Dr. Ben,
I’m looking forward to this series of posts. This is a topic that I would love to get your perspective on.
David

Ben,
Thanks for these sentiments. I agree in every respect. My ongoing passion lies in the formative experience of off-site, intentional retreating. Over years of ministry, I’ve been blessed to watch transformation happen individually AND corporately when a worshiping communities sets aside time to invest intentionally in one another. I find that it recasts the “normal” day-to-day experience of life, and whets one’s appetite for bringing the “retreat high” into the time and space of everyday living. I for one would love to see Asbury Seminary explore a model of retreat ministry as one (of hopefully many) formative tool(s).

The longer I am a pastor the more convinced I am that an overlooked spiritual discipline is commitment to and ministry through your local church. It is in the tensions and even conflicts of staying in one congregation over a length of time that Christ is formed in the person. It is in the same context that love for one another develops.
I look forward to future posts!

“Feelings, however, as Eugene Peterson once said, are no good barometer of where your relationship with God really is.” St. Theresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and, with him, the Western mystical tradition would agree.

This reminds me of a story John Bell (of the Iona Community) once told. He related the story of a mother who was struggling spiritually to her priest, who quoted St. Theresa of Avila. The woman responded something to the effect, ‘Let me tell you Father about St. Theresa: she didn’t have three children and have to take them everywhere.’ It was funnier with Bell. He went on to say the same point you have made here.

The current issue of Knowing and Doing, published by the C.S. Lewis Institute, has an article by Joanne Jung titled “Holy Conference: A Kinde of Paradise.” http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/files/webfm/knowing_doing/Holy%20Conference%20%28Jung%29.pdf Reading your post reminded me of this article, I think she is addressing the same concern you have. She has a book coming out in May of 2011 titled Knowing Grace: Cultivating a Lifestyle of Godliness.

Ben,
I’m very much looking forward to this series. Most of our popular models (models may be too structured a term) of spiritual formation very poorly serve 1) your INTJ-ish folks who aren’t all that emotional and 2) young, blue-collar men who aren’t into “touchy-feely” stuff (as they would see it). That’s just to name two examples; I’m sure they’re namy more (as Will’s comments above suggest). So too with much of today’s Christian music.

Very happy to hear this Ben. I’ve read, and profited from, Nouwen, Foster, Dallas Willard et al. But have found it nearly impossible to set aside the number of quiet hours each week that many of these programs seem to require.
It would be especially helpful if audio could somehow be worked in this. So, for example, a good podcast could be listened to while doing long-distance driving, routine housework, or even mindless paperwork in the office.

I’m very glad that you are writing on this subject Ben. It is one of the major issues facing the future of the church.
The problem with feelings is that we misunderstand their place in our life. We elevate them to a primary importance, instead of seeing them as a connector between us and the world. Modernist/Post-modernist thought drives a wedge between our emotions and our rational minds, so that they are considered a discrete, separate aspects of human life. One of the results is a wedge that we see driven between human spirituality and society.
Unfortunately, where that link has been made, it has been primarily as a way to promote or advocate for specific socio-political causes, rather than how we are to be whole people functioning in society together.
I look forward to what you have to say about how spiritual formation functions in a social context, and for your book as well.

Ben,
My wife and I are both diagnosed with Asperger’s. I’m INTJ and she’s ISFJ. As it is, we don’t really get a lot of the relational stuff in the church. I don’t know what to do in fellowship time for instance, although I love my church. When we start to discuss the great ideas, I’m there however. Bible reading can be difficult for me as I don’t really know how it is I’m supposed to be receiving great truths. People have turned it into such a hyper-spiritual experience and being an aspie, I tend to take what they say literally.
I hope your series will keep people like my wife and I in mind who are different and how the church can minister to us.

Thanks for this reminder Nick. And God bless you both. I am in agreement with you about the problem of an emphasis of hyper-spirituality.
BW3

Thank you Ben. As it stands, my church, an excellent church, knows about my condition and my wife’s and they’ve been nothing but supportive. I’m a student at SES and our church is heavily apologetics minded which gives me a great outlet to share what I believe in and to teach classes regularly. My wife and I plan to do a lesson soon or maybe a series on Asperger’s and the Church. It depends on when our pastor can fit us in. Your readers should know that there are many of us out here like this however. We may seem rude and quiet a lot of times, but it’s just our brains aren’t wired the same way socially.
God bless you also and do pray for both of us. We both really need it now.

Ben,
Have you read N.T. Wright’s work “After You Believe”? I found it to be a good corrective to some of the issues you raised. He too sees the Church and Communion as more central to spiritual formation than do other authors. Also he provides a very detailed biblical account as to why spiritual formation is necessary.
Matt

I appreciate your opinion. You have some very good points. I have one request: if you write again could you please leave more “white space”? It was difficult to read through that very long paragraph, and as a matter of fact, I did not read the whole thing because of that. Please take this in spirit intended, as *helpful*.

