I am not a compartmentalist. I have never heard the term before. As far as I’m aware, I just coined the term. I am a holist. Now that is actually a word. A holist is technically a person who sees the integration and connection of all parts in the universe. For my use, a holist is a person who sees all parts of their life as connected- requiring consistency and congruence in everything. There can be no clear division between sacred and secular, between matters of lesser or greater importance, between inner thoughts and true values, between private beliefs and public behaviors. Compartmentalists have no problem separating all of these. In fact, it is common for them to evaluate everything in isolation from the whole.
In their view, one can easily compartmentalize and assess their spiritual life, their secular life, their work life, their family life, etc. apart from each other. In fact, in most circles I am around behavior is expected to change in the various venues of life. An example comes to mind when I remember trying to evaluate whether or not a certain person would be good for a specific job. A referral came, telling me that the person in question had a weakness of serious and noticeable impatience with difficult people. But, their overall relational aptitude and love for healthy people was very sound and they would be a good hire. That reference puzzled me. I have often heard people say when their behavior was out of control or even mildly inappropriate, “That is really not me. I don’t know what came over me. I’m not like that.” As a holist I would say, and have said to myself and others when something of concern in me arose, “where did that come from? There is obviously something undetected. I need to get to the core of this.” There is a clear difference in mindset, discipline, response and value. Compartmentalists can slough off the matter as non-essential, needing no remedy. The holist sees a problem in one area and understands its impact as a problem in all areas.
There is something pernicious about compartmentalizing, as tidy as it is. I do not believe there is much health in segregation- not just the racist kind. I am convinced that our behavior must be congruent and consistent in all situations among all people at all times. But, our culture does not see it that way. We have hierarchy of values that will determine our important compartments from the unimportant.
That temptation to divide and compartmentalize underlies the shock and importance of Jesus’ command to love our enemies and pray for them. It is shocking, because the world in which he spoke and in which we live today find very little problem justifying one set of excusable behaviors toward “bad” people and another set of acceptable behaviors toward “good” people. It is commonly accepted compartmentalization at its most glaring. It is important, however, as Jesus would serve notice that such permissible differences in behavior toward different people, does damage not only to the health of others but to us as well. If hate has anyplace in us with anyone, then it has mastery over us. If bitterness can only be found as a root in one relationship, then it has potential to sprout into something more with others. If temptation is yielded to in one area, a wedge has been formed big enough to let more than the vices in Pandora’s box into all areas of life.
As a person in ministry for 30 years, I have found the propensity to compartmentalize not only in individuals about their own life, but in churches in general, pastors and church members. I have heard churches say, “we are a loving church”, but show little or no evidence of growth or attempt to reach out to their community. Their love has been set inward and therefore has been compartmentalized and does not adequately reflect the love condition of the church. I have heard members say, “our church would grow if we just had better preaching” (you could add music, children’s ministries, social outreach, or any host of ministries to the list). Again, that comment is betrayed by the number of churches I have seen with dynamic growth and mediocre preaching and/or music. I have heard pastors say, “our church would grow if more people bought into the vision” and many other similar statements. It is probably a little more comprehensive (holistic) answer than that.
As a result of the above, I have often winced when I would hear the church, or I as pastor, say “we are very good about discipleship, but need to improve our evangelism.” If we are not doing one of these well, we are not doing the other well. Or, when I have heard, “our pastor preaches well, but the sermons are not very biblical.” Then does he/she preach well? Or, “we do a good job of discipleship, but our folks do not tithe or give very well.” Then are they serious disciples?
I believe there is absolute genius in Jesus’ great commandment. “Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength” (Mark 12:30). Trying to regionalize love, segregate care or compartmentalize our affection for God to heart alone makes our love for God nothing more than private emotion. To reduce it to a mental (mind) activity makes it nothing more than sterile belief. To place it deep within the soul leaving no escape for expression is to dismiss love altogether. To love God with our strength (will) is an attempt to turn love into little more than muscle for God. The great commandment is that the love of God would permeate heart, soul, mind and strength. If we are to love at all, we must love entirely.
The only way to live this Christian life is to expose all sin, secret and known, seemingly important and unimportant. It is to love God wholly and others without exception. It is to surrender completely- time, interests, values, check-books. There is really no room for half-way Christian together with happy, healthy and whole Christian. King David said, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me . . .” (Psalm 139:23-24). He knew that if there was “any” offense, then there was “every” offense.
I am doggedly committed to being a holist. I know that everything connects together. I am kidding myself if I think one part is o.k. while the other part is sick. The body does not work that way. If one part is sick, the whole is sick. If the whole is well, then all of the parts will be nurtured to wholeness. It is the law of all laws (great commandment) and the law of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12).