As I’ve walked the asymmetric path, I’ve been very careful with whom I share the idea. As a group, the asymmetric faith team has had this conversation multiple times. Our focus is on lovingly bringing people into a closer relationship with Jesus, avoiding the trappings of the institutional church.
However, as in I Corinthians 8, where Paul is addressing the topic of eating meat sacrificed to idols, the concept of asymmetric faith is one where it can cause another believer to misstep if they are not ready to consider the idea yet. That is never the place we want to be as believers. We want to sustain faith in Jesus, not send the individual into a haze of uncertainty and malaise in their faith.
I have a friend and colleague that I’ve known for about 20 years now. He’s a pastor as well as a faculty member. We’ve been very close and he’s shared some of the heart wrenching situations that he has dealt with as a pastor that involved the denomination with which he is associated. He’s also shared his concerns with what is supposed to be Christian higher education. From what he shared, it was very much sounding like he was ready to consider asymmetric faith. As I began to carefully get into the conversation of asymmetric faith with several probing questions about where his faith was at, it was very clear that he was in no way ready to move away from faith outside the institution.
Whenever I start to have conversations with others about asymmetric faith, I’m doing my best to let the Holy Spirit guide me. I work very hard to listen for the still small voice for direction. In some instances there is freedom for me to share with great openness. In other instances, I have a “hold” on the conversation. It’s like the Holy Spirit puts a hand on my shoulder to “slow my roll.” That’s exactly what I felt with my friend when we were talking.
My freedoms in Christ are not as important as another believer’s faith foundations. If they are not ready to think outside the structures of the institutional church, it would be wrong for me to push that on them. It could push them out into a wilderness that they are not ready to traverse and away from Jesus.
In my own family, there are members that don’t get it or think that I have lost my faith. My brother has great concern for me not being a part of an institutional church. My mother was very uncertain of where I was with my faith despite seeing my dad walk an asymmetric path for most of my adult life (without knowing what to call it).
When I am pressed with the question of where I go to church now, I am careful how I answer. In some cases, I respond that “I still love Jesus but I don’t attend church.” In other cases, I say, “I’m asymmetric in my faith.” Depending on the person, that gets reactions of puzzlement or judgment.
I have one friend that I would love to share the concepts of Asymmetric Faith with that I’ve known many years but I saw how he responded to Christian’s drinking alcohol and it nearly crushed his faith. He’s definitely one that I need to extend care to in my interactions.
In everything that you do to draw closer to Jesus, remember that He loves others in your sphere of influence just as much as He loves you. Handle with care.
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