Pursuing Spiritual Highs: An Idolatrous Seduction
What theological or personal vulnerabilities might drive a person into an idolatrous, destructive, obsession for intense, transcendent experiences?
In the video below, Melissa Dougherty shares a wise and compact criticism of those who are fixated on chasing intense “spiritual” experiences of God, and those who believe these kinds of experiences ought to be a normative part of the Christian walk (or are evidence that God is powerfully at work in one’s life.
This video has lots to commend, including the idea that an obsession with securing supernatural experiences can be an expression of idolatry.
Much of this video explores the fault-lines in one’s theology or personality that can make one prone to getting caught up in a “lust” for ecstatic, transcendent experiences. While she names a few in her video, I’d add a few more to the mix:
Ego Boost: Seeking intense religious experiences can emerge from a desire to feel special or chosen by God, feeding one's ego rather than fostering humility.
Validation: Some Christians may seek intense religious experiences to validate their faith to themselves. For others, it might be a subconscious way to prove to others that they are truly devout and/or that God is powerful and real.
Escapism: Using intense spiritual experiences can be a means to escape from life's challenges or personal issues. There’s a phrase, “Using God to avoid God.” This is the idea that we focus on “spiritual” issues so that we can avoid facing our real-life discipleship calling to face the places of brokenness and pain in our lives/relationships and learning to address them in faithful and courageous ways.
Comparison: If people around us are continually sharing their “mountaintop” experiences, some may seek out these experiences due to feelings of inadequacy or spiritual inferiority.
Manipulation: Charismatic leaders can encourage their followers to seek these intense experiences as a means of manipulation, control, or influence.
Addiction: Developing an addiction to the adrenaline rush or emotional highs associated with spiritual “highs” can foster a dependency on such experiences for a sense of spiritual fulfillment.
Superstition: Many Christians are prone to superstitious or “magical thinking,” believing that an intense spiritual experience “unlocks” or “activates” God’s power in our lives and brings about our desired outcomes.
Neglect of Practical Faith: Let’s be honest: the day-to-day of walking with Christ faithfully can often seem…boring? Uninspiring? Unremarkable? That’s why it can be tempting for some to seek intense experiences. But in doing so these same people can neglect the core priorities of the faith—love, forgiveness, generosity, humble prayer, community, worship, integrity, service to others—practices that rarely feel charged with transcendent meaning and power, and yet when offered in and through Christ’s love, absolutely are.
While we can remain open to God blessing us in extraordinary ways, a balanced, maturing Christian walk will ground itself in the core, unremarkable practices that serve as God’s common means of grace to feed, encourage, restore, build up, heal, and empower His people.