Thursday Theological Thinking - Celebrating Discipline

I've mentioned a number of times that Richard Foster's book A Celebration of Discipline has made a big impact on my life. I should probably add the caveat that it is a continual journey and struggle to remember the impact and continue to apply all the things I learned. But this book is by far the most challenging, thought provoking, and spiritually deepening study I've gone through and it's probably time for me to read it again. One other caveat is that if you look at the book and get a little frightened but are interested, check out Foster's book called Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home. It has also been a life-shaping book for me.

A Celebration of Discipline explores what are known as the "classic" spiritual disciplines. Foster divides them into 3 categories: Inward, Outward, and Corporate and contends that all three combine to make a balanced spiritual life.

The Inward Disciplines are meditation, prayer, fasting and study - and all are focused on personal examination and change. I think, with the exception of fasting and probably meditation to the degree that Foster talks about it, these are the primary disciplines on which the church focuses. Christians are encouraged to read their Bible daily and pray, but by and large are never told how and why to do these things. It tends to fall into the "go buy a Bible study book, work through the exercises, and then pray for what you and your friends want and, oh yeah, say thanks for the blessings you receive." And while this is definitely a worthwhile practice, I have often felt that I was missing the point or missing...something. Yes, I've experienced growth through it, but not to the degree that I've felt I should and not with the surety that I expected. (As an aside, there is often a sense of guilt associated with not having quiet times every single day - this post over at the Thinklings addresses that and is worth a read and some thought.)

What turned this around for me was the discipline of meditation (which ties very closely to prayer). I had never simply sat and asked God to speak to me and then continued to sit and listen. I, like I think many Christians do, filled my prayers with noise - the noise of my needs, the noise of the needs of others, and the noise of my frustration at not ever hearing back - and then walked away, having made my daily "prayer deposit". But learning to be still before God is an incredible thing. I will say, I had to get over the "scary new age" feeling about even the word meditation. I do think that to some degree that's justified because many other religions focus on the import of meditation and it's critical that you remember on whose words you're meditating (God's) and who's direction you're listening for (the Holy Spirit).

Fasting is something many Christians have never undertaken. Until I did this study, I never had. I certainly never understood the mechanics and the meaning behind fasting - all of which Foster lays out. To be truthful, fasting is not something I practice even now - but I certainly have a better understanding and respect for those who do.

The outward Disciplines of simplicity, solitude, submission, and service, help prepare us to make the world a better place. In general, service is definitely the most popular of the outward disciplines as it is tied to evangelism and mission work.

The most challenging of these disciplines to me was simplicity. I should probably preface this by saying that I copped a pretty bad attitude on reading the first page of the section about simplicity because in college they beat us about the head and neck repeatedly with the book Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. And while that book may have some merit, it is very decidedly a book that lambasts any Christians who have thrown away leftovers (wasteful!) or who have more than 1 bedroom per 3 children. It clings to the misquote that "Money is the root of evil" and not the true quote that the LOVE of money is the root of evil - failing to see that one can have money and not love it or be motivated solely by the persuit of more of it. So when Foster started out talking about simplicity, I rolled my eyes and prepared to dismiss him out of hand. But Foster is not condemning. In fact, he goes as far as saying that not everyone is called to the deepest level of simplicity (living without any posessions and trusting God to provide each need daily). But he does certainly point out the crass materialism that many - myself included - have surrounded ourselves with and it leaves you questioning if the big screen TV is getting between you and a better relationship with God. This is still a challenge for me because I like my creature comforts. I do. But at the same time, I know I have too much and we are making a concerted effort to pare back on non-essentials.

The corporate Disciplines of confession, worship, guidance, and celebration, bring us nearer to one another and to God. Reading about the corporate disciplines was fascinating and incredible to me. I would love to find a church that practiced these! Certainly we have worship - and Foster agrees that worship is not solely singing or music but that we worship through many things - in our church, and we have guidance (or discipleship). But confession?

When discussing the corporate discipline of confession, Foster urges us to confess to one another. Not because we are seeking absolution from an outside source - that can come only from God and is freely available to Christians when we ask (1 John 1:9) but there is a building of relationship and deepening of trust and a growth in ones ability to trust that comes from confessing to someone else. And this goes beyond a corporate confession as found in many liturgical service, though Foster encourages this as well, to a one-on-one/one-to-few confession. This idea is challenging for me because it first requires that I be willing to lay bare my heart and that is not an request.

Those are the highlights of what hit me most from the book, there were many, many other things and I recommend it highly as an individual read or (even better) as a book club or study group undertaking so that you have a place to discuss and think through the topics - there are some things that I'm still not sure I agree with 100%, so it was helpful to me to have people to bounce ideas off of - and helpful also to have committed to practicing each discipline as we studied it and to sharing our experiences and thoughts.