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Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal
In this classic work of spiritual theology, historian Richard Lovelace presents a history of spiritual renewals in light of biblical models. Drawing from the best of different Protestant traditions, Dynamics of Spiritual Life lays out a comprehensive approach to the renewal of the church. In the first half of the book, Lovelace surveys awakening movements since the Reformation, particularly emphasizing Jonathan Edwards's theology of renewal. He then goes deeper into specific elements of such movements and their significance for both doctrinal reformation and spiritual renewal. Lovelace examines such practical issues as renewal of the local congregation, ways revivals go wrong, prospects for closing the "sanctification gap," the historical role of evangelical movements in promoting both unity and division, and Christian approaches to the arts. With scholarly and pastoral insight, he offers a powerful vision of renewal that can unify various models across traditions, combining individual and corporate spirituality, social activism, and evangelism. For over forty years, this well-loved book has helped Christians understand the spiritual movement they are a part of and guided leaders in planting and pastoring churches. This expanded edition features a new foreword.
460 pages, Paperback
Published January 28, 2020
154 people are currently reading
661 people want to read
About the author
Richard F. Lovelace
10 books10 followersNot to be confused with Richard Lovelace, the English seventeenth century poet.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 9, 2022
Finished at the end of semester. Brilliant work. Well thought out and a book to return to often. More ministers (and lay-people!) should read this. Will need updating soon when it comes to the proposed models simply due to changing culture.
November 5, 2021
Dynamics of Spiritual Life would not have been on my reading list but for Tim Keller’s recommendation. On multiple occasions, Keller has listed this book as one of the most influential in his life, and he wrote a new forward in the 2020 re-release. As I began, it became clear that while I tend to choose academic history over popular history, I prefer a bit more accessible theology rather than academic theology. Dynamics of Spiritual Life is dense, and each page seemed to have something that demanded time and reflection. Lovelace’s book is immensely valuable—even to a mainstream audience—but readers should know what to expect before diving into Lovelace’s insightful book.
I give this warning with a further point that Lovelace begins by exploring previous examples of spiritual revivals throughout history. I previously read a biography of Jonathan Edwards, leader in the revival known as the “First Great Awakening” during colonial America. I also read his book, Religious Affections. Both gave me a good primer for Dynamics of Spiritual Life and served as a foundation for my reading. I think reading this book would have been more challenging without the context. With those caveats in place, I recommend Dynamics of Spiritual Life as an excellent foundation for church history and biblical insight.
There were a number of sections in this book that stayed with me. Because the book is dense, I found myself chewing on ideas for days or weeks after reading them. The following includes the excerpts and positions I spent the most time contemplating:
Lovelace repeatedly observed that a large-group commitment to prayer occurred whenever there has been a revival. Indeed, this was a theme of his book from start to finish. Later in the book, Lovelace referenced Acts 6 when the apostles concluded they needed to appoint deacons to divide the bread. The apostles could not address the responsibility because they needed to devote themselves “to prayer and to the ministry of the word (emphasis added).” Ministry of the word was not the first priority; it was prayer. The critical element of prayer was a theme that Lovelace meaningfully explored from start to finish.
The early sections of Dynamics did a good job of exploring man’s nature as generally good or generally evil. Lovelace cited Kierkegaard, who “complained that the New Testament as usually understood is an inadequate instrument for converting respectable people because it was designed for sinners.” If people don’t see themselves as such, it is harder to recognize a need for Christ. The Old Testament was designed to awaken a hunger for redemption. The law shows the need for reconciliation with God and His holiness. Lovelace stated that it must be a complete picture of God that Christians teach: “God’s mercy, patience, and love must be fully preached in the church. But they are not credible unless they are presented in tension with God‘s infinite power, complete and sovereign control of the universe, holiness, and righteousness.”
Relatedly, Lovelace’s exploration of justification versus sanctification was well done. He explained that being justified—claiming the righteousness of Christ the only ground for acceptance before God—creates a relaxing quality of trust. This trust that we are justified despite our inadequacies produces increasing sanctification—moving toward greater obedience—occurs out of love and gratitude.
Here is a great quote on an area where Christians often lose focus: Too often we work to maintain a personal and church culture and “forget outreach, especially if the process of reaching out involves touching those who may contaminate us.” This leads to maintaining denominational traditions and thus drifting away from the church’s true mission.
These ideas on neglecting prayer and individual churches’ self-maintenance come together in how we pray: “the proportion of horizontal communication that goes on in the church (in planning, arguing and, expanding) is overwhelmingly greater than that which is vertical (in worship, thanksgiving, confession, and intercession).”
