Deconstruction isn’t the end game.
Mission
To provide a sacred space for spiritual formation by exploring, experiencing, and cultivating intimate union with our Creator. We seek to accompany you on your journey toward personal and spiritual wholeness, guiding you along the ancient paths of wisdom in pursuit of real transformation.
Vision
A global movement of spiritually mature, personally transformed individuals embodying the revolutionary way of love, compassion, and truth in the modern world.
Why Sophia
The Greek word sophia, which is translated as “wisdom,” is used frequently in the New Testament to describe the ability to discern and conform to God’s will. We meet Sophia in Proverbs 8: “Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice?…You who are simple gain prudence; you who are foolish, set your hearts on it. Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right.” The writer goes on to say that God brought forth wisdom as the first of God’s creative works. “Sophia,” or holy wisdom, is a gift from God that leads to lasting faith. Our task is to pursue this holy wisdom in and for the world. It is living, dynamic, and experiential.
Who We Are
Gary Alan
Cofounder of The Sophia Society & Co-Host of Holy Heretics
Gary Alan is an international speaker, content creator, and writer with over 26 years experience working in nonprofit ministry and higher education. He is in recovery from fundamentalist Christianity and his passion is to see others free themselves from toxic expressions of faith. He and his wife love traveling and have a special affinity for Dorset, England, the home of Gary Alan’s favorite author and poet Thomas Hardy. His dream is to help spiritual seekers move beyond some of the corrosive manifestations of evangelicalism and to embody the radical way of Jesus.
What We Like
Love.
Love is our doctrine, our theology, our driving force, and our guiding light.
Humble curiosity.
When we approach life and others with the understanding that there’s a lot we don’t know, we can be moved and changed in ways we didn’t know we needed.
Difficult questions.
They need to be asked. And wrestled with. And we may not find any answers. And that’s ok.
Growth.
If we look back at something we once believed or wrote or said or did and think, “Oh my word, what was I thinking?!” we know we’re doing something right.
Compassion.
It’s been said compassion is the fatal ability to feel what someone else is feeling, to live their reality, and walk a mile in their shoes.
Accountability.
Individuals, groups, organizations, companies, systems, governments—everyone is better when they’re held accountable for their actions.
Transformation.
You were born in the very image of God. But somewhere along the way, you lost that original goodness, or maybe you’ve just forgotten who you really are under all the layers of lies and trauma. Your quest is to set out on a new spiritual pilgrimage to uncover your true self hidden in God.
Theosis.
You came from God and will one day return to God. Why not start the long journey back now?
What We Won’t Tolerate
Comments, questions, doctrines, or behaviors that reinforce or cause any of the following will not be tolerated anywhere on our site:
Shame.
Even hearing that word can cause even the best of us to go to dark places and forget who we are.
Black-and-white thinking.
Despite humankind’s tendency to think dualistically, binaries only serve to create division, anger, hatred, and exclusion.
Dogmatic certitude.
If you know you know, if you believe you don’t need to learn or grow anymore because you’ve found 100% of the truth for all time, this isn’t the place for you.
Othering.
We all do it because it feels good to be “in.” But thinking in terms of us vs. them harms everyone.
Bullying, harassment, or personal attacks.
It’s okay to disagree! But let’s use rational arguments and not resort to attacking another human being or their character to try to discredit them.
Victim blaming and/or re-traumatizing.
We believe victims. We stand with them. We will fight for them. And we will work for holding abusers and abusive systems accountable, including by not allowing comments that attempt to justify or rationalize abuse.
Oppression, marginalization, injustice, hatred, racism, sexism, homophobia, or dehumanization.
These things harm everyone: the victims, the perpetrators, and even the observers. That’s not a world we want to live in.
