Stuck in us-versus-them? The gospel color cuts through the illusion: we are two trapped in bitter rivalry of black until Jesus’ red bridge lifts us into the only true white, the light of God. Walk the path from cortisol fear to serotonin peace by crossing with Christ.

This article is a reflection on creatively combining three disparate concepts producing a new framework for understanding that can be applied to scripture, history, and conflicts or opportunities past and present.

This is a combination of three concepts merged into one:

(1) the problem of black and white thinking

(2) the three major chemicals of the brain (a) cortisol = danger chemical (b) dopamine = motivation chemical (c) serotonin = the peace chemical.

and (3) color theology.

Thesis: Jesus is the red tree that offers us the White fruit of light

Every age has its polarities. Ours is no exception. People split into rival camps, convinced of their own rightness and the other’s wrongness. On social media, in politics, in religion, the pattern is the same: “We are the righteous ones (white). They are the wicked ones (black).”

But here lies the trap. Each camp sees itself as white and the other as black, yet in truth both are in darkness. Both are driven by rivalry, pride, and fear. Both project onto the other what they cannot admit in themselves. This is the tragedy of perceived white, a self-justifying illusion that hides the fact that all are fallen.

Scripture insists on this diagnosis: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). There is no camp that is truly white on its own. Isaiah warns, “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like filthy rags” (Isa 64:6). Jesus rebukes the Pharisees: they look whitewashed outwardly, but inwardly they are full of death (Matt 23:27).

Thus the real danger is not simply black-and-white thinking, but the illusion of whiteness, the belief that my side already has the light while the other is dark. Rival camps do not see themselves as black; they both claim white. But in truth, both remain black.

What then is the way forward? If black and white are both rival illusions, how do we find true light?

The answer is not found in choosing sides. The answer is found in Christ, the vertical red bridge. He descends into our rivalry, sheds His blood, and lifts both camps upward into the only true white: the radiant light of God’s presence.

This essay traces that journey:

At the base level lies the world of rivalry. Groups clash, each claiming to be righteous. Each accuses the other of being the problem. This is the illusion of black and white. But in truth, both are in the same dark condition.

Biologically, this corresponds to cortisol, the hormone of stress and danger. Cortisol narrows the vision, primes the body for fight or flight, and makes the mind reactive. It is essential for survival but corrosive for sustained community. When cortisol dominates, relationships fracture, and empathy evaporates.

We see this in everyday polarization: two political parties convinced they alone hold truth, demonizing the other. Two denominations each claiming doctrinal purity while denouncing the other as heretical. Two families in conflict, each certain of their own innocence. Each perceives itself as white and the other as black. In truth, both are black.

Scripture offers many examples.

Theologically, this stage reveals the universality of sin. Both camps are deceived. Both live in cortisol-driven rivalry. Neither is truly white. This is why human attempts at reconciliation fail: they begin from false premises of their own purity.

The journey to light must begin with truth: apart from Christ, we are all in black.

If both camps are in darkness, how can they reach light? They cannot climb there on their own. The only path is the vertical red bridge of Jesus Christ.

Red in scripture always carries paradox.

The irony is profound: the very color that stains is the color that purifies. Black does not leap into white. The only passage is through red.

Here lies the gospel: Christ descended into our black rivalry, entered fully into human enmity, and shed His blood. His red is not counterfeit like the Amlicites or Babylon’s scarlet robes. His red is true because it is self-giving, not self-claiming.

Psychologically, this stage corresponds to dopamine, the neurotransmitter of motivation and hope. Where cortisol keeps us trapped in rivalry, dopamine energizes us to move forward, to risk reconciliation, to step toward something new. In the red zone of Jesus, believers are drawn upward, motivated by His love to leave rivalry behind.

The cross is the vertical bridge: red blood poured down that we might be lifted up into light.

Because red is powerful, it is easily abused. Throughout history, false mediators have claimed to wear scarlet, pretending to be bridges but actually deepening rivalry.

Today, counterfeit red is everywhere. Politicians brand themselves as unifiers while exploiting division. Religious leaders pose as reconcilers while consolidating control. Communities proclaim inclusivity while practicing exclusion.

How can we discern? True red always points to the cross. Counterfeit red points to the self. True red reconciles by sacrifice. Counterfeit red reconciles by domination. True red lifts to light. Counterfeit red keeps us in black rivalry while pretending it is white.