Lovelace came back to prayer again when looking at small-group prayers: “Often the concerns which are shared and prayed about are wholly personal, involved with healing, psychological adjustment, and other immediate individual burdens. Larger issues which are closely related to the interests of the kingdom of God are ignored.” Lovelace continues that the Lord’s Prayer is instructive in its focus: worship, desire for God’s will on earth, and then personal concerns.
“The ‘ultimate concern’ of most church members is not the worship and service of Christ and evangelistic mission and social compassion, but rather survival and success in their secular vocation. The church is a spoke on the wheel of life connected to the secular hub. It is a departmental sub-concern, not the organizing center of all other concerns.”
Lovelace observed that this approach leads to external rule-following extending from a dose of willpower. But such a limited understanding of justification or being part of God’s beloved means there is little change toward the internal issues of pride, covetousness, and hostility. Lovelace compared this approach to church as a trained seal performing its routine. Attendees can participate in activities and toss around Christian buzzwords but the changed heart cannot occur with such superficiality.
The following paragraph seems especially relevant with what we saw amid the pandemic. Lovelace notes the insecurity that many people in the church experience: “Consciously, they defend themselves as dedicated Christians who are as good as anybody else, but underneath the conscious level there is deep despair and soft rejection. Above the surface this often manifest itself in a compulsive floating hostility which focuses upon others in critical judgment.” He continues: “Christians who are insecure in their relationship to Christ can be a thorn bush of criticism, rejection, estrangement, and party spirit. Unsure in the depths of their hearts what God thinks of them, church members will fanatically affirm their own gifts and take fierce offense when anyone slights them, or else they will fuss endlessly with a self-centered inventory of their own inferiority in an inverted pride.”
Lovelace explored the foundations of Christian counseling and the difficulty of reconciling biblical principles with modern psychology. He criticized individuals that neglect developing counseling ministries and sees it as “essential to the renewal of the local congregation.” Relatedly, Lovelace cautioned against repudiating all mainstream psychology—the nouthetic approach to counseling. He discusses this in the context of common grace and notes there are elements of truth in any system, including psychotherapy. The key is applying biblical truth to test and verify what is encountered in the field.
Lovelace referenced a thoughtful excerpt from Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards: “Spiritual Pride is very apt to suspect others; whereas a humble saint is most jealous of himself, he is so suspicious of nothing in the world as he is of his own heart…But The eminently humble Christian has so much to do at home…that he is not apt to be very busy with the other hearts.” Lovelace continues: “Pride magnifies the faults of other Christians and diminishes their graces…” Additionally, spiritual pride often makes people concerned about externalities and being mocked or persecuted for those oddities rather than keeping the focus on appearing as fools on account of Christ. The former is an invented strangeness rather than Christ-focused living.
Lovelace observed that we see American traits of “covetousness, gluttony, egocentric libertarianism, and pride, all of which have been selectively bread into our culture,” which reflects what we might expect as distorted virtues in a free-market democracy—the desired traits of “ambition, enterprise, freedom, [and] self-respect” other cultures are certain to have other collective vices, but many Christians from other cultures observe that “American Christians have their lives organized around the kingdom of business success and not the kingdom of God.“
This section resonated deeply with me: “God has provided us with the ability to gather information and to make rational decisions in the light of [our intellect and experiences] in conformity with his revealed will in scripture. Any method of guidance which habitually detours around reason is crippling and dehumanizing. It will lead to indecision, hesitation to act where the imperatives of action are plain to reason informed by Scripture, and inability to plan properly and to maintain or adapt plans when made.” Lovelace continues, however, to note there is something more than reason alone, as Christians are to be “led by the Spirit of God.” Jonathan Edwards put it like this: “And thus the Spirit of God leads and guides the meek in his way…he enables them to understand the commands and counsels of his word, and rightly to apply them.”
Consider this observation by Father John Neuhaus believed that “culture is the root of politics, and religion is the root of culture.” As we look at the current state of politics and discourse, I can’t help but think how much time conservative Christians spend on politics rather than evangelism. The idea fits together with this observation by Lovelace on society: “The ultimate solution to cultural decay is not so much the repression of bad culture as the production of sound and healthy culture, which in a society salted with vital Christianity will readily crowd out the bad. Therefore, we should direct most of our energy not to the censorship of decadent culture, but the production and support of healthy expressions of Christian and non-Christian art.”
Lovelace summarizes Jonathan Edwards’s take on generosity as follows: “[W]e cannot Deny help to the undeserving, since this would clash with God’s gift of grace to us and our consequent obligation to love even our enemies. Nor can we fail to help the man who is indigence is due to his own financial in Providence; this is not necessarily sin but may be due to a warrant of economic sense which is as real a handicap is blindness. Even if it is delivered, it should be forgiven by fellow sinners. Even the man who is personally at fault and continues to be slothful for after receiving help should continue to get it, for the sake of his family! Against the backdrop of these rigorous deductions from the doctrines of grace, contemporary evangelical conservatism sounds like an echo of non-Christian callousness.”
