"Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered: Growing in Christ through Community" (James C Wilhoit)

TITLE: Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered: Growing in Christ through Community
AUTHOR: James C Wilhoit (2nd edition)
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2022, (288 pages).

A key purpose of the Christian life is this: How do we become more Christlike in all we say and do? What does it take to grow deeper in Christ? At a time in which the image of the church is undergoing tremendous cynicism, how do we recover from the negativity in order to live as salt and light of the world? For author James Wilhoit, the answer lies in the revival of local congregations to make spiritual formation their key goal. This goal must be manifested in all activities and programs of the Church. The how, the why, and the curriculum for doing it are all described in this book. More importantly, it reminds us that the best crucible for spiritual formation is not the individual disciplines but the Church. Now in its second edition, this book has been updated with positive psychology based on an Augustinian formation perspective. Readers are reminded that spiritual formation is not another kind of self-help project but an expression of the gospel given to the Church. Using the metaphor of public health by providing clean drinking water and vaccinations, Christian Spiritual Formation is about providing the best possible communal environment for individuals to flourish. Wilhoit sets the stage by affirming how spiritual formation need not be something extraordinary. Instead, using ordinary means and ordinary contexts, we can cultivate our souls within the ordinary environment of church and community. He then gives us some principles and patterns that we could adopt. Based on various Orthodox faith traditions, he combines them with some of the modern psychological practices such as Robert Emmon's work on gratitude and reducing anxiety. He uses mostly the spiritual traditions of orthodox theology. He takes inspiration from recent spiritual practitioners like the late Dallas Willard, Thomas Oden, Adrian Van Kaam, etc, as well as the spiritual masters of old. Before presenting his CSF curriculum, he helps us clear the decks about what CSF is and what it is not. This helps sets expectations. 

In this second edition, with the onslaught of all kinds of spiritual practices publicly available, Wilhoit adopts "Christian Spiritual Formation" (CSF) instead of merely "Spiritual Formation" popularly used by other spiritualities totally unrelated to the Christian faith. He gives us various images to help us appreciate the process of spiritual formation, such as the three images of nurture, training & struggle, and death &resurrection. This is followed by the 4R curriculum:

• Receiving
• Remembering
• Responding
• Relating

The rest of the book comprises descriptions of each of these stages followed by assessment questions. 

My Thoughts

What I really appreciate is the tight relationship between the 4Rs and the Bible. In each of the curriculum steps, Wilhoit anchors the methodology on Scripture. In fact, all four dimensions of receiving, remembering, responding, and relating are all based on biblical truths. We receive the Word. We remember the Word via meditation and intentional practices. We respond by expressing these truths toward others, and in relating to others, we make known the gospel of Christ. One of the biggest critiques of spiritual practices is the tendency to have psychotherapy dominate the structure and content of the curriculum. Not this book. In fact, Scripture is primary while psychotherapy and positive psychology are there only to aid the progress of the curriculum. When Wilhoit adds the prefix Christian to Spiritual Formation, there is a distinct emphasis on the teachings of Christ. Throughout the descriptions of the processes, we see the use of Scriptures to move the process forward. 

Another helpful part of the book is the reminder of six false models of Spiritual Formation. Wilhoit calls them "myths about spiritual growth." It helps correct some of the misconceptions about what spiritual formation entails. Unfortunately, I find the descriptions too brief. It could have been supported with some examples, illustrations, or more explanations about why it is a myth.  For example, in a fact-driven world, the "Facts-Only Model" myth might take a little more unpacking. In fact, there will always be more myths and it might be good for the author to provide some framework on how to distinguish myths from genuine spiritual formation. Maybe a comparison table might help. I think there is room to expand on this part of the book, if not in the main chapters, perhaps in the appendix. 

Finally, Wilhoit has condensed a wide range of spiritual teachings and insights into this book. From Augustine to Willard; Calvin to Nouwen; the desert fathers to Lauren Winner; readers will be glad to benefit from this wide range of wisdom teachings. This might be intimidating to those who are new to the area of Spiritual Formation. For the community to benefit, a teacher or a guide would be best. 

James C. Wilhoit (PhD, Northwestern University) is emeritus professor of Christian education at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, where he taught for over thirty-five years. He is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including Effective Bible Teaching and Discovering Lectio Divina.

Rating: 4.75 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of Baker Academic and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.