Sacred meets secular: Commonality and difference associated with the sacred Christ-centered and secular assertive life practices

This study describes what happens when sacred meets secular in the life of the sacred Christ-centered disciple and of the secular assertive practitioner by examining how each faces the following tension-generating dilemmas: anger and rage, gossip and speaking ill of others, and sexual desire while single. Christ-centered disciples believe that they obtain the mind of Christ as a gift from God, which grants them victory over tension-generating dilemmas. Spiritual formation within this sacred life practice encompasses voluntary surrender of free will to Christ through accepting him as Savior and Lord, reflecting on how Christ responded to tension-generating dilemmas, and allowing the character of Christ to be normalized within one's heart and mind when bombarded by tension-generating dilemmas. Secular assertive practitioners overcome tension-generation dilemmas by achieving self-actualization through equalized relationship building.; The Christ-centered life practice is juxtaposed against secular assertiveness in the attempt to uncover areas of commonality and difference. Why study the relationship between these populations? The field of sociology has neglected comparative discourse on these groups. Absent objective review of this area, sociology is unable to comprehend and appreciate the unique import associated with commonality and difference present in the relationship between these life practices and the secular world. This study also provides the field of sociology an opportunity to explore the import and impact Christ-centered disciples have on the secular world as they obtain the mind of Christ while living within contemporary secular society.; Primary framing data is drawn from full participant observation, a survey of secular humanistic psychological literature, the Holy Bible, and in-depth interviews conducted with more than twenty-five individuals. Research participants are African American, but diverse with respect to gender, education, income, and age.