This observation is worth exploring. Lovelace observed an unofficial divide of enculturation that has occurred. “Evangelicals became the Republican Party at prayer, and Liberals, the religious expression of Democratic ideals.” One consequence of this divide is Evangelicalism has become “remarkably inert in the social dimension” Lovelace also noted “In this century, the evangelical sector has specialized in theological and personal repentance, and the ‘liberal’ sector has specialized in social repentance. This division of labor has not worked very well.”
I found it striking how this 40-year-old passage could have easily been written today. Lovelace concludes that it is unacceptable to teach righteousness in an individual without fighting injustice and unrighteousness in corporate structures. He also concludes that it is similarly unacceptable to focus wholly on societal ills.
Lovelace again ties this back to prayer: “Most…who are praying are not praying about social issues, and most of those who are active in social issues are not praying.” The effect is little cultural effect by either liberals or evangelicals. Lovelace also circled back to evangelical inactivity when he wrote, “others may be profoundly uneasy about [these ideas] because it assumes our responsibility to work for better conditions in the world.”
Consider Lovelace’s concluding optimism that we may be in the greatest era of spreading the Gospel: “The world Evangelical community is organizing for mission now with a technological skill which is unprecedented. The number of available missionary fraternal workers is growing daily. The information and transportation explosions and the evolution of two great trade empires, the communist and capitalist worlds, have contracted the planet, if not to a single village, at least to several towns which are in close touch with one another.”
Remember, after all, “the central theme of the biblical drama of redemption…through the mercy of God.”
Dynamics of Spiritual Life is an excellent book, but the title seemed ill-fitting when I first started the book. My expectations were more of an individual focus on living, which Lovelace did address. The focus was more on the history of the church—what it is and what it should be. Yet after reading the book, the title seems all the more fitting. Lovelace’s books gives a game plan—particularly for church leaders—on how to live and where the focus in churches should be. Dynamics of Spiritual Life prompted significant contemplation and it is worth wrestling with the text. There is much to consider, and the results are certainly worthwhile.
I give this warning with a further point that Lovelace begins by exploring previous examples of spiritual revivals throughout history. I previously read a biography of Jonathan Edwards, leader in the revival known as the “First Great Awakening” during colonial America. I also read his book, Religious Affections. Both gave me a good primer for Dynamics of Spiritual Life and served as a foundation for my reading. I think reading this book would have been more challenging without the context. With those caveats in place, I recommend Dynamics of Spiritual Life as an excellent foundation for church history and biblical insight.
There were a number of sections in this book that stayed with me. Because the book is dense, I found myself chewing on ideas for days or weeks after reading them. The following includes the excerpts and positions I spent the most time contemplating:
Lovelace repeatedly observed that a large-group commitment to prayer occurred whenever there has been a revival. Indeed, this was a theme of his book from start to finish. Later in the book, Lovelace referenced Acts 6 when the apostles concluded they needed to appoint deacons to divide the bread. The apostles could not address the responsibility because they needed to devote themselves “to prayer and to the ministry of the word (emphasis added).” Ministry of the word was not the first priority; it was prayer. The critical element of prayer was a theme that Lovelace meaningfully explored from start to finish.
The early sections of Dynamics did a good job of exploring man’s nature as generally good or generally evil. Lovelace cited Kierkegaard, who “complained that the New Testament as usually understood is an inadequate instrument for converting respectable people because it was designed for sinners.” If people don’t see themselves as such, it is harder to recognize a need for Christ. The Old Testament was designed to awaken a hunger for redemption. The law shows the need for reconciliation with God and His holiness. Lovelace stated that it must be a complete picture of God that Christians teach: “God’s mercy, patience, and love must be fully preached in the church. But they are not credible unless they are presented in tension with God‘s infinite power, complete and sovereign control of the universe, holiness, and righteousness.”
Relatedly, Lovelace’s exploration of justification versus sanctification was well done. He explained that being justified—claiming the righteousness of Christ the only ground for acceptance before God—creates a relaxing quality of trust. This trust that we are justified despite our inadequacies produces increasing sanctification—moving toward greater obedience—occurs out of love and gratitude.
Here is a great quote on an area where Christians often lose focus: Too often we work to maintain a personal and church culture and “forget outreach, especially if the process of reaching out involves touching those who may contaminate us.” This leads to maintaining denominational traditions and thus drifting away from the church’s true mission.
These ideas on neglecting prayer and individual churches’ self-maintenance come together in how we pray: “the proportion of horizontal communication that goes on in the church (in planning, arguing and, expanding) is overwhelmingly greater than that which is vertical (in worship, thanksgiving, confession, and intercession).”
