“Jesus calls men, not to a new religion, but to life.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer saw Christian freedom not as license, but as liberation for others through costly discipleship, found in action, responsibility, and obedience to God, even amidst suffering, leading to true community and peace, contrasting sharply with “cheap grace” or self-serving freedom. He taught that true freedom means being “free-for-the-other,” a relational state found in serving God and neighbor, not in isolation or mere thought. Inner freedom is crucial for healing and spiritual growth, and awareness is a conscious choice that enables transformation and connection with God amid life’s circumstances.
Bondage is a lack of freedom. This is why increased inner freedom is one of the most important markers of genuine healing. Most of us are unaware that we are making the choice to be unaware. Consequently, we have a limited awareness of the freedom available to us. This brings us back to our lack of awareness, being the soil out of which our sense of alienation arises.
Lack of awareness is the ground of our dis-ease and brokenness. But we seldom think of it as a choice. We blame our circumstances rather than see that it is precisely during those
circumstances that we face the choice of awareness or oblivion. Choosing awareness opens us to finding God in the midst of our present realities. And it opens up the possibilities of us growing in and through them rather than simply reacting to them.
Awareness is the key to growth and transformation. Jesus emphasized this in every story and interaction with those He encountered. This is why it may just be the single most important spiritual practice. Awareness is the pathway to growth and transformation.
In his book Maximum Faith, researcher George Barna identifies a 10-stop roadmap to spiritual wholeness based on years of quantitative research. His findings reveal a sobering reality: while
many Americans identify as Christians, only a small fraction progress to the final stages of profound transformation. His research identifies 10 distinct “stops,” along with the percentage
of adults currently “parked” at each stage.
The 10 Stops and Their Percentages
The data reveals that 90% of Americans are stalled at the first five stops.
- Ignorance of Sin: Individuals are unaware of the concept of sin or God’s standards.
- Awareness and Indifference: Individuals recognize sin exists but are indifferent to its
personal impact. - Concern for Sin: Individuals become personally concerned about the weight of sin and begin searching for a solution.
Stall Point: 50% of adults never progress beyond these first three steps. - Understand a Need for Forgiveness: Realizing that Jesus is the only source of
forgiveness. - Embrace Grace & Commitment to Faith Activities: The point of salvation where individuals join a church and engage in religious activities.
Stall Point: Another 25% to 35% of adults remain at this stage, focusing on activity
over transformation. Only 11% of adults ever progress past Stop 5. - Spiritual Discontent: A period of dissatisfaction where “safe” religious routines no longer feel sufficient. It has been called many things such as the dark night of the soul, questioning God, wrestling with God, etc.
- Personal Brokenness: A realization of total inability to change without God.
Only 12% of self-identified Christians reach this “emotional crash”. - Surrender and Submission: Choosing to fully yield one’s will and life to God’s control.
Only 2% of adults progress past Stop 7.
- Profound Love for God: A state of deep, intimate love for God that becomes the primary identity.
- Profound Love for Humanity: A selfless, compassionate love for others that overflows from a relationship with God.
Final Stat: Less than 2% to 3% of self-identified Christians reach these final two stops.
Barna identifies several common misconceptions that hinder true spiritual transformation:
Activity Equals Maturity:
Many believers mistakenly believe that consistent religious participation—attending church, reading the Bible, or volunteering—is the same as spiritual transformation. Barna notes that most Christians stall at Stop 5 because they
prioritize “doing” religious tasks over the internal “being” that comes from surrender.
Transformation is a Private Matter:
A significant misconception is that spiritual growth is entirely personal and private. Barna’s 2025 data shows that 56% of U.S. Christians view their faith this way, yet research suggests those who journey alongside others and remain open to accountability are more likely to see actual progress.
The Goal is Personal Happiness:
Many Christians mirror cultural goals, believing the endpoint of faith is personal comfort, security, or popularity. Barna argues that true transformation focuses on completely cooperating with God, which often involves the “emotional crash” of brokenness rather than immediate comfort.
Salvation is the Finish Line:
A widespread misconception is that reaching “salvation”
(Stop 5) is the ultimate goal. Barna’s data reveals that nearly 75% of Americans never progress past this point, viewing their faith as a “circular journey” rather than a consistently progressive one toward profound love.
Information Collection is Transformation:
In his 2025 research, Barna highlights that many are “information collectors” rather than followers, gathering fragments of religious
teaching that often lead to a “patchwork” of conflicting beliefs, or syncretism, instead of a coherent biblical worldview.
Growth is Simply Organic:
While people often resist “operational standards” for faith, Barna contends that spiritual growth is not simplistic or random; it requires “hard work and solid thinking” alongside a clear understanding of the biblical destination.
Barna emphasizes that while the 10 stops provide a roadmap, movement between them is not
something an individual or a church can manufacture.
According to Barna’s research, the Holy Spirit plays several critical roles in this journey:
The Sole Agent of Transformation:
Barna states clearly that an individual cannot transform themselves, nor can a church transform a person. True life transformation is solely the work of God, accomplished through the empowerment and direction of the Holy Spirit.
Empowerment through Partnership:
While the Spirit does the work, God seeks to “partner” with individuals. Movement occurs when a person chooses to cooperate with the Holy Spirit rather than remaining “sidetracked by mere religious activity”.
Guidance and Submission:
The Holy Spirit provides “enduring guidance” that allows believers to experience a new identity. Progressing beyond the “stall points” (like Stop 5) requires a person to submit their will to the Spirit’s leading, especially during the difficult phases of brokenness (Stop 7) and surrender (Stop 8).
Overcoming Cultural Barriers:
In 2025, Barna’s continued research highlights that cultural distractions—like the pursuit of comfort and happiness—often drown out the Spirit’s voice. The Holy Spirit acts as the necessary force to break a person’s reliance on “self, sin, and society,” which Barna identifies as the three things a person must be broken of to move into the final stops of the journey.
Brokenness (Stop 7) acts as the critical catalyst for spiritual growth by dismantling a believer’s
reliance on “sin, self, and society,” forcing a shift toward radical dependence on God.
It is the “emotional crash” or crisis that proves human effort is insufficient for true transformation. This state creates a spiritual vacuum that only God can fill. It moves a person from “believing in” Jesus to needing Him desperately for every breath. It realigns the spirit, shifting the focus from activity (what I do for God) to identity (who I am in God). Instead of viewing suffering as a loss, faith communities should “raise those people up as champions,” positioning their brokenness and selflessness as a victory on the path to maturity.
Living in authentic community is the intentionality to reject “spiritual isolation” by engaging in regular, honest conversations about our weaknesses and wounds. This requires a culture where
it is safe to be “truthful about current reality”.
M. Scott Peck’s famous quote linking reality to mental health is: “Mental health is an ongoing process of dedication to reality at all costs”, maybe it should be, “Good mental, emotional, and spiritual health is an intentional commitment to living in the reality of authentic community.”
