Contemplative Vision by Juliet Benner

Book Review Contemplative Vision by Juliet Benner (IVP, 2011)

Review:

Educational theory makes it clear that people have different ways of learning – some are cognitive, some are experiential, some are emotive and some are visual learners.  God, in creating humankind in His image, has given us a mind, a heart and all our senses with which to discover and engage our world and frame our worship.  It is very fitting, therefore, that Juliet Benner calls Christians from a western, rational mindset to reclaim an approach to God that is stimulated by reflection on great paintings based on biblical texts. 

She reminds her readers that “in the Middle Ages great works of art were central to the way churches proclaimed the Word (in paintings, stone, mosaics and stained glass).  These pictures of scripture stories were for the illiterate what writing is for those who read” (13).  And yet, she notes “in the Reformation Protestants removed visual images from places of worship, focusing only on the Word and a rational comprehension of God.”  She contends that “this has deprived people of encountering God through the senses and the imagination…Yet the imagination as well as the mind…serves as a channel through which God may touch our heart. Great Christian art helps this happen.  It allows us to go beyond our own limited imagination.  We are invited to participate with the artist to see and experience God in new and fresh ways.” (16-18).  Benner notes with dismay: “I have come to think of us all as much more visually challenged than we realize. I am astounded by how poorly we actually see what is around and in front of us.  I am also deeply impressed by the fact that our spiritual seeing is conditioned by our physical seeing. Our physical seeing can be a doorway to spiritual seeing” (12).  Her concept of “contemplative vision,” therefore, is based on teaching people how “to see” religious works of art that lead one to meditate on a passage of scripture.  She says: “In attending in this contemplative way to God, we will be practicing prayer” (13).

It was particularly helpful to read this book at the Christmas season.  The Nativity story has inspired artists from East and West to depict the mystery and power of Christ’s incarnation.  These artists provide a doorway to new appreciation of God and the wonder of His revelation- just as Benner advocates.  In fact, in our church last week I put several beautiful artistic renditions of the Nativity on PowerPoint and invited the congregation to reflect deeply on the meaning of the Christmas story through the eyes of the artists.  This approach reaches across generations, since the younger generations have grown up in a highly visual media age.  We used: Adoration of the Shepherds by 16^th c. artist Gerard van Honthorst, 2 contemporary paintings of the manger scene,  He Qi’s Nativity, Adoration of the Magi and Nativity Messiah and Rembrandt’s Simeon.  We had Asian Indian and Chinese Christians as well as Caucasians in our group and the meditations on He Qi’s work, particularly, deepened everyone’s understanding of the implications of the cross and the resurrection in the birth of Christ.  It was a powerful approach to the Nativity story. 

This highlights the main limitation of Benner’s approach: she has only included one Eastern artist in her selection. There is much to learn from Eastern as well as Western artists. Benner bases her meditations on The Parable of the Blind and Census at Bethlehem by Bruegel the elder, Christ in the Wilderness by Moretto da Brescia, The Angelus by Jean Francois Millet, The Adoration of the Shepherds by Nicolas Poussin, Christ in the Storm on the Lake by Rembrandt van Rijn, The Incredulity of St. Thomas, The Supper At Emmaus, and The Calling of St Matthew by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Procession to Calvary by Ridolfo Ghirlandaio, The Visitation by He Qi, The Good Samaritan by Luca Giordano, and The Descent from the Cross by Peter Paul Rubens.  Each of those paintings is included in a photographic insert in the book and the reader is invited to study the painting as she provides a guided meditation on the artistic details of the work.  Her skill in helping readers “see” what is included in each painting go beyond an art appreciation approach to move the reader into contemplation of God and resultant worship.  Benner also includes helpful questions for reflection and discussion at the end of each chapter.  Hence, the book is valuable as a resource for small groups with the availability of sacred art on the internet as well as in art texts and art galleries.  Her principles, applied beyond the scope of her book, enable people to see Biblical texts in new light and grow closer to God.

Mary Lou Codman-Wilson, Ph.D., Dec. 19, 2011

Deep-Rooted in Christ, The Way of Transformation by Joshua Choonmin Kang

Book Review: Joshua Choonmin Kang, Deep-Rooted in Christ,

the Way of Transformation, IVP, English translation 2007

Review:

Kang’s book belongs in the genre of the recent Spiritual Disciplines literature (Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, Adele Calhoun etc.)  In fact, Foster and Kang have worked closely together in Korea and the United States where Kang is currently pastoring the Oriental Mission Church in Los Angeles.  But the book is written differently than most of the western-authored books in this field.  The book is not a comprehensive “how-to” manual of various spiritual disciplines but a collection of a pastor’s mini-sermons on the topic.  Kang’s book is a series of brief meditations on aspects of the deeper life.  Each chapter is only 3 pages - which works out to one main thought per chapter.