Lovelace came back to prayer again when looking at small-group prayers: “Often the concerns which are shared and prayed about are wholly personal, involved with healing, psychological adjustment, and other immediate individual burdens. Larger issues which are closely related to the interests of the kingdom of God are ignored.” Lovelace continues that the Lord’s Prayer is instructive in its focus: worship, desire for God’s will on earth, and then personal concerns.
“The ‘ultimate concern’ of most church members is not the worship and service of Christ and evangelistic mission and social compassion, but rather survival and success in their secular vocation. The church is a spoke on the wheel of life connected to the secular hub. It is a departmental sub-concern, not the organizing center of all other concerns.”
Lovelace observed that this approach leads to external rule-following extending from a dose of willpower. But such a limited understanding of justification or being part of God’s beloved means there is little change toward the internal issues of pride, covetousness, and hostility. Lovelace compared this approach to church as a trained seal performing its routine. Attendees can participate in activities and toss around Christian buzzwords but the changed heart cannot occur with such superficiality.
The following paragraph seems especially relevant with what we saw amid the pandemic. Lovelace notes the insecurity that many people in the church experience: “Consciously, they defend themselves as dedicated Christians who are as good as anybody else, but underneath the conscious level there is deep despair and soft rejection. Above the surface this often manifest itself in a compulsive floating hostility which focuses upon others in critical judgment.” He continues: “Christians who are insecure in their relationship to Christ can be a thorn bush of criticism, rejection, estrangement, and party spirit. Unsure in the depths of their hearts what God thinks of them, church members will fanatically affirm their own gifts and take fierce offense when anyone slights them, or else they will fuss endlessly with a self-centered inventory of their own inferiority in an inverted pride.”
Lovelace explored the foundations of Christian counseling and the difficulty of reconciling biblical principles with modern psychology. He criticized individuals that neglect developing counseling ministries and sees it as “essential to the renewal of the local congregation.” Relatedly, Lovelace cautioned against repudiating all mainstream psychology—the nouthetic approach to counseling. He discusses this in the context of common grace and notes there are elements of truth in any system, including psychotherapy. The key is applying biblical truth to test and verify what is encountered in the field.
Lovelace referenced a thoughtful excerpt from Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards: “Spiritual Pride is very apt to suspect others; whereas a humble saint is most jealous of himself, he is so suspicious of nothing in the world as he is of his own heart…But The eminently humble Christian has so much to do at home…that he is not apt to be very busy with the other hearts.” Lovelace continues: “Pride magnifies the faults of other Christians and diminishes their graces…” Additionally, spiritual pride often makes people concerned about externalities and being mocked or persecuted for those oddities rather than keeping the focus on appearing as fools on account of Christ. The former is an invented strangeness rather than Christ-focused living.
Lovelace observed that we see American traits of “covetousness, gluttony, egocentric libertarianism, and pride, all of which have been selectively bread into our culture,” which reflects what we might expect as distorted virtues in a free-market democracy—the desired traits of “ambition, enterprise, freedom, [and] self-respect” other cultures are certain to have other collective vices, but many Christians from other cultures observe that “American Christians have their lives organized around the kingdom of business success and not the kingdom of God.“
This section resonated deeply with me: “God has provided us with the ability to gather information and to make rational decisions in the light of [our intellect and experiences] in conformity with his revealed will in scripture. Any method of guidance which habitually detours around reason is crippling and dehumanizing. It will lead to indecision, hesitation to act where the imperatives of action are plain to reason informed by Scripture, and inability to plan properly and to maintain or adapt plans when made.” Lovelace continues, however, to note there is something more than reason alone, as Christians are to be “led by the Spirit of God.” Jonathan Edwards put it like this: “And thus the Spirit of God leads and guides the meek in his way…he enables them to understand the commands and counsels of his word, and rightly to apply them.”
Consider this observation by Father John Neuhaus believed that “culture is the root of politics, and religion is the root of culture.” As we look at the current state of politics and discourse, I can’t help but think how much time conservative Christians spend on politics rather than evangelism. The idea fits together with this observation by Lovelace on society: “The ultimate solution to cultural decay is not so much the repression of bad culture as the production of sound and healthy culture, which in a society salted with vital Christianity will readily crowd out the bad. Therefore, we should direct most of our energy not to the censorship of decadent culture, but the production and support of healthy expressions of Christian and non-Christian art.”
Lovelace summarizes Jonathan Edwards’s take on generosity as follows: “[W]e cannot Deny help to the undeserving, since this would clash with God’s gift of grace to us and our consequent obligation to love even our enemies. Nor can we fail to help the man who is indigence is due to his own financial in Providence; this is not necessarily sin but may be due to a warrant of economic sense which is as real a handicap is blindness. Even if it is delivered, it should be forgiven by fellow sinners. Even the man who is personally at fault and continues to be slothful for after receiving help should continue to get it, for the sake of his family! Against the backdrop of these rigorous deductions from the doctrines of grace, contemporary evangelical conservatism sounds like an echo of non-Christian callousness.”
