Angela, in explaining why she had not attended church for over five years, asked me privately, “Why is it that so many Christians make such lousy human beings?”
Jay, one of our church members, recently shared with me: “I was a Christian for twenty-two years. But instead of being a twenty-two year-old Christian, I was a one-year-old Christian twenty-two times! I just kept doing the same things over and over and over again.”
Our problem revolves around misapplied biblical truths that not only damage our closest relationships but also obstruct God’s work of profoundly transforming us deep beneath the iceberg of our lives.
THE TOP TEN SYMPTOMS OF EMOTIONALLY UNHEALTHY SPIRITUALITY
The pathway for your spiritual life I describe in the book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality is radical. That is, it very likely cuts to the root of your entire approach to following Jesus. Trimming a few branches by, for example, attending a prayer retreat or adding two new spiritual disciplines to an already crowded life will not be enough. The enormousness of the problem is such that only a revolution in our following of Jesus will bring about the lasting, profound change we long for in our lives.
Before I prescribe this pathway, it is essential for us to clearly identify the primary symptoms of emotionally unhealthy spirituality that continue to wreak havoc in our personal lives and our churches. The following are the top ten symptoms indicating if someone is suffering from a bad case of emotionally unhealthy spirituality:
1. Using God to run from God
2. Ignoring the emotions of anger, sadness, and fear
3. Dying to the wrong things
4. Denying the past’s impact on the present
5. Dividing our lives into “secular” and “sacred” compartments
6. Doing for God instead of being with God
7. Spiritualizing away conflict
8. Covering over brokenness, weakness, and failure
9. Living without limits
10. Judging other people’s spiritual journey
by: Peter Scazzero, an excerpt adapted from Emotionally Healthy Spiritually
This article is excerpted from the book, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. The material from his book has been expanded into an all-new 9-week church campaign, available through WCA, with substantial discounts to Member Churches. Click here to learn more.
You may also interested in attending the Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Conference being held at Pete Scazzero’s church in New York, April 31-May 1. Click here for details and registration.
Questions raised from Symptom 1: Using God To Run From God (chapter download)
ReplyDelete1) Is it possible to communicate God to others without in any sense using God? If so how do we devoid ourselves of using God and still communicate the things of God?
2) Is God opposed to being used? If so, what has He said that teaches us He is?
3) Where does God communicate to us that one of the sine qua non marks of being Christ's disciple is to be perceived by others as "safe?" What is meant by safe in this context? Was Christ always regarded as "safe" by others in the company of others?
4) We know Christians are hated and persecuted in other countries. Is it the case currently that no Christians in America are hated and persecuted by other Americans? If not, why should a pejorative example of someone "wrongfully" using God to run from God be that she reminds herself, "(Some of) those who desire to be godly will suffer persecution.” Are there no Christians in America who still suffer for righteousness' sake?
5) Is any length -- or lack thereof -- of a woman's skirt permissible in church? What about cleavage -- is fully exposed cleavage permissible? If not, who gets to decide what lengths of skirts and amounts of cleavage are permissible, and what Scriptures, if any, can they point to as justification for their pronouncements?
6) If it is the case that none of the behaviors given as examples to support the allegation that Using God To Run From God are symptoms of Emotionally Unhealthy Spirituality, and consequently sin, do they ONLY become Emotionally Unhealthy and sinful if accompanied by a "wrong attitude?" If so, what characterizes this "wrong attitude," and how can it be objectively discerned and rightly rebuked without the rebuker herself becoming sinfully judgmental?
Thank you in advance for answers to my pressing questions.
I found this post via a RT and it's stuck in my head for the past day or so. That's when I know I've read something important.
ReplyDeleteAll those 10 "symptoms" I've known intimately; no wonder I was a depression-laden wreck over a decade ago when experiencing those; spiritual-superman may be a title we covet, but it's a prescription for self-martyrdom if you ask me, and there's nothing great about that.
"I prefer to burn like coal - long and deep, as opposed to petrol - which flares up in a flash and disappears quickly"
Wow, some great feedback around this post. William, you ask some great questions around some very important topics.
ReplyDeleteHere are some general thoughts I had around the questions you ask. My sense from your post is that you are bothered by the questions of right vs wrong or sin vs righteousness. I think that a lot of the scenarios you presented are situations that have a lot of grey-area in them, tensions to be managed, not necessarily problems to be solved.
Some thoughts around your third question: Safety, in this context, I think, is being trustworthy for people to share the pain and struggle in their lives with you without the fear of judgment. We should remember that Jesus was seen as "unsafe" primarily by religious leaders, sinners were the ones flocking to him by the hundreds.
A great question to post to others who might be reading: What is safety? Who is safe? What makes you feel safe?
All of those 10 things are so familiar and I can look at them and see how much I've grown, how far I've come from the depressed hidden, invisible person I was. Seeing the whole list like that is overwhelming and I can't even begin to thank God enough for his guidence through it all. I'm looking forward to reading the book hopefully with those that walked beside me.
ReplyDeleteI love this book! It's been great to read through the comments and insight.
ReplyDeleteHanna
Just stumbled on this post. Great questions and a lot to think about. I can't wait to get the book and dig in - keep the comments coming!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments. This list of 10 symptoms emerged out of a result of my own travels to churches and denominations, my 30 years of leadership and an informal polling of Christian leaders around North America. From a wider list of 15-20, I edited it down to the top ten.
ReplyDeleteThe problem, I am afraid, is much deeper and wider than we imagine in our spiritual formation/discipleship models in our churches. Yet God is doing something wonderful! I observe a great hunger for breaking through into an authentic, life-transforming relationship with Christ in the church today. And I remain very hopeful regarding the future!
Pete Scazzero
Continue the conversation at:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/petescazzero?ref=ts
unhealthy spirituality is not good cause we need to have faith in something we need to believe and god is there to help us
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU for helping me!!! today at church during the hymn "I surrender all" I stoped sining and said "Lord, I can't give you all because if i do I will die." I used to over do because it what giving all meant to me, I got physically, emotionally, and spiritually sick. I am recovering from it almost like an alcoholic recovering from his addiction. I just said Lord I can't give you all but I need you all in my heart.
ReplyDelete