The value in the format is that the reader has time to meditate and digest one thought at a time, rather than deal with the multiple complexities of thought usually found in longer chaptered Western-authored books.   Kang’s format leads to redundancy, however, as the author tries to connect the main themes from chapter to chapter.  That redundancy detracts from the book’s readability.  The book is also a translation of the original book published in Korean in 2006 and some stiffness in English language usage is notable. 

There is value to the book, however, just in the very fact of its Asian authorship.  The Korean church has become a global model of deep prayer, discipline and sacrifice for the last quarter century and this author is writing from that place of strength and experience.  Every so often he uses phrases and brings forth concepts that are new to the western mind. This is both refreshing and thought provoking.  Some of his ”deep-rooted” thoughts are in the brief summary.

                                                            M.L. Codman-Wilson, Ph.D.              December 8, 2011

Some highlights in the book:

1.”Human beings live in 2 worlds at once – the conscious world and the unconscious world...In the unconscious world some of the most severe problems lie…The inner life is where we live…But sometimes the root is sick.  By maintaining healthy spiritual disciplines we identify the source of our problems. Then we cooperate with a God who solves them through the power of the Holy Spirit...Life’s problems begin in the root system of the soul. They must be solved there, as we care for our souls. The medicine we need is spiritual discipline” (31,33).

2.”Real energy comes from a strong inner life…Pay attention to what is welling up in your inner world…The powerful presence of the Holy Spirit should bring dramatic change to our inner world. Spiritual formation isn’t a matter of outward change…Spiritual formation means cultivating the heart” (40,41, 43). “Spiritual discipline is all about practicing the will that God puts in our hearts (70).

3.“Seeking a deeper spiritual life means laying a deep foundation in Christ…Deep people have close relationships with God. This is the nature of the inner world. The Holy Spirit ministers there. The Word penetrates us there…The Holy Spirit offers us the utmost intimate knowledge of God and of our inward thoughts…Unless we abide in the Word and under the power of the Holy Spirit, we cannot know the depths God intends for us. We must become like deep wells. We must become like living fountains” (38,47, 49).  Out of a deep relationship with God we serve others.

4. “Worldly wisdom …doesn’t make us better people. At best it produces better informed sinners.  They may look impressive but their inner world is unclean….Godly wisdom…makes us more like Jesus Christ, helping us to live not just naturally but supernaturally – as spiritual beings” (57).

5.”Mature Christian faith involves the marriage of belief and wisdom…Serious thinkers must rigorously train their minds…We must not have lazy thinking…Great thoughts come as a result of disciplined      thinking [which comes through] constant study and reading.” (62-64). But God’s grace is essential. “Storing up knowledge of God is directly linked to receiving God’s grace” (58).

6.” We need to be both lions and lambs. Before God we need to be like lambs [needing a shepherd].  In our relationship to other believers we must act with sacrificial love. But against sin, the world and Satan we need to be valiant lions. God gave Jesus power to rule in heaven and earth. In our lives we also share this divine authority” (69).

7.”The Holy Spirit is the one who empowers us for discipline. He guides us through the disciplines of prayer, fasting, meditation, solitude and self-control. Followers of Jesus Christ are supposed to be disciplined people.  They’re supposed to discipline themselves under the grace of God” (70).

8.” God takes his people into the wilderness to train them to trust only in God. The school of solitude is lonely. A.W. Tozer said ‘Most of the world’s greatest souls have been lonely…Loneliness seems to be the price a saint must pay for his saintliness’.  Solitude is being alone with God [so we learn to] move only on God’s timeline, respond only to God’s voice (78-80).

9. “In the wilderness, like Jesus, we learn to pray. We also experience God’s breaking of us…because self-confidence is a stumbling block to one who desires to serve God…In the wilderness is the discipline of self-denial…We are trained to serve in small matters…The difficulty of the desert life is meant to lead us to an attitude of thanksgiving and gratitude. [Yet] the school of wilderness, as owned and operated by the Holy Spirit, has never been a comforting place.  We all face suffering, confusion, shattering failures and self-abandonment.  But that’s where servants of God are made. They all go through transformation and on the other side find themselves persons of prayer, the Word and the Holy Spirit. We need to thank God for giving us the wilderness” (74, 88-98). 
10.”Take time off to look at one’s inner life, to care for one’s soul…We need to quiet “our inner noise that stems from worry about worldly things…The discipline of silence can still the noise of the world. In silence we can meditate on the Word and let it take hold in our lives; we can tend to the care and purity of our hearts. This will keep us from hypocrisy (102, 106-7) and keep our lives balanced.