Thus the warning: not every scarlet robe is Christ’s blood. Not every bridge is the cross.

If Stage Two shows Jesus descending into our rivalry, Stage Three shows His unique role as the vertical bridge who lifts us upward. His condescension brought Him into the blackness of human strife, but His death and resurrection are what form the bridge into light. Without His red, the passage upward is impossible.

Jesus Himself declared, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). He is not one bridge among many, nor a horizontal compromise between rival camps. He is the vertical lifeline — from below to above, from rivalry into reconciliation, from darkness into radiance.

The cross is this bridge embodied. Suspended between earth and heaven, Jesus stretches His arms wide in blood. His red is paradox: it looks like defeat, but it is triumph. It looks like stain, but it is cleansing. By His wounds, we are healed (Isa 53:5). By His blood, we are justified (Rom 5:9). By His cross, He reconciles both Jews and Gentiles into one body (Eph 2:16).

Biologically, this stage corresponds to dopamine in action. Stage Two awakens hope; Stage Three is the movement itself. Dopamine energizes the believer to act in faith, to trust the bridge, to take the step, to let Christ lift us upward. This is why faith is never merely intellectual assent. It is embodied movement: repentance, baptism, sacrament, service, mercy. These acts do not create the bridge, but they are how we let ourselves be carried upon it.

The vertical red bridge also teaches humility. Rival camps in black-and-white thinking always want to climb on their own ladders: law-keeping, heritage, ideology, politics. But Jesus warns, “No one can come up except through me” (cf. John 10:1). His bridge is narrow, because it excludes pride. We do not walk up to the light as conquerors; we are lifted as forgiven sinners.

Thus, Stage Three is where disciples learn the pattern of trust. We stop striving to prove our own whiteness. We confess our blackness. We cling to His redness. And in that surrender, He raises us to light.

The counterfeit reds or pretenders to Stage Three always keep us horizontal, competing tribes painted scarlet, posturing as mediators. But the true red bridge is vertical. His blood lifts us beyond tribal rivalry into God’s glory. This is the only passage from illusion into reality, from darkness into light, from cortisol-fueled rivalry into serotonin-sustained peace.

The destination is light, the true white that belongs only to God.

In 1 John 1:5: “God is light; in Him is no darkness at all.” In Proverbs 4:18: “The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter until the full light of day.” In Revelation 21:23, the New Jerusalem shines with God’s glory, needing no sun or moon.

Light is not another rival camp. It is the transcendence of camps. It is not perceived purity but true holiness. It is not claimed whiteness but received radiance.

Biologically, this stage corresponds to serotonin, the neurotransmitter of peace, belonging, and stability. Where cortisol keeps us fearful and dopamine drives us forward, serotonin sustains us in joy and communion. In the light, communities flourish in trust, rest, and love.

Spiritually, this is Zion, the mature body of Christ, where empathy is natural, humility instinctive, and love unbroken. It is the fullness of Christ, where His people shine with His light.

The true white is never earned, never claimed, never self-bestowed. It is always a gift. It is always mediated through red, through Jesus.

This vertical model offers deep coherence across scripture and life.

Even the neurochemical lens mirrors this:

How then shall we live? Five practices anchor disciples in true red, not counterfeit scarlet.

Discipleship means standing in Jesus’ red until His light dawns.

The world is caught in the illusion of black and white. Each camp claims to be white and condemns the other as black. But in truth, both are black. Both are enslaved to cortisol rivalry, trapped in immaturity.

Into this rivalry descends Jesus. Clothed in red, He enters our darkness, sheds His blood, and becomes the vertical bridge. His red is paradox: the stain that cleanses, the blood that heals, the cross that reconciles. Only through His red can black be lifted into white.

The goal is not to win the rivalry. The goal is to ascend into light through the red hope (dopamine) of Jesus. In the true white of God’s presence, there is no rivalry, no counterfeit scarlet, no cortisol fear. Only serotonin peace, only divine radiance, only love.

Not black versus white, but two blacks, deceived by rivalry, lifted by Jesus’ red into the only true white: the light of God.

The covenant journey can be summed up in one refrain:

—Taylor Halverson
Learn Deeply. Live Meaningfully. Spread Light and Goodness!

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[Note that I’ve created audio narration using experimental AI enhancement of my voice. I think the narration is functional…but not quite authentic!]

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