Desiring The Kingdom

Book Review.

Smith James K.A.  Desiring The Kingdom.  Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation.  Baker Publishing Group.  2009.

J.S.-is associate professor of philosophy and adjunct professor of congregational and ministry studies at Calvin College.

Comment.  Henry

Smith shows what worship has to do with formation and what both have to do with education.  Education must focus on the fundamental desires of the human heart rather than on worldviews.  Christian education has been too concerned with information and not concerned enough about formation. 

“What if education (Christian education) wasn’t first and foremost about what we know, but about what we love?”  (18)

“Human persons are not primarily or for the most part thinkers, or even believers.  Instead, human persons are- fundamentally, and primordially- lovers.” (41)  “To be human is to love, and it is what we love that defines who we are.” (51)  What we worship governs our vision of the good life.

A liturgy of consumerism (e.g. the mall) and American nationalism have impacted Christianity.  When national loyalty, military service, requires killing that does not fit well with obedience to God’s ‘law’. 

Worldview is based on, impacted by worship.  “Historic Christian worship is fundamentally formative (world view) because it educates our hearts through our bodies, and does so in a way that is more universally accessible than many of the overly cognitive worship habits we have acquired in modernity.” (113) 

“There are many elements that make up the social imagery embed in Christian worship,” (155) i.e., special days in the church calendar, the specific parts of a worship service, baptism, prayer, scripture/sermon, Eucharist, benediction.

By way of conclusion, the author returns to the topic of Christian education.  “I’m suggesting that Christian education has, for too long, been concerned about information rather than formation.” James Smith.  It has to go beyond a Christian perspective and/or Christian world view.  It should be all about Christian worship and its impact.

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