Six myths or false models of spiritual formation 6/6

The whole BP Gulf oil spill disaster caused me distress. With each attempt to solve the issue ranging from steel tanks, to golf balls and rubber, to secondary bore holes, I felt more anxious. I knew the secret, I knew what to do and I couldn't think why people had not thought about it before - 'No Nails'. One thing that I have learned is that if No Nails doesn't fix it, it is pretty much unfixable. A good squeeze and application of the magical paste, sit back and wait for it to dry seems to work on most things ... for a while.

The final myth that Wilhoit points out seems to have similar traits. Wilhoit identifies an over confidence of our ability to pinpoint areas where trust and faith are lacking. Seemingly, all that is needed is a handing over to God for him to work on it while-U-wait, for you then to move on. This model, usually facilitated through protracted worship, is given momentum through a simple pondering of where faith is lacked. In other words, what Wilhoit calls the faith model, is shaped by the axiom that all spiritual growth stems from surrender to God.

On the face of it there is not much to argue with here, surely all spiritual growth stems from surrender to God? But Wilhoit is quick to point out the danger. While "submission and growth in faith are important aspects of our ongoing relationship" the danger is that in isolation this submission is directed by feeling. A common phrase I hear is that "God seems so distant...", an observation generated by feeling. Willard is often quoted as saying "grace is opposed to earning not effort", there is little wonder that if we expect spiritual development given to us on a plate that we are quickly left dissatisfied and can not see the irony of an omnipresent God being distant!

The common criticism that is levelled at Spiritual Formation from this point of view is that the role of the Holy Spirit is diluted. Perhaps this says a lot more about a consumerist approach with the Holy Spirit reduced to the level of 'no nails'; people would rather 'sit back and wait', thinking growth is dependent simply on consuming the right thing. There seems to be a failure of recognising the role of the Holy Spirit where "through practicing a variety of spiritual disciplines, we often come to see areas where we need to surrender, issues we might never recognise if we simply focus exclusively on pondering areas where we lack faith". Wilhoit, J.C (2008:51ff)


Wilhoit, J.C (2008:51ff) Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered. Baker

Six myths or false models of spiritual formation 1/6
Six myths or false models of spiritual formation 2/6
Six myths or false models of spiritual formation 3/6
Six myths or false models of spiritual formation 4/6
Six myths or false models of spiritual formation 5/6

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