This observation is worth exploring. Lovelace observed an unofficial divide of enculturation that has occurred. “Evangelicals became the Republican Party at prayer, and Liberals, the religious expression of Democratic ideals.” One consequence of this divide is Evangelicalism has become “remarkably inert in the social dimension” Lovelace also noted “In this century, the evangelical sector has specialized in theological and personal repentance, and the ‘liberal’ sector has specialized in social repentance. This division of labor has not worked very well.”
I found it striking how this 40-year-old passage could have easily been written today. Lovelace concludes that it is unacceptable to teach righteousness in an individual without fighting injustice and unrighteousness in corporate structures. He also concludes that it is similarly unacceptable to focus wholly on societal ills.
Lovelace again ties this back to prayer: “Most…who are praying are not praying about social issues, and most of those who are active in social issues are not praying.” The effect is little cultural effect by either liberals or evangelicals. Lovelace also circled back to evangelical inactivity when he wrote, “others may be profoundly uneasy about [these ideas] because it assumes our responsibility to work for better conditions in the world.”
Consider Lovelace’s concluding optimism that we may be in the greatest era of spreading the Gospel: “The world Evangelical community is organizing for mission now with a technological skill which is unprecedented. The number of available missionary fraternal workers is growing daily. The information and transportation explosions and the evolution of two great trade empires, the communist and capitalist worlds, have contracted the planet, if not to a single village, at least to several towns which are in close touch with one another.”
Remember, after all, “the central theme of the biblical drama of redemption…through the mercy of God.”
Dynamics of Spiritual Life is an excellent book, but the title seemed ill-fitting when I first started the book. My expectations were more of an individual focus on living, which Lovelace did address. The focus was more on the history of the church—what it is and what it should be. Yet after reading the book, the title seems all the more fitting. Lovelace’s books gives a game plan—particularly for church leaders—on how to live and where the focus in churches should be. Dynamics of Spiritual Life prompted significant contemplation and it is worth wrestling with the text. There is much to consider, and the results are certainly worthwhile.
May 6, 2024
Easily one of the most important books I’ve ever read. Here is a vision of what God has been doing in the world that makes sense of so much scripture and answers so many questions that every thoughtful believer will ask—I can’t imagine that anyone who loves the church and wants to see revival putting this book down without being greatly encouraged.
It’s not a quick read, but definitely worth the time.
It’s not a quick read, but definitely worth the time.
June 11, 2024
Such an incredible book. It didn’t make me think of revival or renewal a ton proportionate to how much it made me think about the gospel and the power of the gospel working in an individual (me) and how that can impact a whole society. So Beautiful.
August 27, 2021
Really great book honestly. But I've just had it sitting on my desk for a really long time and I don't feel like reading it so I'm retiring it for now. Might go back in the future to read the last 3 chapters. Super helpful book as a reference for both spiritual leaders and laymen.
February 8, 2020
This book has had a riveting spell on me since I first read it a decade ago and has continued to shape the fundamental landscape of my understanding of theology and spirituality ever since. He traces his conversion from atheism to his reading of Thomas Merton's Seven Storey Mountain, that led him to a journey of spiritual inquiry, where he met Christians of different shades and backgrounds. It was however the Reformed tradition/Puritans that had the most profound impact on him and opened him up to the transforming power of the gospel.
He sees a missing link between justification and sanctification among many believers which he dubs the 'sanctification gap'. He sees how it is possible to have confessed Christ, continue a life of religiosity and remain spiritually dead. In fact, either an encounter with the grace of God without an ensuing commitment to sanctification or an exposure to the righteous demands of God's law without a concomitant experience of his grace can lead to aberrant forms of the Christian life. He offers a way forward by explicating how justification and sanctification are brought together conceptually and in practice.
Presenting his understanding from the Reformed perspective, he outlines the fundamental core of the gospel message that can truly set us on a vibrant course of growth and renewal. This includes depth conception of sin, and encounter with the life-transforming grace of God, justification as well as sanctification by faith, an experience of God's complete acceptance of us through the righteous achievements of Christ, claiming our authority through Christ's defeat over the diabolic, prayer and complete reliance on the Spirit, disenculturation (freedom from cultural binds)of our faith and theological integration.
He includes some additional musings on music, eschatology, live orthodoxy and Christian social concern, each of which is inspiring and thought provoking. I have found the book to be beautiful and succint in its expression and spiritually and theologically challenging. He has written a simpler version of this book with discussion questions more recently for the benefit of some who found this original work less accessible but I have found that it is nothing like reading and drinking in again and again Lovelace's very fine book 'Dynamics of Spiritual Renewal' in all its depth and beauty.
