Witness in the third paradigm is not done from a position of arrogance but of humility. A problem for the church is that too often we have insisted on operating from the arrogant position of “the saved seeking the lost” rather than as a people in the process of being saved by the Body of Christ who eagerly invite others to join us in the process. We need to approach the world with the renewed humility of those who are awestruck by the unexpected experience of salvation which is offered us in graceful moments. In the words of Henri Nouwen, we come as wounded healers into a world that is in need of our care.
I would suggest that the primary mission of the church is the cure of souls. We live in a society in which the souls of our citizens are severely diseased and fragmented. The vast spiritual hunger evidenced by the number of cults, new age groups, books on spirituality, challenges to the previously presumed conclusions of science and support groups of various kinds suggests an uneasiness.
Whether people are rich or poor, healthy or ill, educated or unschooled, there is little evidence that vast numbers of them are at peace. When Jesus bent over the paralyzed man who had been lowered down to him through the roof, he looked at him and said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” The first goal of Christ’s healing was to cure the soul of the person before him of all the sins that plagued him.
Jesus recognized what we have all experienced in life. In psychological terms, when our life is well integrated, we can cope with almost any challenge in life. There are plenty of people who are of sound mind and body but whose lives are in total disarray. There are also plenty of people with severe physical problems including paralysis whose lives are centered and they are quite capable of living an abundant life.
The cure of souls goes far deeper than what might be called a well integrated personality. The cured soul does not necessarily accept one’s status or situation in life. Rather the distance between God and the person has been overcome in a way that allows them to be free to choose their response. In their freedom they can listen to the call of God which may well include protest against the conditions in which they find themselves.
