TWELVE WORDS THAT CHANGED MY SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING AND PRACTICE
One day I was reading the four canonical Gospels and the Gospel of Thomas for the zillionth time. But this time, with an Integral framework in mind, twelve simple, transforming words popped into my mind. Jesus talked about God, to God, and as God. We can too!
Jesus modeled a key dimension in my understanding of Integral Christianity—the vision and practice of the Three Faces of God. I now bring this with me to every setting in my practice of Christianity. My understanding of the three faces of God originated with Ken Wilber. He postulated that we can view every situation from three perspectives —about, to, and as:
3rd person
from a reflecting viewpoint “about” it.
2nd-person
from a relational viewpoint “to” one another.
1st-person
from the viewpoint “as” the viewer.
One day in conversation, I pointed out to Ken that Jesus talked about God, to God, and as God. Interestingly, Ken began saying that whenever he talked about Christianity. I asked him why he never gave me credit for that. He responded, “I only borrow from the very best.” I just smiled since my motto is to avoid arguing with the smartest person in the room.