Reaction to Ben Witherington’s Post on “A Normal Christian Life – Part One”
Ben Witherington wrote a brief post this morning on his blog, “Ben Witherington on the Bible and Culture,” hosted by Beliefnet.com. Ben Witherington is Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary.
I would characterize his post this morning entitled, “A Normal Christian Life – Part One” as a purposeful rant. Witherington’s post is a response to his growing unease with the way spiritual formation has presented in recent years. He is referring to writers such as Henry Nouwen and Richard Foster, who tend toward a solitary, monastic type of spiritual reflection and discipline (furthermore referred to as Nouwen/Foster Spiritual Formation – NFSF).
Withering gives six reasons for his dissatisfaction with this modus operandi. After each reason list in bold, I will provide my response.
1. NFSF requires unrealistic time commitments. This statement by Witherington is not fleshed out in the post, but I anticipate a future article to address this assertion. From personal experience as a husband, father, and full-time employee in the American workforce, a meditative lifestyle does not easily integrate into my paradigm.
As a young man with fewer responsibilities, it was more realistic to “escape” into my room or go on retreats. Spending the better part of an evening in prayer and devotional reading was a feasible task. However, as I get older and have more responsibility entrusted to me, it’s more difficult to find extended time in my schedule to invest in length meditative sessions.
Truth be told, most of my spiritual disciplines take place during the “in between” times, such as driving or sitting on the porcelain thrones. For a married father of two, those venues are the only solitary, spiritual retreat centers I have access to during this season of life.
2. NFSF views Individual reflection and meditation as the most beneficial venue for spiritual formation. Witherington writes NFSF “ignores that the dominant place where spiritual formation does and should happen… [is] when the body of Christ comes together…But it is not the stuff of day to day spiritual formation.”
Witherington is saying that NFSF does not address the role of spiritual formation within the corporate context. To this point, I would heartily agree. The act of pursuing God in current Christianity is largely based on a personal life of prayer, worship, and Bible reading. It is highly individualistic. Even our corporate gatherings are ironically individualistic. We sit in rows of pews, looking straight ahead towards a platform where we are engaged by a worship leader of pastor. Believers sit in close proximity on Sunday mornings without sharing much in the way of deep relational exchanges.
Compared with the tribal, relationally-invested life of the early Church, the NFSF method seems alien. A cursory glance at the letters of Paul reveal that they were written to the community, “to the saints in [city].” Scripture was publicly read aloud. Believers met daily in each others’ homes, usually over a meal, for the purpose of fellowship, prayer, worship, and spiritual formation. The corporate gathering seems to be the primary means of spiritual formation during that time period.
Early believers likely viewed the practice of individualistic spiritual disciplines (e.g. private prayer and meditation) as what took place when the Body was not assembled. I’d like to look into this more in the future. Perhaps there are references to this in the Didache.
3. NFSF is pursued as an end to itself rather a compliment to other topics such as sanctification, conversion, or ecclesiology. Witherington brings up an excellent point. I was just having a discussion earlier this morning with a good friend about how our theological studies get can easily become silos of disconnected theories and ideas. We fail to look at the whole and how each vein of our Christian life and beliefs unavoidably impact each other.
The Christian life is just that, a “life”. It’s something holistic that should not tolerate inconsistencies. If we are going to pursue spiritual formation, it must by necessity impact the way we treat our spouses, the way we raise our children, and how we view the Body. It must fight against introspection and turning inward. True spiritual edification should turn us outward toward the Body and the world.
True spiritual formation should make us consider the impact that our personal piety should have on the Christian community, our neighborhoods, our attitudes toward government, etc.
4. NFSF literature focuses on “quietistic” inward disciplines rather than outward works of charity. Continuing my discourse from point three, authentic spiritual growth should result in outward works, as Witherington proposes. The monastic movement during the Middle Ages was a blessing in many ways, but it also sits as a movement I grieve about. Somehow, between the age of the “purpose-driven” apostles (Sorry, not a reference to Rick Warren) and the Middle Ages, it became acceptable in the Christian paradigm to escape from society and cultivate spiritual disciplines disconnected from the real world. (I know this may be coming out a bit abrasive; that’s not my intention.)
5. NFSF usually results in an isagetical study of scriptural texts without reliance on exegetical and historical tools to provide proper context. Well said. Spirit-led reflection is an excellent way to glean insights from scripture so long as it has its proper grounding in relevant historical, societal, and exegetical details. Fortunately for us in this age of information, it’s easy to pick up a few books by N.T Wright or Witherington himself to shed light into the context of the original audience.
6. NFSF has a tendency towards introspection and a focus on self-condition. See explanation under point three and four.
Posted on my blog in rich-text – matthewberry [dot info]

Good Morning Ben,
My name is Laura Workman and I am Tory Baucum’s associate at Truro Church in Fairfax, VA. I look forward to coordinating logistics for your visit here in March.
I would like to get in touch with you as soon as possible regarding a title for the event. What is the best way to reach you? Promotion will start on January 10.
I look forward to talking with you.
Peace,
Laura Workman
Assistant Director of Parish Life
Truro Church
(703 273-1300 ext 316
lworkman@trurochurch.org

Hi Ben – thanks for all good work you do.
A few thoughts:
The way I teach spiritual formation is as a dialectical movement between solitude and community.
I coach pastors to take much alone-time with God, just them and God. Jesus “spent time alone in the woods.” So I think if Jesus needed to do this, we should too.
In my seminary classes the students re-group after alone time with God and share together about their experience with God while alone with God. This is my community piece. Alone, together; alone, together; and so on.
Surely that describes Nouwen and Foster. They are not true monastics, but were and are heavily invested in community.
I think alone-time with God IS “the stuff of spiritual formation,” or at least essential stuff.
You mention “busy normal Christian people.” My idea is that this is, in general, not a good model. I see a whole lot of “Christian doing” that does not come out of a deep, abiding God-relationship. Such “doing” later gets baptized in prayer. Jesus went to a lonely place to find out what the Father wanted him to do. So should we. And of course authentic community helps us with this.
My interest is not in finding a view of spiritual formation that fits with “busy normal Christian people,” or “busy normal clergy.” The latter are flaming out all around us. In my classes we call them back to the richness of alone-time with God. I’m seeing great benefits from this. In this regard I especially value Eugene Peterson’s The Contemplative Pastor.
Blessings,
John Piippo, Ph.D
Prof of Spiritual Formation
Payne Theologica Seminary

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