The Grace of the Included Middle
Posted: November 9, 2024 Filed under: AI-Powered Essays | Tags: culture, dialogue, philosophy, polarization, reconciliation, religion, values Leave a commentChatGPT as Brendan Graham Dempsey
In the age of polarization, divisive ideologies, and unyielding binaries, we find ourselves in need of a profound shift in thinking—a shift that allows us to embrace paradox, complexity, and, most importantly, the grace of what I call the Included Middle. This concept does not merely lie between opposing viewpoints but occupies a space that is both-and: a creative middle that holds the tension of opposites in transformative ways. Embracing the Included Middle offers not just a strategy for navigating our complex age but an invitation to a deeper, more compassionate mode of existence.
Theologically and culturally, this approach represents a metamodern response to postmodern fragmentation. Where postmodernism often focused on deconstruction, identifying every boundary and category as a potential power play, metamodernism seeks synthesis, oscillating between structures rather than dismantling them entirely. Within this framework, the Included Middle is a profoundly sacred space—a space that mirrors the inclusive, reconciling grace we seek to embody in our fractured world.
The Included Middle is a profoundly sacred space—a space that mirrors the inclusive, reconciling grace we seek to embody in our fractured world.
1. Beyond the Excluded Middle
The law of the excluded middle, a cornerstone of classical logic, asserts that a proposition must either be true or false, with no possibility of anything in between. For centuries, this binary thinking has guided much of Western thought, impacting everything from science to theology. But what if the deepest truths of existence are not either-or but both-and? What if, instead of division, there is a grace that calls us to embrace complexity and hold contradictions together in fruitful tension?
The grace of the Included Middle invites us to transcend the limited binary logic that defines so much of our thinking. This is not to negate the value of clear distinctions or the pursuit of truth. Rather, it is an acknowledgment that in certain cases, especially those involving the mysteries of human existence, the most life-giving truths do not fit neatly into binary categories. In a world rife with ideological clashes and rigid identities, the Included Middle becomes a space of reconciliation, offering the possibility of embracing rather than excluding.
2. The Theology of Paradox
Christianity, among other traditions, has long embraced the paradoxical. God is both transcendent and immanent, Christ is both human and divine, and believers are called to find life by losing it. Yet, many modern interpretations of faith have fallen into either-or thinking, attempting to resolve these mysteries into logical propositions or symbolic meanings. In doing so, they lose the generative power of paradox, the very thing that grants these ideas their profound depth and spiritual resonance.
The grace of the Included Middle invites us to reclaim paradox as a living space for theology. Rather than seeing paradox as a problem to be solved, we see it as a fertile ground for spiritual exploration. Just as the incarnation unites divinity and humanity in a single person, so too does the Included Middle unite what seems irreconcilable. This is not an evasion of truth but a commitment to its fullest expression, a willingness to dwell in the tension of what appears contradictory, trusting that grace will emerge from this integration.
Rather than seeing paradox as a problem to be solved, we see it as a fertile ground for spiritual exploration.
3. Embracing the Complexity of Identity
In today’s world, identity has become a battleground. We are expected to align with particular labels and ideologies, to choose sides in increasingly polarized debates. Yet human beings are far more complex than any single label or ideology. We are a mosaic of influences, experiences, and relationships. The Included Middle offers a path forward, allowing us to affirm multiple facets of our identity without feeling the need to reject others.
Grace in this context is about embracing the full spectrum of who we are, both individually and collectively. It allows us to hold seemingly contradictory aspects of ourselves together, recognizing that identity is fluid and multifaceted. Just as we may be both joyful and grieving, both hopeful and uncertain, so too can we embrace aspects of ourselves that do not fit neatly into prescribed categories. This grace allows us to encounter others with empathy and understanding, recognizing their complex, layered identities as reflections of our own.
4. Moving from Tolerance to Radical Inclusion
The Included Middle moves us beyond tolerance to radical inclusion. Tolerance implies a passive acceptance of difference, a stance that often maintains underlying judgments or separations. Inclusion, on the other hand, calls for a deeper engagement, a willingness to embrace the “other” as part of oneself. This is a grace-filled movement toward unity that does not erase differences but incorporates them into a larger whole.
In a theological context, the Included Middle reflects the nature of divine grace, which does not exclude but draws all things together. This grace calls us to love not only those who are like us but those who challenge us, to welcome the stranger as a reflection of the divine image. This is not a naïve unity that ignores conflict or glosses over differences; it is a courageous unity that engages with the full spectrum of human experience, trusting that the creative tension of the Included Middle will lead to growth and transformation.
This grace calls us to love not only those who are like us but those who challenge us, to welcome the stranger as a reflection of the divine image.
5. A Path Forward: The Practice of Graceful Engagement
How, then, do we cultivate the grace of the Included Middle in our lives? It requires a commitment to humility, empathy, and the courage to dwell in ambiguity. Practicing this grace means being willing to sit with discomfort, to listen deeply to those who hold opposing views, and to remain open to the possibility that both sides may contain elements of truth.
This practice is not about finding easy compromises or diluting convictions; rather, it is about seeking a higher truth that transcends individual perspectives. It is about allowing the presence of grace to guide us as we engage with others, not as adversaries or allies, but as fellow travelers on the path to understanding. The grace of the Included Middle calls us to recognize the sacred in all things, to honor the mystery and complexity of existence, and to find unity in diversity.
6. Conclusion: Embracing the Divine Paradox
At its heart, the grace of the Included Middle is an invitation to embrace the divine paradox, a paradox that defies simple categories and calls us into a deeper, more authentic relationship with ourselves, others, and the sacred. This grace is a call to move beyond the limitations of either-or thinking and to embrace a faith that is both deeply rooted and expansively open.
In a world that often feels fragmented and divided, the Included Middle offers a vision of unity that honors diversity, a grace that invites us into the fullness of life. This is not a retreat from complexity but an embrace of it, a recognition that the most profound truths are found not in certainty but in the beautiful, mysterious tension of the Included Middle. In this space, we find not only a way forward but a vision of grace that is both inclusive and transformative, a grace that calls us to live in harmony with all that is.
Radical Centrism 