Life in the Spirit: Spiritual Formation in Theological Perspective

Wheaton Theology Conference

by Jeffrey P. Greenman (Editor), George Kalantzis (Editor)

This volume, edited by Jeffrey P. Greenman and George Kalantzis, marks another compilation from the Wheaton Theology Conference. 2009's event produced the wealth of work represented here exploring the theological foundations for a faithful approach to the church practices that contribute to spiritual formation, that is, to our sanctification in the power of the Holy Spirit. Including essays from keynote speakers Dallas Willard and Gordon Fee as well as contributing essays by noted presenters such as Chris Hall, David Gushee, Linda Cannell, Cherith Fee Nordling and Lawrence Cunningham, this book offers a stimulating exploration of the historical, biblical and theological dimensions of spiritual formation. It will be of special interest to those who serve as pastors, spiritual directors, church ministry leaders and Christian educators.

Genres: Theology, Spirituality

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Jeffrey P. Greenman (Ph.D., University of Virginia) is associate dean of biblical and theological studies and professor of Christian ethics at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. He is a coauthor with George Sumner of Unwearied Praises and is coeditor for the books The Sermon on the Mount Through the Centuries, Reading Romans Through the Centuries and Teach Me Your Paths.

Reviews

[Staci Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book is dry, it is full of interesting ideas worth thinking about.

[Mark Drinnenberg · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated this book. It is a collection of papers from the speakers at the 2009 Wheaton Theology Conference, which was all about emergent "Christianity." The majority of speakers at this conference, with Gordon Fee and Cherith Fee Nordling being notable exceptions, look anywhere but to the Bible for instruction in prayer and spiritual formation. The primary sources which they seem to think are authoritative on these things are the early Church desert fathers (so called because they retreated from society to achieve closeness to God) and monastic monks. Both of these groups attempted closeness to God, and even salvation, through human effort, which would make them unsuitable instructors in anything related to worship or prayer. But these speakers/writers speak of their approaches as if they are authoritative for the rest of us. There are even some references to these methods being THE way to be molded into Christlikeness. It is asserted in this book that by sitting in silence before Christ, one's world view can be changed so that it aligns with Christ's world view. This supposedly happens as Christ himself changes your world view as you sit in silence. A bigger bunch of hogwash I have never heard. I have a much better idea if you want a Christlike world view: read the Bible daily and put it into practice. It will transform you.

[Rick Dugan · Rating 4 out of 5]

These essays remind us of the importance of spiritual formation in the Christian faith and worldview, outline the history of spiritual formation among God’s people, and provide a survey of certain practices that aid in our formation into the image of Christ. The book primarily addresses the theological underpinnings of spiritual formation, which protects us from divinizing a generic or secular spirituality by grounding our formation in the historic person and work of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. It’s a challenge to the local church to stop being busy “doing something else” (45) and return spiritual formation to the center of its mission.

Spiritual formation is theologically defined as “our continuing response to the reality of God’s grace shaping us into the likeness of Jesus Christ, through the work of the Holy Spirit, in the community of faith, for the sake of the world.” (24) As this definition indicates, our formation is initiated by God, but it elicits our response. It means becoming like Christ by embracing his cruciform way of living. More than mere imitation, this is the work of the Spirit who forms the resurrection life in us. It is facilitated by and within the Body of Christ, and prepares us to love as Jesus loved. Our spiritual formation means blessing for the peoples and nations of the world.

Gordon Fee contributes an excellent essay arguing that the Greek word usually translated “spiritual” or “spiritual person” (pneumatikos) is better translated “person of the Spirit,” thus grounding Christian spirituality in the person of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. This is not a generic, inward looking spirituality. It is a specific spirituality defined and directed by the Spirit of Christ. Fee provides us with a survey of the specific ways in which the Holy Spirit forms us into the image of Christ. There is no spiritual formation apart from the Holy Spirit.

And Dallas Willard writes how spiritual formation is a natural part of salvation included in the gospel. He addresses a potentially fatal misunderstanding of salvation, which “poses almost insurmountable barriers to transformation of professing Christians into Christlikeness.” (45)

A serious charge, to be sure.

