Loved, as usual. Perfectly reflects the theology anxiety of this age. But when I got to the question, “Did you know Him?” It literally made me emotional. A sweet, still small reminder of the peace we forgo too often.
My personal theology is when it comes to church 'teams'.
My reverence for God is Catholic, the appreciation for the wiles of the supernatural is Pentecostal and the richness of reading Scripture is Anglican.
All united at the foot of the cross and the entrance to the empty tomb.
Finding spaces that God has infilled and allowed to nurture and grow, so I can sit underneath the wisdom and both grow my faith and be a teacher to those who are learning theirs.
I almost converted to Catholicism in a rush because I was feeling drawn to the Eucharist so much. Then I realized if I was going to do it I wanted to do it wholeheartedly and I still have so many questions!
Thank you so much. It is difficult to navigate, specially when most of the people speaking about this are online, these are tricky conversations to have with most people that cannot conceive anything but what they have been taught as the only right answer.
That is precisely what keeps me up at night! Why is it so difficult for the church to unite or at least not be hostile to other traditions? Why can’t we just work together in charity?
Man, way to write to the heart of many people's anxieties! For most of my time I have been Reformed in a Baptist context. However, the more I have studied and read across denominations and sects, the more I have loosened my grip on my particular stance and have opened myself up to conversations with those who believe differently than me. Honestly (and not coincidentally), it has caused me to be more empathetic, kind, and loving. Maybe that is the start of the journey for me.
Thank you so much for this! This really does help, and I appreciate Peter’s answer.
I have wrestled with severe ecclesial anxiety for 5 years now, and I have slowly realized internet ecclesial apologetics can only go so far. For most of my life, my faith has been centered around believing the right positions. God has been trying to teach me what faith and trust in him as a Father actually look like. This came into focus after I just became a new father 9 months ago. I just finished your book 25 minutes ago (before reading this article) and I resonate with learning how to live the faith embodied, not just merely in the intellect.
I resonate with this so much. Going from a Baptist to high church Anglican tradition has been a breath of fresh air and allows me to serve and obey in ways I couldn’t before.
1. I think of Paul saying in Galatians 5:6 "...the only thing that counts is faith is expressing itself through love." And I find that frees me from being concerned as much about denominations, schisms, correct theology, and being so stressed about comprehending God's mind lol. Maybe it frees me from putting my faith in fragile/limiting ideas and people. I think theology and our ability to communicate has limits.Truthfully, I think we're all recovering heretics.
So what keeps me up is that I don't seem to be concerned about "what is the right answer/correct way to live" when many of my peers still are. I wonder "could it really be that simple and terrifying that the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love?"
Idk if that makes sense and there's a lot more I could say!
2. I don't think I wrestle with these much currently! So idk!
3. There's a lot that haunts me yet there is overwhelmingly much more than heals me. For macro reading: The Story of Christianity by Justo Gonzalez (2 books). For the micro experiences: my local church / any kindness I've encountered on the go with Christianity/Christians.
This really brought my anxieties about being "in the right camp" into clarity. I liked how you summarized the bottom line about our growth and walk with with Christ.
You summed up my heart for life and ministry these days. So much counseling is just saying 'breathe'. My favorite part of church history is seeing it as a living fulfillment of original design. God creating good... making us in his images to partner with him in making good better overtime... garden to garden city you may say.
The further we go the more we grow and its always slow.
This struggle was definitely a part of my journey. I grew up Baptist and was strongly attracted to Eastern Orthodoxy, studied its saints and theologians, even lived in an Orthodox country for a couple years, but I could never quite convince myself that it (or Rome) was the "True Church." Eventually I set the questions aside, joined (partly for my wife's sake) our local Anglican church, and turned my focus from ecclesiological debates to the disciplines of prayer and liturgy that this tradition had to offer. I can't claim absolute certainty that I'll be Anglican the rest of my life, but that was one of the wiser decisions I've ever made.
I don’t know if it haunts you, but it haunts me, that one church existed before the schism of 1054 and two came out of it. That church in unity having existed haunts me and I long for some form of reunion to occur for East, West, and Protestants.
Powerful stuff - I’d be very interested to read more on internet theology and YouTube theology and how they can create confusion and anxiety. It can certainly be overwhelming to try and figure things out and find out you have more questions than before (not to mention who are these content creators and are they credible sources??). For someone who often wants a black or white answer like me, I feel that the internet can drown you in information.
I spent a lot of time on the fence trying to discern between whether or not Catholics counted as Christians (I come from an American evangelical background). In fact, I’m still there - but I checked out “Orthodoxy” by Chesterton from the library and I’ve started reading it. It feels a bit like an adventure to discover what I might in Catholicism and Orthodox traditions. I think there’s a part of me drawn that way, as I’m an artist, so the tradition and ritual and smells and art can draw me in.
I’ve also felt the weight of “the quiz”, and trying to weight out what count as secondary or tertiary issues and which ones are vital and what it means if you aren’t in accord on a primary issue.
The journey of faith is long, but I’m getting to a point where the mystery is a bit less scary. Your writing has helped me get there.
Loved, as usual. Perfectly reflects the theology anxiety of this age. But when I got to the question, “Did you know Him?” It literally made me emotional. A sweet, still small reminder of the peace we forgo too often.
Totally - and here’s the deal, I think there is a “best way” - but we often think that’s primarily intellectual, rather than lived in love.
This is really interesting;
My personal theology is when it comes to church 'teams'.