He sees a missing link between justification and sanctification among many believers which he dubs the 'sanctification gap'. He sees how it is possible to have confessed Christ, continue a life of religiosity and remain spiritually dead. In fact, either an encounter with the grace of God without an ensuing commitment to sanctification or an exposure to the righteous demands of God's law without a concomitant experience of his grace can lead to aberrant forms of the Christian life. He offers a way forward by explicating how justification and sanctification are brought together conceptually and in practice.
Presenting his understanding from the Reformed perspective, he outlines the fundamental core of the gospel message that can truly set us on a vibrant course of growth and renewal. This includes depth conception of sin, and encounter with the life-transforming grace of God, justification as well as sanctification by faith, an experience of God's complete acceptance of us through the righteous achievements of Christ, claiming our authority through Christ's defeat over the diabolic, prayer and complete reliance on the Spirit, disenculturation (freedom from cultural binds)of our faith and theological integration.
He includes some additional musings on music, eschatology, live orthodoxy and Christian social concern, each of which is inspiring and thought provoking. I have found the book to be beautiful and succint in its expression and spiritually and theologically challenging. He has written a simpler version of this book with discussion questions more recently for the benefit of some who found this original work less accessible but I have found that it is nothing like reading and drinking in again and again Lovelace's very fine book 'Dynamics of Spiritual Renewal' in all its depth and beauty.
October 29, 2020
Excellent work regarding the nature, history and dynamics of spiritual renewal. Anyone familiar with Keller's work, as he puts it in the foreword, will figure out that he got most of his distinctive theological applications from Lovelace. The central use or application of the reality of justification for sanctification is paramount in the book, and it is explained and applied beautifully.
November 25, 2025
One of the most influential, mind shaping, and spiritually enlightening books I have read in awhile. This is one of those books that I cannot grasp all the details and full meanings in one read. I will be returning to this book again and again to be reminded of the biblical truth presented in this book.
I think it is obvious how this book influenced Keller (as well as the PCA denomination) in how Keller wanted to presented the gospel to the culture he found himself in during his ministry. However, I think what Lovelace does brilliantly is marry the liberalism of the social justice wing that lacks gospel truth with the pietist wing that know and understand gospel truth but lack social justice (though I’m not sure if social justice is the correct word to use of Lovelace application due to its connotation and lack of biblical appeal)
What makes this book important for any Christian (especially pastors, small group leaders, and any leader with the church) is the emphasis of God’s holiness, the seriousness of our sin and the beauty and glory of justification through Christ. Lovelace establishes this from the beginning to emphasis sanctification in our life and to build upon any missional work we do on the foundation of this gospel.
I also appreciated his emphasis on regeneration over just conversion. His remarks to modern Christianity that the whole world has already heard the gospel therefore we have nothing left to do is fundamentally flawed. He examines the fact that the world has not truly heard the gospel because they haven’t experienced the true beauty and righteousness of the church that lives out the objective truth of Christ work on the cross and his resurrection. Lovelace explores and summarizes his puritan heroes (especially Edward’s) to explain true revival that is separate from mere spiritualism, but an understanding of the freedom we have in Christ to live our our salvation not to make converts, but to proclaim His truth in our society so that true regeneration can occur in individuals life who become a part of the church.
This is no where an accurate or exhaustive review of this work, but these were some initial thoughts that came to mind after finishing this book. Even in moments of dry historical pros by Lovelace, there are moments where he ensures that the reader still comes away with spiritual application for their life.
I think it is obvious how this book influenced Keller (as well as the PCA denomination) in how Keller wanted to presented the gospel to the culture he found himself in during his ministry. However, I think what Lovelace does brilliantly is marry the liberalism of the social justice wing that lacks gospel truth with the pietist wing that know and understand gospel truth but lack social justice (though I’m not sure if social justice is the correct word to use of Lovelace application due to its connotation and lack of biblical appeal)
What makes this book important for any Christian (especially pastors, small group leaders, and any leader with the church) is the emphasis of God’s holiness, the seriousness of our sin and the beauty and glory of justification through Christ. Lovelace establishes this from the beginning to emphasis sanctification in our life and to build upon any missional work we do on the foundation of this gospel.
I also appreciated his emphasis on regeneration over just conversion. His remarks to modern Christianity that the whole world has already heard the gospel therefore we have nothing left to do is fundamentally flawed. He examines the fact that the world has not truly heard the gospel because they haven’t experienced the true beauty and righteousness of the church that lives out the objective truth of Christ work on the cross and his resurrection. Lovelace explores and summarizes his puritan heroes (especially Edward’s) to explain true revival that is separate from mere spiritualism, but an understanding of the freedom we have in Christ to live our our salvation not to make converts, but to proclaim His truth in our society so that true regeneration can occur in individuals life who become a part of the church.
