Holy Shift! (Part 1): Stages of Faith | Jake Haber

Join us for the first message in our "Holy Shift!" series as we explore the stages of faith that we move through as our consciousness expands. How is doubt an essential part of our journey? What does it look like to live out a faith that is inclusive of all people?

 

Quotes: 

 

Dr. Bruce Lipton:

“By age seven, we’re already 95% programmed by the experiences, beliefs, and behaviors we absorb in our environment. Our subconscious mind becomes the autopilot that runs our lives.”

 

Phyllis Tickle:

“Literalism provides a divine authority that can feel like a shield against the complexity and plurality of the modern world. It’s a way of saying, ‘This is true, and I don’t have to wrestle with it.’”

 

Karen Armstrong:

“The conventional stage often represents a reliance on external authority and a reluctance to question. It is faith as a badge of belonging.”

 

Peter Rollins:

“To believe is human, to doubt is divine”

 

Parker Palmer:

“The journey inward is essential. Stage 4 is about learning to listen to your own voice and trusting that the divine is present in your own life experience.”

 

Thomas Merton:

“The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves, the resolution not to twist them to fit our own image. This also applies to our faith—it must be free to grow and evolve."

 

James Fowler:

“Conjunctive Faith involves a reworking of the past, reclaiming and redefining symbols and traditions in light of new understanding. It moves beyond the either/or to a both/and perspective…it is marked by a sense of irony and paradox, a recognition that truth is complex and multifaceted, and that ultimate answers often remain elusive…Stage 5 people know that the symbols, rituals, and myths of their faith traditions are meaningful, but they also recognize their relativity and limits…the strength of this stage lies in its capacity to hold together opposites in tension while staying grounded in the mystery of faith.”

 

Richard Rohr:

“Stage 5 is about learning to see with both eyes wide open—one for clarity, one for mystery. It’s about transcending the need to categorize everything as right or wrong, sacred or secular.”

 

Brian D. McLaren:

“Faith in Stage 5 is generous and hospitable. It seeks not to defend itself but to connect with others, knowing that love, not certainty, is the highest goal.”

 

James Fowler

“Universalizing Faith is exceedingly rare. It represents a radical commitment to inclusivity, where life is lived for the benefit of others, often in ways that challenge the status quo….Those in Stage 6 embody a vision of the world as a unified whole. They are unshaken by particularities and find God in all things…These individuals are often misunderstood or rejected because their vision transcends the conventional boundaries of society and religion…Stage 6 faith is grounded in a lived reality of love and justice, not just as ideals but as daily practices.”

 

Richard Rohr:

“Universalizing faith is when you realize the circle of love must keep widening—until it includes everyone and everything.”

 

Matthew 5:14-16:

And you, beloved, are the light of the world. A city built on a hilltop cannot be hidden. Similarly it would be silly to light a lamp and then hide it under a bowl. When someone lights a lamp, she puts it on a table or a desk or a chair, and the light illumines the entire house. You are like that illuminating light. Let your light shine everywhere you go, that you may illumine creation, so men and women everywhere may see your good actions, may see creation at its fullest…”