Today's message comes from the Renewed Man Boot Camp. Renewed Man is a systematic teaching and coaching series designed to help men grow emotionally, relationally, and spiritually ... developing the essential character quality of "self-mastery." Even though this community is created for men, the principles are universal -- women will
benefit from these insights as well.
We build this teaching around 12 Keys, and this week, we're focusing on Key 7:
Authentic and Honest Faith. Here's how we put it:
Authentic Faith - We are cultivating an authentic and integrated faith. We let go
of our illusions and childish, magical thinking -- and we face our doubts and questions head on. We know that this is the only way to develop a spiritual life that works for us.
Here's one of the daily messages from this week's teaching series. I hope this will help you:
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One of my great struggles -- and frustrations -- as a pastor in the Christian church today is peoples' fixation on belief and dogma as the essence of Christianity.
This mindset is deeply ingrained in us: that the main point of it all is to understand and "believe" the right things. We think the essence of it all is understanding and giving intellectual assent to the "right doctrines." Of course having faith in that which is true is essential. But is it adequate? Is it the heart of it all?
But the Bible is CRYSTAL CLEAR in stating that it is not.
Even demons understand -- and believe in -- the correct doctrines (James 2:19). Having the correct thoughts about God, the Bible, the spiritual life, and salvation -- this is not the essence of Christianity.
Jesus emphasized this when he told his followers, "Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if
you do them" (John 13:17). He even ended his famous Sermon on the Mount with a parable -- "The Wise and Foolish Builders" (Mt 7:24-29) -- where the main point was that what differentiates the wise and foolish person is whether or not they ACT ON his teaching … whether they live it out, as opposed to just listening to it.
Our “faith” is not simply something we believe,
something we have thoughts about. It’s something we live out. It's an ongoing relationship -- a union -- between God and us, through Christ. And any kind of relationship or union like this is experienced, not just thought about.
Genuine spiritual life goes deeper than ideas and concepts. Yes it involves teaching, reading, understanding, memorizing … but it's something more than that. It's fundamentally deeper than that. Yes it involves learning, church attendance, and Bible studies. But it's more than an educational enterprise. It requires integration into our thinking, and ultimately integration into HOW WE LIVE … into what we do.
It might be helpful to grasp this idea by thinking about how people who are into Stoic philosophy approach “philosophy.” I think there are some great overlaps here.
Let me start with a caveat: To be honest, I suspect that for some people, the philosophy of Stoicism has taken over, and BECOME their religion. I find great value in Stoic philosophy, but I’m a Christian first and foremost. I will take in and use the things from Stoicism that are consistent with, and helpful to my Christian faith, and discard the rest. Since I quote from Stoic philosophy so much, I just wanted to clarify
that point. :-)
But think about what Ryan Holiday says below about being a
"philosopher," and then ask yourself what this might say to us about what it means to be a Christian. Put in terms of questions, think of it like this:
- What does it mean to really PRACTICE my faith?
- To live it out?
- How do I do that each day?
Marcus Aurelius wasn’t born Marcus Aurelius (literally, his name was Marcus Catilius
Severus Annius Verus). Epictetus wasn’t born a sage – to say he was would be to deprive him of the enormous credit due to a man who went from a lowly slave to a wise and powerful philosopher.
No, becoming a Stoic
takes work. It takes practice.
We have been talking this month about the idea of spiritual exercising–a term coined by Pierre Hadot, a great writer about the Stoics. Philosophy wasn’t this thing you were taught he said, it was a thing you did. Through reading, through journaling, through practice in the real world.
Just as one becomes strong through lifting weights or skilled at woodworking through time in their workshop, we become adept and able at philosophy through a similar process. Stoicism is designed to be a practice and a routine. It’s
not a philosophy you read once and magically understand at the soul-level. No, it’s a lifelong pursuit that requires diligence and repetition and concentration. …
The idea is to put one thing up [every day] for you to review — to have at hand — and to fully digest. Not in passing. Not just once. But every single day over the course of a year, and preferably year in and year out. …
Marcus would say that the student of philosophy is like a boxer. Through training and practice and repetition, a boxer becomes one with their weapon. And through training and practice and repetition — reading, writing in a journal, listening to Stoics in conversation — we become one with our philosophy. So make that your goal this year. To create a practice. To get the reps. To make Stoicism a part of your
life and your mind.
NEXT ACTION
Today reflect on this question: "What
will it mean for me today to LIVE like a Christian?" What does it mean for me to live out -- to put into practice -- the commitments and ideals that are part of my faith? Part of the Renewed Man community?
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Would you like to go "all in"
and join the Renewed Man Boot Camp? It's a 12 Week Immersion in these principles. You'll get these daily teachings, a weekly video on one of the 12 Keys of Being a Renewed Man, and access to a support group and/or a coaching group that I lead.
Find out more about the Renewed Man Program here.
