This is the second in a series of posts. You can read the first here.
Let me start by saying that this move began many years ago and has been a show process for us, while it may have seemed rather sudden to many of you. It began with a class I took at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC (RTS) titled “Sanctification.” We were assigned three books to read: Augustine’s Confessions, The Hole in Our Holiness by Kevin DeYoung, and You Are What You Love by James K. A. Smith. We wrestled with these different takes on what it means to be holy, framing most of the class on Augustine’s account of his own growth in faith. I became increasingly saddened by DeYoung’s account of the need for and process of personal sanctification. He lists over 30 reasons why our personal holiness, or sanctification, is crucial.
Love for God and love for Christ seemed small details in this list, which in my perception oozed with "you ought to because God said so and it's also good for you." In his defense, he attempts to persuade the reader away from mere legalism, but the way he communicates did not help.
In stark contrast, Smith’s book felt far more in line with Augustine, and it was a breath of fresh air to me. He explains that we are not primarily “thinking things” but “loving things.” We begin life with desire and need.
There is so much more to unpack here, so much deep and rich theological tradition. His was not the only book that influenced me against DeYoung’s. The Expulsive Power of a New Affection by Thomas Chalmers, the traditional stories about the Apostle John, and countless sermons by early church fathers exhorting the church to love. Not to mention, the undeniable witness of scripture, whose exhortations drip with the call to love.
Jesus' summation of the Law and the Prophets to, “Love God with our whole heart, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves” is the pinnacle of what it means to walk in faith.
As I listened to Smith, Augustine, DeYoung, and my professor, Dr. Blair Smith, I realized I struggled in holiness not because I didn’t know the right things. I struggled because I did not love them rightly.
My heart needed to be formed,
not merely informed.
Liturgy is not just something one experiences at church, Smith argues. We all live life by ritual and habit. We form habits that then form us. I needed to live in a liturgical way, as Smith suggested, paying attention to the form and shape of life. I needed to shape life so that it would in turn shape me rightly, so that I might love things rightly.
Now this does not mean that we don't seek knowledge. We must seek it. And it does not mean that "All we need is love." Well, at least not that mushy feel good stuff many mistake for love, or the kind that says if it feels right, do it. As we discussed in class, people won't love what they don't know. True. But I think it's also important to say that people won't know what they don't love. This seems rather chicken-and-egg at times, perhaps.
Still, this is only one small step on this particular journey.
In Part 2, I will continue to explore this journey, and in Part 3, I will explain how this all relates to our move to the Anglican Church.
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