I saw a pastor recently make a post critiquing the tendency of individuals transitioning through various stages of faith, labeling them with terms like “cage-stage” or “fanboy,” and characterizing their journeys as emotionally unstable or driven by a lack of intellectual or spiritual grounding. The argument boiled down to questioning the sincerity and stability of those exploring or converting to different Christian traditions.

This reminded me of a similar argument once directed at me when I was transitioning out of the mainstream Anglican Church and toward Orthodoxy. Back then, a priest remarked to me with faux Christian concern that I should focus on finding a “real community” and not just seek an intellectual experience. While outwardly charitable, the comment was clearly meant as a dismissal of my spiritual journey and an ad hominem attack on my personal faith. What this priest failed to realise was that my decision had been deeply informed by both intellectual conviction and spiritual involvement with an Orthodox community. At that point, I was already attending divine liturgies, actively participating in church life, engaging with theological education, and serving within that community in various capacities. Their attempt to belittle my journey said far more about their own defensiveness than about my sincerity.

When I see others make similar remarks today—dismissing someone’s transition to a different tradition by painting them as unstable, immature, or insincere—I bristle. Such critiques focus on discrediting the person rather than engaging with the theology or ideas being discussed. If someone chooses to critique their former tradition as part of their journey, they have every right to do so. The appropriate Christian response should be to address the theological points raised, not to attack the person making them.

Yes, we are all grasping for something to anchor us. And that anchor is Christ. Our job as Christians is not to police others’ faith journeys with condescension but to encourage one another to hold fast to Christ, however imperfectly, throughout this challenging earthly life. Let us aim to play the ball, not the man, and engage with each other’s ideas in a spirit of truth and love.