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I was recently asked to participate in a group that is creating curriculum in the area of “spiritual formation.” I have never really written much on this or spoken to the subject, but my nerve endings are a bit sensitive when the subject is introduced. In other words, I can hang with it for a bit, but when it is talked about in terms of “curriculum” or “discipleship” or forming the “whole spiritual person,” I back out.

What is “spiritual formation”? I am trying to be fair and representative of this but I know that there will be those who feel I have left something out. Nevertheless, here it goes:

“Spiritual formation describes a process or path to spiritual wholeness though a practice of specific disciplines including prayer, meditation, study, fasting, solitude, confession, and worship. The end goal is that the person would be more Christ-like.”

In the last ten years, “spiritual formation” seems to be quite a rave. I took a course called “Spiritual Formation” in seminary. Many well respected colleges and seminaries are even offering masters degrees in spiritual formation. It is nothing new, but the current strand seems to have evolved into some sort of perceived spiritual antibiotic to all sin, malnutrition, and disease. (If you don’t know what I am talking about, just Google it.)

At one time I tried to get in with the spiritual formation thing. At least, I tried to understand it. I am not going to mention any of the gurus in these circles (many of whom I have great respect for and from whom I have learned much), but I do have some things about which I don’t mind taking liberty to be overly offensive.

For me, listening to and reading books of this genre is like listening to an organ. I know, you love the organ. I don’t. I can’t stand it. It drains all the life out of me. I only have enough breath to make it though half a sentence in each song and the sentences are not long. When I read spiritual formation books, it is the same. It takes me half a day to get through a paragraph and the paragraphs are not that long. When I finish the book, I usually think to myself, “That could have been said in about one-one hundredth the space. Did I just lose a week off my life? I would have rather smoked a pack of cigarettes. It would have taken less life away.” Dramatics? No. But I am speaking for myself here.

(Calm down and keep reading.)

It is not that I think this 21st century spiritual formation movement is necessarily wrong, I just don’t jump on that bus. My vehicle simply does not run on that fuel.

Having spoken of this in a rather subjective way, I do think there are some things that can be counter-productive in the spiritual formation movement. No . . . I don’t think that it is “new age.” No . . . I don’t think that it is part of the “one world religion.” No, I don’t think it is demonic! I have actually read many critiques that argue for such. Don’t go there. Those who argue such need to stop, count to ten, spin around thirty times, and take a nap.

There are some red flags to everything (including theological studies!). Let me list some here with regard to spiritual formation movement:

1. It can fail to account for individuality.

This is how, when, and where you need to pray. You need to fast at least once a month. Here is how you should read your Bible. Encouragers of this type often disturb me. Not because they are making me uncomfortable in spiritual laziness, but because they attempt to shape me into someone that I am not. The spiritual formation movement can have a “cookie-cutter” mentality where every individual loses their individuality. When you begin to tell me when and how to pray, confess, fast, read, meditate, and the like, you fail to realize that I am not you.

God created us individually. The community does not function properly until we are functioning within our individuality. You may get up early in the morning and pray with your kids, read your bible, carry Scripture memory cards, and take your vitamins. This is wonderful. But when you begin to overlay your structure on my life, it does not work. We all have to allow others to express their spirituality according to their various strengths and weaknesses. This is simply recognizing the way God made us.

2. It can set one up for unrealistic expectations.

I have seen many people who jump in head first into the spiritual disciplines. They are excited because they have structure. There is an ABC to their spiritual growth. They see that they have not grown because they have not followed the “right” pattern. Before they have even had a chance to test the longevity of their new method in their own lives, they are pressuring others to follow with them.

I always give it a few months. I was there myself at one point. Real life has a way of laughing at our paradigms. Sooner or later most people find that the spiritual life is not produced through the A + B = C path. When this happens— when their expectations are not met—they not only give up on the form, but they get discouraged thinking it is the fault of the principles. In other words, if fasting every third week and practicing the Lectio Divina every morning does not fulfill the hyped expectations, then it is both prayer and self-discipline that has failed, not my legalized structure.

3. It can hinder the spontaneous nature of the Spirit’s movements.

“The wind blows where it wills, so it is with the Spirit of God.” The Holy Spirit is faithful, but does not follow according to our calendars. When we attempt to structure our spiritual life, we can make the mistake of trying to twist the arm of God in our development. We don’t know when or how God’s Spirit is going to move in our lives. We need to make sure that our mentality in spiritual formation does not place an implied path that God must follow. I fear that the mentality of this movement implicitly leans in such a direction.

4. It can be a replacement for trust, belief, and faith.

I think that we can often mistake busyness for belief. In other words, we often think that if we are doing enough stuff, then we must believe in what we are doing. This is not true at all. I have seen far too many people who go through the movements of spiritual disciplines precisely because they cannot find a foothold in their faith. They believe that it can either create belief or at least be a stand-in for it. Belief is the foundation for the action, not the other way around. While many in this movement place a strong emphasis on belief and the discipline of study, I find, as a whole, it serves in a very secondary capacity. This is unfortunate. One of the worst things we can do as Christians is give people an excuse for not examining the reality of their belief. Doing “things” is easy. Following steps and rules is a snap. Belief—true belief—is hard.

In the end, I told the person that I would not be the best person for participating in the development of a spiritual formation curriculum. All that I would wind up doing is creating another version of The Theology Program so that people’s beliefs would be true and strong. This, to me, is the foundation for creating Christ in us.

Talk to God, control your will, stay broken before God, and diligently search for truth. These are the principles. When you do this—however you do this—Christ will be formed in you and others will see Christ in you. I promise. But, realize that there is not one path to Christ in you and God will not be controlled by your structure. If you got this, then call it spiritual formation, Christian discipline, or whatever. In the end, it is the Christian life where he who is at work in you will perfect his work in you. Your spirit will be conformed.

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