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Dear Friends,
The interest in Spiritual Formation is growing
rapidly. We can now say that the topic is "popular."
I knew this day was coming, and now it is upon
us. For some time our theological seminaries have
been establishing programs in Spiritual Formation;
some on the M.Div. level, others on the D.Min.
level. Christian colleges too have been starting
up Spiritual Formation courses and integrating
the concern into various aspects of their curriculum.
Endowed professorships have been set up specifically
to teach Spiritual Formation. Various institutes
and centers of Spiritual Formation have been popping
up around the country. The number of those who
are trained to do Spiritual Direction has been
growing steadily. The term—if not a clear understanding
of it—has now come into the mainstream of Protestant
language. (Spiritual Formation has been in Catholic
circles for a long time, but it has been confined
mainly to Religious orders. All that is changing
rapidly, and today it is common to see Spiritual
Formation concepts adapted to reflect lay and
married life concerns.)
Now,
religious publishers are getting into the act,
scurrying about to acquire books in the field,
even establishing whole lines in Spiritual Formation.
Perhaps the surest sign that this is indeed a
hot topic is that soon yet another specialty Bible
will be available to us—"The Spiritual Formation
Bible."
The
Up Side and the Down Side. This heightened
interest in Spiritual Formation has both an up
side and a down side. The down side first. To
begin with people are going to write
about it and teach on it and set up centers in
it regardless of whether or not they know anything
about it. Publishers, too, will publish
in the field irrespective of whether they know
what they are doing or whether they don't have
a clue. In addition, the constant pressure to
make the concepts understandable will lead
to a "dumbing down" process. Those at the forefront
of this process will be sorely tempted to reduce
Spiritual Formation to little more than a variety
of "simple steps to blessedness." Even more, the
economic boon of all this interest will
result in strategies for marketing Spiritual
Formation. Here the perpetual tendencies will
be to claim more than is the case, promise a quick
fix, and mask the cost of discipleship.
But the up side should not be forgotten. Many
today are simply no longer content with either
"spiritual goose bumps" or a cerebral religion
divorced from life. They are looking for—and expecting—a
faith that will substantively transform their
lives. Alongside this is the potential for Spiritual
Formation to breathe new life into religious experience
by reconnecting theology to practice. A theologia
habitus, if you will, a theology which produces
habits. If such a "practiced theology" is, in
fact, developed (and many things can keep this
from occurring), it will swing open new doors
onto spiritual growth. This will, in turn, give
renewed hope to hosts of people that it is actually
possible to grow in grace by experiencing an ever
fuller conformity to the way of Christ.
Yet
another plus: many are studying the historical
roots of Spiritual Formation and are thereby looking
to the past with a view to learning better how
to live in the present. This is a huge change
over even a few years ago. This, in turn, reenforces
the long view in people so they can see their
formation as a life process containing highs and
lows, sprints of growth mixed with disconcerting
setbacks, loneliness, struggle, hopes dashed and
revived again, and more. This is (and always has
been) the process of growth in the Spirit, and
we do not help people by hiding this reality from
them. Another fallout to this reconnecting to
the past is that many are searching for new forms
of community life that are adequate for the loving
accountability inherent in Spiritual Formation.
On balance we can be encouraged by the new interest
in Spiritual Formation because of the possibilities
it affords many more people to see discipleship
to Jesus as both the norm and the normal way of
life for the Christian. At the same time we should
be forewarned that in the days ahead many things
will be passed off under the rubric of Spiritual
Formation that will not even be close to its central
concern.
Formed,
Conformed, Transformed. Hence it is all the
more critical that we be clear about what we mean
by Spiritual Formation. When Paul said to the
Galatians, "I am in the pain of childbirth until
Christ is formed in you" he was speaking
of Spiritual Formation. When he told the Romans,
"Those whom (God) foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his son,"
he was speaking of Spiritual Formation. When he
reminded the Corinthians that "All of us, with
unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as
though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed
into the same image" he was speaking of Spiritual
Formation (Gal. 4:19, Rom. 8:29, 2 Cor. 3:18;
emphasis added in all three). So what is Spiritual
Formation? Spiritual Formation is the continuing
process of life and experience through which we
are progressively formed, conformed, and transformed
into the image of Jesus Christ.
Now,
the truth of the matter is that everything we
come in contact with forms our spirit, rightly
or wrongly. Whether we like it or not, all of
us are being formed in one way or another. In
fact, in many cases the word "deformed" would
be more accurate—the "Heaven's Gate" group being
a recent tragic case in point. Where this is true,
we must add the crucial aspect of "re-formation."
(Which, by the by, is what concerned Martin Luther
and the other reformers.)
Christian Spiritual Formation is intentional formation.
We purposefully seek formation of a particular
kind which will lead us in a particular direction.
The particular kind of formation is the ancient
imitatio Christus, the imitation of Christ.