This is no where an accurate or exhaustive review of this work, but these were some initial thoughts that came to mind after finishing this book. Even in moments of dry historical pros by Lovelace, there are moments where he ensures that the reader still comes away with spiritual application for their life.
January 17, 2023
I really wish that this book was shorter. I just know there are so few people that will pick up a 450 page book that has this density of content and read it all the way through. But if they did, there is so much gold between these pages.
There are quite a few models here that are just incredible in describing how the church can be renewed and what stops those same patterns of renewal. I love the example of how the church without renewal will always revert either to create a sub-culture with extra-biblical rules or simply absorb the culture that it is in, not discerning whether the culture's practices are biblical or not.
There's a bit about what would be appropriate content for Christian filmmakers that I think is a little misguided, but it's such a small part of the book that it barely detracts from the helpfulness of the book as a whole.
Oh, and Lovelace's writing is simply phenomenal. Here's one of my favorites,
"When straight Americans began to upbraid the hippies for their disorder and licentiousness, they found themselves confronted by prophets from Gomorrah who lashed out at their materialism and their subservience to the child-devouring Moloch of the capitalist success system."
Not only does it make a great point, but "prophets from Gomorrah" is pretty much the coolest way ever to describe Christian hippies critiquing the mainstream.
There are quite a few models here that are just incredible in describing how the church can be renewed and what stops those same patterns of renewal. I love the example of how the church without renewal will always revert either to create a sub-culture with extra-biblical rules or simply absorb the culture that it is in, not discerning whether the culture's practices are biblical or not.
There's a bit about what would be appropriate content for Christian filmmakers that I think is a little misguided, but it's such a small part of the book that it barely detracts from the helpfulness of the book as a whole.
Oh, and Lovelace's writing is simply phenomenal. Here's one of my favorites,
"When straight Americans began to upbraid the hippies for their disorder and licentiousness, they found themselves confronted by prophets from Gomorrah who lashed out at their materialism and their subservience to the child-devouring Moloch of the capitalist success system."
Not only does it make a great point, but "prophets from Gomorrah" is pretty much the coolest way ever to describe Christian hippies critiquing the mainstream.
November 20, 2024
Having recently planted a church, I felt compelled to read this book because Timothy Keller said he never tired of recommending it to church planters. I was eager for foundational principles that would give me better footing amidst my uncertainties, and I wasn't disappointed. But it was not an easy read. This book is basically a seminary course on steroids taught by an extremely well-read church historian. That might sound dry until you quickly realize how much Richard Lovelace truly loves Jesus, and how capable a writer he is. And I just had the privilege of taking what felt like a priceless course from him for the mere price of a book. I learned far more than I can remember right now, but the one thing that stood out in my mind as I closed the book was the simple truth that renewal in the church is directly connected to our grasp of God's grace, which can only be found in a life of daily dependence on Jesus in an ongoing walk with his Spirit. Without that, all the other details of this book become straw. But with that, this book raises our sights to see a mountain range of possibilities as he examines what true renewal includes. And the view that this book provides is amazing.
July 25, 2021
When Tim Keller says that most of his ministry insights come from one specific book, it's kind of necessary that you read the book. And when that same book is specifically recommended by John Perkins as a help in understanding the reality of spiritual warfare, the necessity gets considerably heightened. And so, meet that book: this is a book of church history which is also a pulse-taking of the evangelical movement and church participation in American democracy at the end of the twentieth century. It's also full of prescriptions for how the various parts of the church can stop sniping at each other and move to the living orthodoxy that we're all at least theoretically longing for. (The prescription, in a nutshell? Recognize that you and your favorite denomination don't have a monopoly on the Holy Spirit and be willing to work together with Spirit-filled people wherever, denominationally, you find them. Also pray a whole lot and for a whole lot and with a whole lot of people.)
Let's all read this book and get to work. Or prayer. Prayerful work.
Let's all read this book and get to work. Or prayer. Prayerful work.
January 16, 2025
This is a great work that draws on thinking and historic revivals from a breadth of traditions. Lovelace is full of insightful thoughts helping to diagnose issues in our own spirituality. There's loads here that I want to go back to, but probably more importantly the book stirs a hunger for revival and a longing to see deeper levels of spiritual renewal in the church today....exactly what I came for!
Although I appreciate his heart for unity, I couldn't get on board with his model for the contemporary church. Lovelace almost assumes that the church is modelled on OT Israel with it's unbelieving sector. As a result he calls Christians to stay amongst apostate believers in the hope of seeing them revived. Although I sympathise with the sentiment, I think this application is built on thinking that assumes those connected with the institution of the church are recipients of its promises. Overall the book is excellent though. Lovelace draws from many greats of the past including Edwards, the Puritans, Zinzendorf and Kuyper.
