"Learning to see the world as it truly is -- saturated with the presence and love of God -- should be the essence of Christian discipleship, or what many call spiritual formation. Unfortunately, most ministries and churches have focused their efforts at spiritual formation upon two areas -- knowledge and skills -- and have neglected the vital role of the imagination. This amounts to teaching deaf students how to read sheet music. Until their ability to hear sound is restored, their capacity and motivation to produce music will be severel limited." (page 25)
When teaching classes, I often would try to get those attending to imagine how the original audience would react to the Scriptures we read today. I don't think this exercise is difficult, because there aren't wrong responses. But as silence would most often fill the room, I came to the conclusion that people either didn't care, or they didn't know how to imagine. Supposing the later having a more grave impact for the Kingdom, if people have difficulty imagining God in the past, then is it no wonder that people don't have the capacity to imagine God in the present?
It is interesting how Skye Jethani envisions discipleship, "Learning to see the world as it truly is -- saturated with the presence and love of God." I don't believe he is advocating an emotive spirituality apart from diligent study, which some people may assume. Seeing God today necessitates that we know how God was seen in the past. But one who authentically follows Christ will trust with acute awareness in the presence and love of God more than the knowledge they hold. Perhaps if we inspire greater awareness of God already fully present, then people will take their knowledge more seriously.
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2 comments:
I'm afraid that the reality is more that most folks don't care. As I experienced teaching recently, I believe sadly that people just don't want to work that hard at their faith. They want it handed to them like a plate of comfort food that they can eat up and feel good about for the next 3 hours...
.... then they want to take a nap.
I know how to handle people who don't care, I don't know how to handle people who don't try.
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