My reverence for God is Catholic, the appreciation for the wiles of the supernatural is Pentecostal and the richness of reading Scripture is Anglican.
All united at the foot of the cross and the entrance to the empty tomb.
Finding spaces that God has infilled and allowed to nurture and grow, so I can sit underneath the wisdom and both grow my faith and be a teacher to those who are learning theirs.
I almost converted to Catholicism in a rush because I was feeling drawn to the Eucharist so much. Then I realized if I was going to do it I wanted to do it wholeheartedly and I still have so many questions!
Thank you so much. It is difficult to navigate, specially when most of the people speaking about this are online, these are tricky conversations to have with most people that cannot conceive anything but what they have been taught as the only right answer.
That is precisely what keeps me up at night! Why is it so difficult for the church to unite or at least not be hostile to other traditions? Why can’t we just work together in charity?
The online world seems focused on winning. Go to a parish, priests really care about how you love and live.
Man, way to write to the heart of many people's anxieties! For most of my time I have been Reformed in a Baptist context. However, the more I have studied and read across denominations and sects, the more I have loosened my grip on my particular stance and have opened myself up to conversations with those who believe differently than me. Honestly (and not coincidentally), it has caused me to be more empathetic, kind, and loving. Maybe that is the start of the journey for me.
That seems like it’s definitely step one.
Thank you so much for this! This really does help, and I appreciate Peter’s answer.
I have wrestled with severe ecclesial anxiety for 5 years now, and I have slowly realized internet ecclesial apologetics can only go so far. For most of my life, my faith has been centered around believing the right positions. God has been trying to teach me what faith and trust in him as a Father actually look like. This came into focus after I just became a new father 9 months ago. I just finished your book 25 minutes ago (before reading this article) and I resonate with learning how to live the faith embodied, not just merely in the intellect.
A new father ! And my book ahaha ( one is better than the other by far - )
A lived faith is so key. Love that you’re gong thru this
I resonate with this so much. Going from a Baptist to high church Anglican tradition has been a breath of fresh air and allows me to serve and obey in ways I couldn’t before.
1. I think of Paul saying in Galatians 5:6 "...the only thing that counts is faith is expressing itself through love." And I find that frees me from being concerned as much about denominations, schisms, correct theology, and being so stressed about comprehending God's mind lol. Maybe it frees me from putting my faith in fragile/limiting ideas and people. I think theology and our ability to communicate has limits.Truthfully, I think we're all recovering heretics.
So what keeps me up is that I don't seem to be concerned about "what is the right answer/correct way to live" when many of my peers still are. I wonder "could it really be that simple and terrifying that the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love?"
Idk if that makes sense and there's a lot more I could say!
2. I don't think I wrestle with these much currently! So idk!
3. There's a lot that haunts me yet there is overwhelmingly much more than heals me. For macro reading: The Story of Christianity by Justo Gonzalez (2 books). For the micro experiences: my local church / any kindness I've encountered on the go with Christianity/Christians.
This really brought my anxieties about being "in the right camp" into clarity. I liked how you summarized the bottom line about our growth and walk with with Christ.
You summed up my heart for life and ministry these days. So much counseling is just saying 'breathe'. My favorite part of church history is seeing it as a living fulfillment of original design. God creating good... making us in his images to partner with him in making good better overtime... garden to garden city you may say.
The further we go the more we grow and its always slow.
This spoke to my heart. Thank you.
🙏❤️🔥🙏
Thank you for this, Josh!
Also describing orthodox priests as punk rock is so perfect, lol.
They’re so awesome
Man this slaps for me right now! Been on an ecclesiastical journey for about a year now and this is spot on. Thanks Josh, God bless you brother!
Enjoy the journey.
This struggle was definitely a part of my journey. I grew up Baptist and was strongly attracted to Eastern Orthodoxy, studied its saints and theologians, even lived in an Orthodox country for a couple years, but I could never quite convince myself that it (or Rome) was the "True Church." Eventually I set the questions aside, joined (partly for my wife's sake) our local Anglican church, and turned my focus from ecclesiological debates to the disciplines of prayer and liturgy that this tradition had to offer. I can't claim absolute certainty that I'll be Anglican the rest of my life, but that was one of the wiser decisions I've ever made.
Living it makes so much sense, friend
I don’t know if it haunts you, but it haunts me, that one church existed before the schism of 1054 and two came out of it. That church in unity having existed haunts me and I long for some form of reunion to occur for East, West, and Protestants.
Powerful stuff - I’d be very interested to read more on internet theology and YouTube theology and how they can create confusion and anxiety. It can certainly be overwhelming to try and figure things out and find out you have more questions than before (not to mention who are these content creators and are they credible sources??). For someone who often wants a black or white answer like me, I feel that the internet can drown you in information.
I spent a lot of time on the fence trying to discern between whether or not Catholics counted as Christians (I come from an American evangelical background). In fact, I’m still there - but I checked out “Orthodoxy” by Chesterton from the library and I’ve started reading it. It feels a bit like an adventure to discover what I might in Catholicism and Orthodox traditions. I think there’s a part of me drawn that way, as I’m an artist, so the tradition and ritual and smells and art can draw me in.
I’ve also felt the weight of “the quiz”, and trying to weight out what count as secondary or tertiary issues and which ones are vital and what it means if you aren’t in accord on a primary issue.
The journey of faith is long, but I’m getting to a point where the mystery is a bit less scary. Your writing has helped me get there.
Blessings.
“And mysteries aren’t solved.
They’re entered.”
Absolute gold.