058 | Transcending Spiritual Stages
April 19, 2021
Minute of Transparency: Take a Snapshot
Today's Topic: Transcending Spiritual Stages
In this episode:
Getting Dynamic with the Spirals
The Revealing 7 Churches
Determine Your Center of Gravity - And Make Some Changes
// 1. GETTING DYNAMIC WITH THE SPIRALS
I recently did (what I would consider) a shallow dive into is this whole world of Spiral Dynamics.
If you've been around the TH podcast for a while you probably remember me bringing it up in Episode 042 | Transcending Life Stages.
We talked about Maslow, Piaget, Kohlberg and Erikson - as their theories of development are ingrained in my brain being a clinician.
But I also talked through Spiral Dynamics - a theory I more recently discovered - and find so interesting.
If you're interested in the details - feel free to go back and check out Episode 042.
But for this Episode - I simply wanted to bring up Spiral Dynamics again because it dovetails right into our topic for today - which is Transcending Spiritual Stages.
Now there is spirituality involved in Spiral Dynamics - but spirituality is NOT the foundation or basis of the theory.
In order to bring us back up to speed quickly - I'm going to link to a YouTube video by R.C. Waldun (See link in References section below) - just because it's fun and he seems so excited about it.
But I'm also going to pull in Rob Bell's version of the theory.
Rob and his son Trace did a 4 Episode Series on Spiral Dynamics called Me, We, Everybody. And while it is based on the teachings of Spiral Dynamics, they put their own spin on it in order to make it a bit more portable, accessible and usable.
They described the stages of Spiral Dynamics this way:
First Tier Consciousness:
Beige: Archaic
Early infant - most basic needs
Shelter, safety, food, water, etc.
Material, tangible
Purple: Magic
Recognizing that basic needs and survival are based on supernatural forces - forces outside of our control
The development of "gods" like the Rain god - that can be prayed to, and sacrifices made to that god in order to stay in good standing
Immaterial, intangible - angels, demons, curses, voodoo, etc.
Which suggests the need for people like Shamen, Witchdoctors, Palm readers, Astrologists, etc.
Red: Power
Me, individualistic, impulsive
Taking the power for yourself
Strongest takes control
Kings, Dictators - often leading a group of people still in the Purple culture
Blue: Tradition/Belief
We, us, for each other, restraint
Traditional culture - based on shared story
The Roman Empire - organized around a governmental structure
Military, Sports, Religion
Who has power? Government leaders, religious leaders, etc. Those who understand and can interpret the story
Orange: Modern
Scientific thinking
Rigorous examination of truth and facts vs. leaning on beliefs of blue
Use of capitalism to either be helpful or to game the system
Megachurches - taking the power of the truth found in the blue stage, but blowing it up using data, and new ways of making something successful
Using logic and pragmatism to make decisions vs. handed down belief systems
Green: Pluralism
1960s
An understanding that there are other cultures and that they are important
Social justice and sensitivity
Compassion and celebration of diversity
Environmental movement
Animal rights
An explosion of truth - and acceptance of all
Cancel culture - removing voices that don't follow the cultural majority
Start of Second Tier Consciousness:
Yellow: Integral
There is constant conflict in First Tier Consciousness
You typically look forward with fear - and backward with disdain
However, this is not the case in Second Tier Consciousness
Someone who has reached Yellow understands that they have all of the colors within themselves
And they can view others the same way - choosing to meet them right where they are at (see center of gravity below)
The Yellow may have spent time as a conservative, may have moved over to be more liberal, but eventually see's issues with both
You start to feel like you don't belong in the polarized conversations happening these days - because you see the positive that comes from each of the stages
Turquoise: WholeView
So high level that you look at the world not in terms of people
You look at the world as one giant, living organism
You see the need for restraint and focus in numerous areas in order to ensure peace, and continuity
Feet off the ground
Center of Gravity:
The world is made up of cultures in every stage - each culture has a center of gravity
And in every culture there are people functioning in every stage - each person has a center of gravity
Your Center of Gravity is the stage you feel most at home in at any given time - the stage you default to
Moving Forward:
An entire culture can move from one stage to the next when 10% move in that direction
"Spiral Dynamics is the new Enneagram" - Rob Bell
// 2. THE REVEALING 7 CHURCHES
So this episode really isn't about Spiral Dynamics, but as I was prepping for this - I couldn't help but see the correlation between the Spiritual Stages I wanted to talk about and the stages that Spiral Dynamics talk about.
