Typology When Certainty Collapses: Chasing Francis – Chapter One
Aug 13, 2026
A megachurch pastor admits his faith has collapsed and sets out on a pilgrim journey to find something real. Scenes move from therapy and cultural fatigue with packaged religion to a shocking public confession and its painful fallout. The story follows a walk through grief, wrestling with tidy beliefs, and a trip toward St. Francis and deeper longing.
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St Francis As A Guide For Institutional Collapse
- Ian frames St. Francis as a figure who lived at a hinge between medieval and modern worlds, useful when institutions lose credibility.
- He suggests Francis reappears in moments when organized religion feels bankrupt and people crave authentic faith.
Ego Collapse As The Start Of Transformation
- Ian interprets Chase's crisis as an ego collapse where the false self's scaffolding cracks under pressure.
- He links that collapse to the Enneagram idea that each personality's safety strategy eventually breaks and invites rebuilding.
Megachurch Growth Built On Manageable Faith
- Chase built Putnam Hill on offering a controlled, explainable God that appealed to skeptical New Englanders and young professionals.
- The church's rapid growth masked that its faith model was more managerial than mystical.
