The Shaping Of Things To Come: Part 2

This week I continued to read The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st-Century Church, written by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch. There were a few key notions which really stirred things up for me and I am grateful for the authors’ consideration of these matters.

First, the authors present the idea of “whispering to the soul” (p.95). This process can be thought of as a holistic experience which taps into the mind, soul and body of the not-yet Christian; rather than providing them a specific formula for experiencing and journeying with God. There is a great deal of connection which can be spurred when we simply share our hearts with unbelievers and befriend them in a way that conveys genuine love and care for their lives. The authors note that most attractional churches are only concerned with getting bodies into the building, telling people the error of their ways and the providing a step-by-step program to Jesus. This method does not appeal to the spiritual wholeness which many seekers (religious and non-religious) are after. Andrew Walker highlights an element of deep church (Recovering Deep Church) which underscores spiritual formation as an existential process. Walker notes that the formation of our beings, to reflect Christ, comes through “worship and in our relationship to God and one another” (p.8). Frost and Hirsch quote John Drane: “It is only when we reveal ourselves to others as weak and vulnerable that others will readily identify with us and be able to hear the invitation to join us in following Jesus.”

Secondly, the authors have addressed the issue of Messianic spirituality and their premise is that “It has been assumed that God can only be related to by either negating the world or bypassing it” (p.112). Messianic spirituality, however, is defined by our relationship with Jesus and the entirety of our lives should be “inseparably connected to the person of the Messiah” (p.114). The authors advocate a strong acknowledgment of the Hebraic spirit and the Jewish-ness of Jesus. The author and pastor, Rob Bell, also addresses this Hebraic nature in his book Velvet Elvis. These texts similarly address the issue of human action and its connection to the character of God. In Jewish tradition, the individual as a whole is to re-route his entire being and the actions of his everyday life toward God. This renewal of our spirituality can more adequately address the type of spiritual wholeness that emerging culture is seeking.
Stay tuned for the third and final portion of this book.