So I thought it might be helpful to revisit them one more time at a high level before moving into the Spiritual Stages.
So where do these Spiritual Stages come from?
Well, the Bible of course...If there is anywhere we can go with complete certainty - it should be the Bible. Not that the Bible isn't confusing at times. But I'm just talking about certainty.
In other words, if a person says one thing and the Bible contradicts that thing - you can be pretty certain that the person is not telling the truth. Because the Bible is what we consider the source of all truth.
So I'm just going to dive right in - and offer up the punchline before the story...
I believe that the 7 Churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation can be viewed in a very similar way to the stages of Spiral Dynamics.
And for the sake of continuity - I'm just going to refer to them as the Spiritual Stages...
But first, a few caveats:
The Book of Revelation is a book of prophecies
And because of this - people interpret it differently - based on their view on prophecy and it's meaning
The 7 Churches described in the book are no different
People view them very differently
This is the explanation I have always found fascinating:
Each church represents a period of time from Jesus' day until the end of time:
For example, the first church represents the church (group of people) that took the story of Jesus to the world after his death
And the last church is the church (group of people) that will exist when Jesus returns
Next, each church represents the way a church, or group of people act at any point in time:
For example, a church can act like any one of the 7 Churches today
Finally, every Christian can be found in one of the churches described at any point and time:
So for example, you and I are currently living in a similar way to one of the 7 Churches at any given time
So let's work our way through each of the 7 Churches to see what I'm talking about:
Revelation 1:4 to 3:22
The Bible explains that John, the writer of the book, was in prison on and island called Patmos. He was having a dream and was shown a vision of Jesus - who went on to give him messages for 7 Churches
For our purposes today - we aren't going to talk about the time periods, or how churches play into these illustrations
Instead - we're going to focus on them as Spiritual Stages that we may find ourselves in
So here are the 7 Churches John saw in his dream - and how I view them as Spiritual Stages we may go through:
Church 1: Ephesus
"The Church that Has Abandoned Its Love for Christ and His Teachings"
When you first hear about God, Jesus, the Bible, etc. It can be like the excitement of a new relationship, the honeymoon period of a newly married couple
You're so excited - and you can't seem to get enough of this new thing you've found
And you want to share it with other people
But that first love experience wears off
And it's easy to become complacent - and take your faith for granted
Important thing in this stage is to remember the love you had at the beginning. The love for your new faith, and the love you had for others
Church 2: Smyrna
"The Church that Remains Faithful Amidst Persecution"
As a Christian there will be times when you feel persecuted
Of course there is first world persecution, and then there is actual persecution
There are also two different forms of persecution:
Real, physical persecution by people, groups, governments, etc. This is everything from imprisonment to physical violence and even death
And there is spiritual persecution. Feeling that Satan himself, and his demons have singled you out and are taking their anger out on you. A trail of bad things befalling you or your family - like Job's story in the Bible
But the church in Smyrna stood fast - through it all
And likewise, we can stand strong through it all - knowing that He is with us
Important: In the message to this church is an interesting phrase: "Don't fear the second death" which should be very reassuring to us - that even though we may perish on Earth, we will be raised from the dead and live forever
Church 3: Pergamos
"The Church that Compromises Its Beliefs"
As Christians we fall into the same situation
After a while we lose our first love for our faith, and we start to see things as less black and white
We become ok with shades of gray
In this Spiritual Stage it is important to see this happening, and return to what we know is true
And where did we just say truth comes from? The Bible
So return to the Bible in order to ground your faith in truth
Church 4: Thyatira
"The Church that Follows False Prophets"
As Christians, we fall into a similar state of double thinking
On the one hand we hold onto the things we were taught, but then fall for other things not part of our faith
False prophets in our lives can be anything from preachers, to teachers, influencers, television, documentaries and books. To negative values like greed, materialism, selfishness, pride, etc.
The problem is this: As we go farther and farther down the road with the false prophet - we're getting farther and farther away from the truth
The important message in this stage is to hold fast to the faith you have, and avoid the detours
Church 5: Sardis
"The Church that is Spiritually Dead"
Ouch...that's a bit harsh isn't it?
