as an excuse. Jim and Tammy Faye Baker excused their sin in the name of doing God’s work. When in reality, it was their own greed and selfishness.
Christ threw the money changers out of the temple.(Mark11) They were providing, what they thought of as a service to the people by providing sacrifices for them. Instead their greed harmed the people coming to worship God because the people did not have to offer the fruits of their own labor.
You are right to make us question where we are in the pattern of service to God. That is why in Timothy we are told to “Study to show ourselves approved to God. A workman that needs to not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15) The Bible is our guide. It is the only source we have to measure our own behavior to make sure we are not over the top. Christ even admonished the Peter when he cut off the ear of the soldier who came to take Christ.(John 18:10-11) Christ healed the damage Peter had done with his over the top behavior and even went so far as to allow his betrayer, Judas, to kiss him.
Spiritual or Nuts? Study the scriptures and always be sure we are doing the work for God, not for our own glory.

Donna Lemon

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Donna. You have added a different perspective on this conversation. Reminds me of a Landon Saunders lecture about struggling with the wolf.