We thought that we overcame racism in the 60’s; we thought the church overcame triumphalism at Vatican II, and now forty  years later we are right back into this regressive and dualistic thinking all over again.  This is the nature of the ego if we have not formed a contemplative mind, a big mind, that sees everything together, with the eyes of God.  I predict, with some historical certainty, this judgmental thinking will continue to happen in every group, in every denomination if we see everything with a dualistic mind.  No new emerging church will emerge very far.

The judgmental mind is not looking for truth; it is looking for control and righteousness.  For some reason when we split and refuse to receive the moment as it is, we end creating and even reveling in those splits as our very identities.  These are the culture wars and the identity politics we suffer from today.  They will not get us very far spiritually, because they are largely ego-based.

From Emerging Christianity: the conference recordings by Richard Rohr

Painting by Linda Kim

Tags:dualismemergence christianityRichard Rohrspirituality