He argues that our understanding of salvation has been largely reduced to “having your sins forgiven” (47) without adequately addressing how forgiveness contributes to our spiritual formation. The aim of salvation isn’t merely to get to heaven, but to live in Christ’s presence, which begins before we die. The aim of discipleship isn’t merely to obey, but to become the kind of person who learns to love God and others out of devotion to Jesus, responding to Jesus as Lord and Teacher. We have confused salvation with justification, and as a result spiritual formation does not flow as a natural response to the gospel. Salvation then, is not simply surviving life here while we wait for the life to come. “It is human exisitence, to be sure, but one in which the currents of divine life have at least begun to pulsate. It is ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory’ (Col 1:27).’” (51)

Willard rightly states that transformation comes not by believing certain atonement theories or how salvation works, but by a “recognition, hearty confidence, that Jesus really is the Anointed One, the Christ, Lord.” (52) A “personal relationship with Jesus” isn’t possible without this recognition and confidence in the person and presence of Jesus. Our gospel must be about Jesus, not justification by faith. Willard puts it this way: “What exactly is a ‘faith’ that does not naturally express itself in discipleship to Jesus? It would be that of a person who simply would *use* something Jesus did, but has no use for him.” (53) He describes the contemporary church is full of people who understand “getting saved” as making a profession of faith focused on believing Christ took the punishment for our sins. They think of “being right with God” in terms of justification, but not regeneration.

The importance of this can’t be emphasized enough.

“For evangelical Christians, turning around the ship of their social reality and restoring the understanding of salvation that characterized evangelicalism from its beginnings in Luther, and periodically after him, will be very difficult if not impossible. It would primarily be a work of scriptural interpretation and theological reformulation, but modification of time-hardened practices will also be required. Radical changes in what we do in the way of ‘church’ will have to be made. This in turn will demand the utmost in loving character, humility of mind and dependence upon the hand of God in a ‘with God’ life.” (59-60)

Following the section on the theology of spiritual formation, historical essays address the theology and practice of spiritual formation in the church of the first few centuries, in the Roman Catholic Church, among the Puritans, and in early evangelicalism. This is followed by a theological look at practices such as Lectio Divina, Spiritual Direction, Centering Prayer, Corporate Worship, and Working for Justice.

Church leaders in particular would benefit from this “look under the hood” of spiritual formation and discipleship. Hopefully it will restore a more complete understanding of the gospel as regeneration, restore the centrality of spiritual formation and the multiplication of disciples to the mission of the church, and acquaint us with the historic disciplines of spiritual formation that can aid in our formation into the image of Christ.

[Samuel G. Parkison · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some really helpful articles in here. Particularly good were Fee's article on the use of "spiritual" in Pauline literature, the article on Owen's spirituality, and Gushee's article on spirituality and Christian ethics. However, there are some bizarre contributions (the article on "spiritual directors" for example, which all but lobbied for a new office in the church, and the article on "centering prayer," which is as weird as you probably guess) and it's an ecumenical book, which means that the theological gulf between Protestants and Catholics (which is nothing less than a divide between two incompatible gospels) is inevitably minimized at best, and ignored at worst.

[Ronni Kurtz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like most anthologies, Life in the Spirit, has chapters that are more and less helpful. However, I found the difference in this particular work to be fairly staggering. There were a few exceptionally helpful papers while there were many exceptionally unhelpful papers. When the book (rarely) hit, it was a fun read. Yet when the book (often times) missed, it missed by a large margin.

Gordon Fee and Kelly Kapic's chapters both deserve more than two stars. (Especially Kapic's. This chapter was well researched, well-written, and served as an excellent model of historical theological biography) If it were not for the presence of those two papers this work would have received one star.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a series of essays about Spiritual formation from the Christian perspective. There are several essays that give definitions for spiritual formation and the theology behind it. There are some essays that explain certain disciplines or practices that help one be spiritually formed as a Christian. It is written mostly from an Evangelical perspective of how to help Evangelicals do this better than they have done in recent years. There are essays from men and women who are Evangelicals, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians.

[Samuel Bierig · Rating 2 out of 5]

This little diddy was extra average

[Al Soto · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The 2009 Wheaton Theology Conference sought to find guidance and gain perspective on the disciplines and practices identified with spiritual formation by considering its theological foundations. Keynote speakers Gordon Fee and Dallas Willard along with Jeffery Greenman explored the larger biblical and theological framework that placed spiritual formation in clear relationship to the person and the work of the Holy Spirit and to our sanctification and spiritual maturity within the Christian Church. The articles in this book are very good and the essays will serve anyone who is desiring to see the breadth of spirituality that is being explored and developed in the Greater Christian Community."

[Don Henrikson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This compilation of essays is simply not in line with my understanding of the sufficiency of Scripture and too quick to dismiss any understanding of salvation that does serve their practices of spiritual transformation. On the plus side, the chapters on the "evangelical holiness" of Owens and singing for spiritual formation were very well written.

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was alright.

[Seth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Part 1 is worth the read.

[Nick Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were a few very good essays. A few were awful. The rest were mediocre to bad. Overall: Meh.

[Phillip Howell · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a couple chapter that are pretty good but the rest were not that good.