The middle of the road is about balance and maturity. Some may see it as a compromise, but nothing could be further from the truth. I see Christians as airplanes. Some are so “grounded” (hung up on things that have nothing to do with salvation) they never make it off the runway. Others are off and flying without a pilot’s license (no knowledge of the airplane or the storms that could bring it down). These are the two extremes in Christianity, and you find it in all areas (spiritual and material). Those flying without a pilot’s license can’t imagine needing some healing. Their thought is, “Hey, I’m flying, I can’t possibly have issues” (thank God you are flying, but that doesn’t automatically mean you’re issue free).
Those who are grounded have a different problem. Their concern is centered on outward appearance and they desperately want to make a good impression, but they never make it to the skies. They are sitting in the middle of the runway clogging up the whole airport. No wonder more people are not interested in joining their ranks, they never fly! The real issue here is that people don’t want to discover if they are too far to one side of the road or the other. They are comfortable where they are and don’t want anyone rocking their boat (or airplane in this case) with any truth that would require change or adjustment. God forbid we find any unfinished business late in our Christian career, that just wouldn’t look good.
This illustration mainly represents two types of believers, we’ll call the ones that are flying “charismatics”, and the ones still on the ground “traditionalists”. Both camps fly a Christian banner (and in fact you find sincere believers in each one) but neither camp can truly and honestly claim that everyone in their organization is a legitimate, full-fledged Christian (sometimes the leaders themselves are corrupt). However, there is much that can be learned from the core principles of many different denominations, but the main event should always be Spirit-filled preaching, Biblical teachings and getting connected to Jesus. Personally I think we can all benefit from being a little more open-minded toward those who believe differently than ourselves. Wherever you find yourself now or in the future, just be aware that some bad can be mixed in with the good for many different reasons (which I expound upon in these books).
In reality, everyone has room for improvement, correction and healing. It’s the only way to stop the arrogance (which often results in flying our airplane into a mountainside) and underachieving (not getting off the ground) in Christianity today.