Unfortunately though - it's true
There are Christians who call themselves Christians - but are as far from it as can be
Going through the motions, acting as if you believe, but not having a relationship with Jesus at all
In this stage it is important to re-engage in your faith by exercising the common practices of church, Bible reading, prayer, serving others, giving, etc.
Church 6: Philadelphia
"The Church that Patiently Endured Despite Weaknesses"
This is a great picture of a Christian living their life, trying to remain faithful
We don't have super-human strength - but lean on the strength of Jesus to endure
And it is endurance over a long time period - perhaps an entire life
Dealing with setbacks, trials, persecution or maybe being made fun of
But in the end - remaining faithful for the long haul
The important message here is to be strong, lean on Jesus and stick it out
Church 7: Laodicea
"The Church with a Lukewarm Faith"
I said I wasn't going to talk about the churches as time periods in history...
But if this church is meant to represent the church, or people, living at the end of time - I think it's worth mentioning
The word "lukewarm" suggests you're neither hot or cold - you're somewhere in the middle
I always took this to mean you were on fire for God, or you were 100% against Him
But this week I heard it presented in a slightly different way:
To be hot - is to be on fire for God
To be cold is to be at a place where you understand how far you are from God, and how much you need him. A good place to be, because you see how important it is to come to Jesus and repent of your negative behavior
The issue with lukewarm is that you're neither. You haven't really given your life to Him, and you don't really see the need to either
See how dangerous that is?
And if you believe we're living in the time of the end - it's easy to see this in society
People are so distracted with politics, entertainment, social media. Nobody has time to think about their faith, and whether it is hot or cold
Instead - we seem pretty ok with the fact that it's just there somewhere - lukewarm...
The important message in this stage is to shake yourself awake
To see through the distraction and to light a fire under your faith so it heats up
// 3. DETERMINE YOUR CENTER OF GRAVITY - AND MAKE SOME CHANGES
When we talked about Spiral Dynamics we talked about the Center of Gravity. This idea that as we develop, we go through many of the stages, and at every point in our life we have all the stages within us - but that one of the stages is our Center of Gravity. It's our default mode - how we typically function.
And when it comes to the Spiritual Stages it's no different.
As a Christian you may have experienced 2, 3, 4 - maybe all 7 of the stages.
But there is a good chance you find yourself in one of the stages most of the time.
This is your Center of Gravity - your Spiritual Center of Gravity.
And based on the description of each of the Spiritual Stages - we have a decision to make:
We can either stay there - locked in the gravitational pull
Or we can make some changes:
Each stage suggests an important next step
So for example: If you feel like you're in the Sardis stage - the important change is to re-engage with spiritual disciplines to keep from having a dead faith
If you're in the Laocidea stage - light a fire and be prepared to stand for your faith
etc. etc.
The important thing is to identify where you're at - and take steps to overcome the dangers that exist in that stage
There's a good chance we have been in many of the stages at one time or another. And we've had to wrestle with the pitfalls that each stage presents.
But there is this phrase that is repeated over and over again in the messages to the churches: The phrase goes like this: "To him who overcomes..."
To the person who overcomes...
The man, woman, college student, high school student, whoever...
To the one who overcomes...there is a light at the end of the tunnel...
To the ones who stand strong in their faith and endure the trials that come their way...there is peace
To those who choose not to engage in the dangerous elements in each stage there is a blessing, a gift of eternal life
Let’s Land the Plane:
This week, ask yourself the following questions:
In our quick summary of Spiral Dynamics - did you see yourself listed?
If so - what is your center of gravity right now?
Has it always been this way? Or can you look back and see that you've worked your way through different colors?
Similarly, where would you place yourself in the Spiritual Stages?
What church do you most identify with?
What is the danger that church faces?
And what changes can you make in your life to keep from falling into that dangerous situation?
And I think that's where we'll stop for today.
Thank you so much for joining us on the podcast this week. I hope the conversation was beneficial and that you have one more tool in your tool belt. A tool that can help you rise above the Human Condition.
Until next time, have a great week and keep Transcending Human!
References:
R.C. Waldun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdz2PV9bCr4
RobCast: Me, We, Everybody - Episodes 1-4: