Reader,
Healthy growth happens in stages.
Babies don't come out of the womb walking, reading news updates, and day trading. They just lie there like a lump for a bit, completely dependent on others for everything. They gradually learn how to roll over, then crawl, then walk, then run. Meanwhile, they're also learning how to clap, how to stack things, and how to speak words. One stage leads to the next.
It is not wrong for a baby to be in a less advanced stage. In fact, each stage is appropriate and necessary for the baby to develop in a healthy way. It's only problem if a child gets stuck in a stage or doesn't properly advance to subsequent stages.
As Christians, there are other stages we need to progress through if we want to become mature disciples. You won't find them spelled out in the Bible, but Christians throughout history have described spiritual growth in terms of stages.
My personal favorite is from Janet Hagberg, a stage theorist and spiritual director. She and Robert Guelich suggested we must go through six stages to become spiritually mature:
- Stage One: A recognition of God, often in the form of awe and relief
- Stage Two: A life of discipleship, where we deepen our knowledge of God and our experience of relationship with him
- Stage Three: A productive life, where we use the gifts he's given us to bless others
- Stage Four: A journey inward, where we start to question and wrestle with doubts
- Stage Five: An acceptance of God, of ourselves, and of others
- Stage Six: A life of grace and love
Much could be said about these six stages. (Hagberg and Guelich wrote a whole book about it, after all.) But I want to highlight a couple of things for you.
You could divide these stages in two groups: one focused on external things (Stages 1 to 3) and one focused on internal things (Stage 4 to 6). While our goal is to reach the sixth stage, we shouldn't look down on any of the others. It's impossible to reach that final stage without spending time in the other five.
That said, the North American church often doesn't know what to do with people when they enter that fourth stage. It doesn't know what to do with Christians who sincerely ask hard questions and challenge the status quo. Our discipleship programs are designed to get people through the second and third stages. As if studying your Bible and being actively involved at church is the height of spiritual maturity.
It's not. And if you've entered Stage Four, you've probably experienced this tension firsthand.
At Plumline, our heart is to serve Christians in these latter stages. We want them to know that God has space for their questioning. In fact, he's created us to go through these stages and has equipped us with everything we need to walk through them.
These final three stages are not "deconstruction." They're not "backsliding." They're not "apostasy."
Rather, as Hagberg and Guelich write, they are "inner healing stages (spiritually and psychologically) for which the journey cannot be prescribed." Which is to say, they are "unique to each person" and "defy generalities." My stage four won't look like yours because I am not you. Therein lies the importance of these stages, a vital "part of the journey [that] embodies the inner journey to spiritual wholeness."
If you've ever felt like church isn't enough—
If you've ever worried about your doubts and questions—
If you've ever wondered if there's more to this thing called faith—
Know this: you are right where God wants you to be. You are not alone, even if it feels like it. Don't believe me? Hit reply and let me know. I'd be happy to share the truth with you.
Because you are loved.
I am for you.
And you've got this.
Jake