In the early 1990’s I was researching and exploring the whole area of spiritual formation. I soon realized that you needed an additional adjective – Christian. We all have spirits that are being formed, but is that formation following Jesus?
The wave of Spiritual Formation has been called the next wave of the Christian church – particularly in Western Society. We have taken on Pentecostalism/charismatic, church growth and seeker sensitive approaches to outreach and even now are dealing with “deconstructionism”.
While I can see the need for discipleship as a priority there is a need to remind ourselves that there is a heart to the matter along with steps to be taken. But, forming our spirits (often prioritized by disciplines) can have a dark side. Ian Harber (whom I have just recently run across) makes the following observation:
“In the spiritual formation wave, it’s far too easy:
- for the gospel to be assumed instead of explicit
- for Scripture to take a backseat to experience and
- for the church to become a sideshow to one’s individual journey.”
In those early years I encountered Robert Webber. As he spoke to a class I was teaching we ventured into the topic of worship (a passion of his). Further discussion revealed that his emphasis was really on corporate spiritual formation. Perhaps this is an antidote to the very individualistic “my truth” adventure that many go on as they seek spiritual formation.