The particular direction this leads to is the
Christian virtues—love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness,
self-control, and the like. (See Gal. 5:22-23
and many other similar passages, e.g. Romans 5:1-8,
8:1-39, 12:1-21, 1 Cor. 6:1-11, 2 Cor. 4:16-18,
Eph. 4:1-3, 5:1-15, Phil. 4:4-8, Col. 3:12-15,
1 Tim. 3:1-13, 2 Tim. 20-26, Titus 1:5-9, James
3:13-18, 1 Peter 3:8-15, 4:8-11, 2 Peter 1:3-9,
1 John 3:11-24, 4:7-12.)
The reason we do these things is so that we may
become a certain kind of person; a person who
is "response-able," able to respond to the demands
of life appropriately. That is to say, a person
who is growing in Christlikeness.
And the wonder in all this is that Jesus Christ
rose from the dead and is present among his people
as our everliving Savior, Teacher, Lord, and Friend.
He has agreed to be yoked to us, as we are yoked
to him, and to train us in how to live our lives
as he would live them if he were us. As this occurs,
we increasingly come to share his love, hope,
feelings, and habits.
Growing
in Grace. How do we begin to move into this
way of life? Fully answering that all important
question demands a full-blown theology of growth
which would take far more space than I have here.
But for now let me give one of Jesus' great summation
statements of this life and three practical suggestions
that can get us moving forward.
Do
you remember Jesus' astonishing words, "If you
abide in me and my words abide in you, ask for
whatever you wish, and it will be done for you"
(John 15:7)? "Abide in me . . . my words abide
in you." This "abiding" is everything. In John
15 Jesus uses the word "abide" eleven times in
ten verses. Nothing is more fundamental, more
central, more pivotal than abiding in Jesus and
allowing his words to abide in us. But how do
we do this? Here are three simple beginning steps.
1. Begin with a simple, straightforward reading
of the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
If you have a red letter Bible, you may want to
start by soaking in those words the Gospel writers
give us as coming from Jesus himself. Don't worry
about redaction criticism or those few passages
that are confusing to you. Initially, I suggest
you not even worry too much about historical and
contextual considerations. Later these matters
can enhance your understanding considerably, but
the first need is simply to lean into these wonderful
words of life. Let them form you, shape you, challenge
you, comfort you. As you allow the words to percolate
in your consciousness, you will memorize many
passages without ever trying to memorize them.
Let the phrases seep below the conscious level
of your mind until you dream about them. Don't
rush this process, thinking that you already know
Jesus' words. The key is not "knowing" the words
of Jesus but allowing them to abide in you. If
you have never done this before, I suggest you
stay with this step for six months or so, say
until Christmas.
2. As you are soaking—abiding—in Jesus' words,
you can begin praying the Scripture. "Festooning"
is what C. S. Lewis called it. Take, for instance,
the words, "Your kingdom come" and pray that reality
into your place of work, your home, your family
relationships, your dreams for the future. You
do this not primarily by saying the words "Your
kingdom come" but by taking up specific individuals
and situations and attitudes and praying the kingdom
life into them. Again, take Jesus' words, "pray
for those who persecute you" and allow them to
saturate your heart, your mind, your feelings.
In time you will find yourself spontaneously praying
for those who persecute you—not because you are
supposed to pray that way but out of deeply ingrained
habit. And much more.
3.
As this prayer experience becomes natural (that
is, it becomes more and more a part of who you
are rather than what you do), I suggest you extend
your time a little through a listening silence.
Remember, Jesus Christ is active among his people
today. He has not contracted laryngitis. His voice
is not hard to hear. His vocabulary is not difficult
to understand. He will speak to you and teach
you and guide you as you grow in attentiveness
to his living Presence. His teaching will never
be contrary to what you have already been experiencing
by having his written words abide in you. In fact,
it will have the same tone, the same quality,
the same weight. For example, it is in the nature
of Jesus to draw and encourage rather than to
push and condemn. If you have any questions about
the guidance you are receiving, you can bring
it to mature sisters and brothers in the faith
for corporate discernment. In fact, this work
is always done best in the context of a loving
fellowship of other disciples of Jesus.
In the fifteenth century Thomas à Kempis wrote
in The Imitation of Christ, "we must imitate
[Christ's] life and his ways if we are to be truly
enlightened and set free from the darkness of
our own hearts. Let it be the most important thing
we do, then, to reflect on the life of Jesus Christ.
. . . Anyone who wishes to understand Christ's
words and to savor them fully should strive to
become like him in every way." And so we do.
Peace
and joy,
Richard J. Foster
P.S.
As always we depend upon your generous support.
The last four Regional Conferences, while wonderful
spiritual feasts, were a drain on our financial
resources rather than replenishing them. Out of
a thankful heart will you give liberally, joyously,
and sacrificially? Thank you. Permission is granted
to duplicate this letter for free distribution.
Any quotations or references to it should give
proper credit to RENOVARÉ, 8 Inverness Drive East,
Suite 102, Englewood, CO 80112-5609 USA. —
RJF
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