Friday, January 12, 2007
Changing Spirituality
Way back in early December Jollyblogger looked at a new religous synthesis. He summed up a Jeff Clinton post and added the following to the seven basic points:
Dallas Willard has said
The Christian "experience," proceeds in precisely the opposite direction that most people think religion is pointed. We do not find ourselves in Christ, WE FIND CHRIST! And unless we put ourselves aside, our view of Him will always be blocked.
Willard is big on the spiritual disciplines - but even they can be problematic, for they too are experiential. They can become, unto themselves, idols. They can become the source of "spirtual metrics" and we measure our progress towards holiness in hours on our knees instead of true transformation.
We have so far to go.
Related Tags: experience, tranformation, religion, faith, spirituality, self-denial, Christ
What they all have in common is a devaluation of Scripture, a devaluation of theology, and an elevation of personal experience. [emphasis mine]Ever more evidence that we reduce religion and faith to something we put on, as opposed to something that we allow to transform us. We have changed religion from an institution to a lifestyle, but still we have not let it be that which God intended it to be. We forget, all the effects we seek from religion are real, and true, and available, but they are by-product, not product. It's like buying an engagement ring because of the setting and then getting ripped off because there is paste in the setting. It's the stone that matters.
Dallas Willard has said
Christian spiritual formation rests on this indispensible foundation of death to self and cannot proceed except insofar as that foundation is being firmly laid and sustained.Our experience is ruined. It is not reliable. We must forgo that which we experience for the sake of that which He experienced.
We must simply lose our lives - those ruined lives about which most people complain so much anyway.
The Christian "experience," proceeds in precisely the opposite direction that most people think religion is pointed. We do not find ourselves in Christ, WE FIND CHRIST! And unless we put ourselves aside, our view of Him will always be blocked.
Willard is big on the spiritual disciplines - but even they can be problematic, for they too are experiential. They can become, unto themselves, idols. They can become the source of "spirtual metrics" and we measure our progress towards holiness in hours on our knees instead of true transformation.
We have so far to go.
Related Tags: experience, tranformation, religion, faith, spirituality, self-denial, Christ
