Presence and PowerSample

Radical Vulnerability

Pastor, author, and recording artist Josh White juggles a lot of roles and responsibilities — and he loves it that way. He actually describes himself as an amateur, that is, a lover of everything. And he is. He’s constantly finding new topics to get excited about, new hobbies to take up, and new skills to hone.

But the one thing he loves most of all is Jesus and what he’s done for us on the cross. So join us as we talk about how Christ and the gospel impact every facet of Josh’s life, including the spiritual disciplines.

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I have discovered no greater or more difficult practice than that of confession. Confession reminds me that my sin may be forgiven, but if I hide it, it hides God from my senses, no matter what disciplines I adhere to. Confession is my acceptance of the forgiveness that is already mine in the context of community. Remember the first thing God said over humanity in an unfallen state: “It’s not good for man to be alone” (see Genesis 2:18). This is why confessing our sin is often where Jesus meets with us most powerfully and intimately.

As much as I love to think, study, and pray in solitude. I’ve been increasingly aware of how quickly our practices can put us back on the ladder of self-improvement rather than lead us to the foot of the cross. For artists like myself, the tendency to spiritualize wild independence under the guise of spiritual formation has led many — including myself — into that opaque world of secrecy and selective sanctification, those things we do to make ourselves feel okay in the world.

The replacement of surrender and relationship with behavior modification and privatization will always be a problem in the church.

A few years back, I began to push into radical confession and witness with Door of Hope. It has been revolutionary in bringing healing to relationships, authenticity to the community, and an atmosphere that’s genuinely compelling to the lost in our city. However, for me, it’s much harder than the contemplative practices I’ve adhered to over the years, like fasting, solitude, silence, and so on. Why? Because it doesn’t allow space for hiding, and it turns the church into something more akin to an AA meeting, which I think is the path forward post-COVID.

The world is not compelled by our pretense or our silence but by our radical vulnerability — our honesty about our sin and our loving witness to the King who has forgiven us. Why? Because we know that on our worst day, Jesus is crazy about us, and that communicates more than we can imagine.

—Josh White, founding pastor of Door of Hope, as told to Rapt Interviews