McLaren, Brian (2008), Finding Our Way Home: The Return of the Ancient Practices, Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson
In this book, Brian McLaren gives four perspectives of spiritual formation and challenges the readers to decide which one they subscribe to.
1. God wants to heal the whole world. In order to do so, God recruits coworkers who must be healthy so they don’t just keep the good health to themselves. Unfortunately, there are no completely healthy people for God to work with. So, in the spiritual formation process, God starts with the unhealthy and first helps them to be healthier, so they can then be put to work bring health to others, and to the world.
2. God wants to heal individuals. Individuals (we might call them “souls”) are God’s primary concern. If there are more and more healthy individuals, the world will be a healthier place as a by-product.
3. God only cares about the world. You as an individual don’t really count. Your private or personal life is your private or personal concern. Just be sure you vote and work for social justice (or the spread of capitalism, communism, liberalism, or conservatism, whatever).
4. God only cares about the individual. This whole world will soon be disposed of, so all that matters are individual souls.
Which of the above is your understanding of spiritual formation?
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It has to be No 1 for me.
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