Rethinking Christian Perfection

Inspired by a conversation with Amy Bratton on the SoulStream Living from the Heart podcast

If you’ve ever felt uneasy about the word “perfection” especially in spiritual language, you’re not alone. Many of us, especially those who grew up believing that being faithful meant being flawless, have struggled with the weight of that word.

In a recent conversation on the SoulStream podcast, Amy Bratton helps reframe what Christian perfection meant in the early Methodist tradition.

Amy is a writer, teacher, and spiritual leader based in Saskatoon. She is the Director of Operations and Publishing at New Leaf Network and project manager for the Canadian Multivocational Ministry Project. Her book, Witnesses of Perfect Love, explores how early Methodists experienced and described deep encounters with God, experiences they often called “Christian perfection” or “perfect love.”

But here’s the thing. It wasn’t about moral performance or sinless behaviour.

Amy describes it like this: early Methodists would have a kind of second conversion. Not a dramatic story for others to admire, but an interior shift, where the anger, pride, or fear that used to drive them began to fall away. Not through effort, but through encounter. They met God in such a deep way that there just wasn’t room anymore for those things. What remained was love. And that love began to overflow.

She also reminds us that in the original language, “perfect” often meant mature or whole. It was never about getting it all right. It was about becoming more fully yourself in God.

This isn’t about chasing spiritual experiences either. For the people Amy studied, these moments of perfect love weren’t goals to pursue. They were gifts. And these moments made the people Amy studied better able to live with tenderness, courage, and care.

In Amy’s own life, this has meant accepting her full humanity. Amy has allowed God to embrace her in all aspects of her life, including challenges such as parenting, fatigue, and the intricate realities of managing numerous projects.

So if the word “perfection” has made you feel unworthy or stuck, maybe it’s time to reclaim it. Or maybe just let it go. You are loved!