Although I appreciate his heart for unity, I couldn't get on board with his model for the contemporary church. Lovelace almost assumes that the church is modelled on OT Israel with it's unbelieving sector. As a result he calls Christians to stay amongst apostate believers in the hope of seeing them revived. Although I sympathise with the sentiment, I think this application is built on thinking that assumes those connected with the institution of the church are recipients of its promises. Overall the book is excellent though. Lovelace draws from many greats of the past including Edwards, the Puritans, Zinzendorf and Kuyper.
July 6, 2022
Written from a church historian's perspective, Lovelace examines the history of revival movements in American evangelicalism. I enjoyed his description of the primary and secondary elements of revival and was particularly fascinated by the chapter on the roots of social concern. His examination of the effects that various eschatological positions have had on the direction of the evangelical movement was riveting. Perhaps we are in such a different place now that he was in the late 1970's, but I found his words on ecumenicism with the liberal church pretty difficult to take. Overall, this was a very interesting read. At times, Lovelace becomes enraptured with his subject and becomes almost poetic, which makes for good reading with an author so well-versed in his subject.
June 3, 2025
Initially I found this book interesting; the first few chapters covered an overview of various revivals within the history of the Church, and Lovelace drew some connections and correlations from them that I found fascinating. But as the book went on, there were some long chapters with some information that felt a little bit redundant to me (I’m sure it could have been fascinating to someone else!) and I began to lose steam. I definitely think there are some significant takeaways and generally I appreciated his tone… but the end definitely felt like slogging for me — at least at this point in time. But I’m glad I read it as a book that Tim Keller loved and recommended often!
November 22, 2025
Dynamics of Spiritual Life is a dense tome recounting the expansive history of reformation and renewal in the Christian church. Using history as a framework, Lovelace develops a theory for the modern day: What will it take to bring about and sustain revival today?
There is a wealth of interesting and transformational content in this book, but it's packed between pages and pages and pages of dry and boring drivel.
It was one of Tim Keller's favorites, though, so that's enough for me...
There is a wealth of interesting and transformational content in this book, but it's packed between pages and pages and pages of dry and boring drivel.
It was one of Tim Keller's favorites, though, so that's enough for me...
December 12, 2020
My favourite read in 2020
I finally got around to reading this after hearing it referenced by Jonathan Dodson, Keller; and Bob Thune. It was my favourite read outside of the Bible in 2020. I will be returning to this work periodically for years to come. I have already implemented his insights in my own life and ministry to my benefit.
I finally got around to reading this after hearing it referenced by Jonathan Dodson, Keller; and Bob Thune. It was my favourite read outside of the Bible in 2020. I will be returning to this work periodically for years to come. I have already implemented his insights in my own life and ministry to my benefit.
April 11, 2024
Overall this book was great. Not the easiest read so I was tempted to rate it a 4/5. Very packed book. Covers so many topics. Lots of practical things to focus on and share with the Church if we individually want spiritual vitality, revival and renewal and if we want to see it in our churches and in the world!
October 28, 2024
Lovelace captures the Dynamics of Christian Faith
Richard Lovelace in this work captures the dynamism of the Christian faith and explores the origins and the impact that it has had upon civilization since the beginnings of it. Great historical review of revival throughout history. Great insight as to the manner that the faith took hold.
Richard Lovelace in this work captures the dynamism of the Christian faith and explores the origins and the impact that it has had upon civilization since the beginnings of it. Great historical review of revival throughout history. Great insight as to the manner that the faith took hold.
November 12, 2024
not sure how to review this book
As the introduction suggests this book has had a significant impact on the church for the past 40 years. I am intrigued by this book and it’s message but it may not have been the right time for me to read it. I will have to come back and read this book again in a couple of years and hopefully it will hit me differently then.
As the introduction suggests this book has had a significant impact on the church for the past 40 years. I am intrigued by this book and it’s message but it may not have been the right time for me to read it. I will have to come back and read this book again in a couple of years and hopefully it will hit me differently then.
December 9, 2024
I read this book simply because Tim Keller highly recommended this one. I appreicate and learend the the "dynamic" side of Christian/Church life. However, the author seemes neglected how God's people are supposed to live out a life that can draw people to them. The "Renewal" that the author expected are very outward instead of inward -- into self and communal life.
Want to read
April 9, 2022“Dynamics of Spiritual Life is a book we can’t do without. Richard Lovelace’s classic was amazingly prescient when first published 40 years ago, and it’s still relevant to many of today’s ministry issues” - Keller
Read
September 24, 2020Not for me.
April 19, 2023
Fantastic.
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