253: Chuck DeGroat and Invitation to Obscurity
Episode description
Chuck DeGroat is professor of pastoral care and Christian Spirituality at Western Theological Seminary and author of When Narcissism Comes to Church. Today, Chuck shares about dealing with anxiety his entire life, pursuing a life of influence, and how stepping back from that helped him find wholeness. Chuck also discusses the brokenness that so many pastors experience and how we can facilitate wholeness. Chuck’s story reminds us that honesty is the key to walking with the Lord.
Listen to Chuck’s story now!
Stories Chuck shared:
- Growing up on Long Island, NY
- Experiencing anxiety as a kid
- The chaotic nature of his religious world as a child
- Why he was drawn to Calvinism
- Going to Dort College to find a softer version of reformed faith
- Moving to Chicago and having a bit of a faith crisis
- Feeling like he should go to seminary in Florida
- Reaching the height of anxiety while in seminary
- Going to see the professor of counseling
- Deciding to get a degree in counseling to buy some time
- Getting called out for flirting with a client
- Taking a job at a church plant and getting fired years later
- Moving to San Francisco and a new kind of anxiety and busyness
- Getting counseling that picked up the fractured pieces
- Why we get so many narcissistic pastors
Great quotes from Chuck:
We all at some level have to reckon with our own dividedness.
We are all walking contradictions.
Resources we mentioned:
- Chuck’s website
- When Narcissism Comes to Church: Healing Your Community From Emotional and Spiritual Abuse
- Wholeheartedness: Busyness, Exhaustion, and Healing the Divided Self
- Toughest People to Love: How to Understand, Lead, and Love the Difficult People in Your Life — Including Yourself
- The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill
Related episodes:
- Jeff Munroe and Stewarding Your Pain
- Kristin Kobes Du Mez and Knowing Christian History
- Laura Barringer & Scot McKnight on Becoming an Agent of Tov
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