Independence vs. independency

Today brings another tidbit from Mark Sayers's tremendous book 'A Non-Anxious Presence.'

Chapter 11 is on The Anxious Frontier, which seems to be the flavor of the day in Washington (the idea that the world is falling apart, and it needs "ME/US" to come in and save the day because no one else is capable). 

Sayers says the root of our anxiety is our disconnection from God. Without grasping or understanding our need for redemption and reconnection to God we fall back into a term used by Donald Mostrom called Independency. Mostrom uses it to delineate from the term independence, "noting that independence can be positive when it is freedom of unhealthy dependence on others. Independency is harmful, according to Mostrom. It emerges from 'the human drive for personal sovereignty, the desire to be without accountability to any other person.'" 

This stems from the initial human rebellion in the garden, and the resulting anxiety impacts not only our human relationships, but social systems as a whole. As Sayers notes, 

"Fear, anger, jealousy, envy, bitterness, revenge, flattery, accusation, and many other injurious conditions develop from the sickness of human nature estranged from God and trying unsuccessfully to defend its own 'god-status' against all comers."

So, in a nutshell, it sounds to me like: We need to be independent creatures in being able to disconnect from those things which are wrong or evil (for instance, standing against peer pressure, mob mentality, and the like); but when we fail to stay connected to God, we tend to think we don't need anyone - which becomes independency. 

The key idea: "We can only be non-anxious presences with God's presence." 

Why is this important right now? Holy sh*t! Have you seen the news?!? I mean, the face-full of christian nationalism on display just yesterday should have been enough to cause even the most stable among us a crazy-queasy stomach! From Doug Wilson's demented diatribe against women and non-whites, to trump's military uprising on DC... Sh*t is hitting the fan at a rate I don't believe I've seen in my lifetime.

So, just like yesterday, I find this perspective from Sayers helpful not only in reminding us of our need to stay connected to God right now, but firming up relationships with others who see through the lie of "christian nationalism" also. And, just to be clear, THERE IS NOTHING CHRISTIAN (or even American) ABOUT CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM! Nothing, nada, not one thing!!!

I believe this 'independence vs. independency' distinction is seriously needed in the church today - if not the world.

Keep the faith, friends!