11.”God didn’t tell us to become beautiful flowers. Instead he commanded us to bear fruit,…to multiply, to make things grow, to give life….The secret of bearing fruit is to die to our self life and come down from our high places to serve others. We are to shatter the outer walls of self that limit the life within.  At the same time we are to take the time to develop a close friendship with Jesus” (117-118, 124, 126).
12. “It is crucial that His power flows through us. Therefore, we must keep our hearts pure.  God uses suffering to purify our hearts and cause us to rely on God alone. We are to seek the discipline of holiness for its influence on others…Jesus is the supreme example. He overturns the common view that wealth, political power, sexual dominance and high learning have the greatest impact.  Instead, he shows us that lowliness and holiness and spiritual blessing are what really move the world” (135).

13. “Discipline in righteousness is life long…God does not give us a short cut…Once God decides to give a person greater ministry, he allots preparation time” (Moses 40 years in the desert, Joseph 13 years as a slave and prisoner, David 15 years on the run before he was made king) (142).
14.”Those with deep spirituality have a strong conviction about their sinful nature. With vision blurred by original sin, we can deal only with our gross sinful nature. But a person who has a deep spiritual life easily sees even the smaller sins and imperfections” (147-8) and understands God wants purity (129).

15. “For those who want to engage in deeper spiritual disciplines, patience is a prerequisite. Patience is a sign of spiritual maturity. Though we accept persons as they are, we also expect them to change for the better. True patience hopes for the better and envisions the best. This envisioning is full of love and power.” (150).

16. “Self-control is the height of spiritual discipline…Self-control comes about through all the spiritual disciplines. They strengthen us; they help us acquire holy habits. They make soldiers of us in the perpetual battle against self” (152-3).

17. “Mature servants of God are content with what they have. If we are dissatisfied with those around us, then our lives aren’t filled to the brim with the Lord Himself…Those who have been seized by the love of Jesus will be content with what they have” (157).

18. “We are to have a heart like Jesus…That means we are gracious towards those who are different from us…A vibrant community has warmth and tenderness. It’s flexible, generous and has a heart to embrace everyone…As we grow deeper in spiritual disciplines, we will no longer criticize, discriminate and condemn. Like Jesus we will have a meek, open, warm heart for everyone…Jesus calls us from our comfort zones and lifestyles to live in his abundant life by fulfilling the will of God – that’s a life of mission, a life that serves others…with Jesus’ love, continually giving His Word out to others” (161-162,168).

Seasons of the Soul, Stages of Spritual Development by Bruce Demarest

Book Review:

Bruce Demarest. Seasons of the Soul, Stages of Spiritual Development (IVP, 2009).

I have always found aspects of developmental theory to be helpful in understanding people’s psycho-social stages (Erickson, Kohlberg) and faith stages (Fowler).  Bruce Demarest contributes to this genre with his insightful book on Seasons of the Soul.  He describes these “seasons” using Walter Brueggmann’s three stage model for the Christian:

1.      Secure initial orientation (coming to faith, experiencing God’s blessing, launching the spiritual journey)

2.      Disorientation due to trials and suffering

3.      Joyful reorientation (spiritual renewal with new joy in God)

Demarest’s major thesis is that “Jesus’ followers are not immune from distress and calamities; [they] can either draw us to God or drive us further from Him. The difference lies in our response and in our understanding of the ways of God” (42, 54).  “Distress and suffering occupy a prominent place in God’s redemptive economy” (77). Since God’s goal of spiritual development is the believer’s transformation of character, Demarest writes to help Christians understand and participate with God in His long-term purposes.  Demarest says:

“On the long, winding course of our journey towards spiritual maturity in Christ we will pass through seasons of life where we encounter blessings and hardships…Our distresses and dark nights are both providential and redemptive for they purify our lives, draw us closer to God and align us with His perfect will.  God wisely turns up the heat of his refiner’s fire when he sees gold worth purifying…He uses trials for our personal and corporate formation. The perplexity and pain we encounter along the path unmask and reconfigure our souls in Christ…The reality is that the people God uses greatly in kingdom service he often allows to be wounded…The unsettling seasons we encounter on the journey are here both for our trans-formation in Christ and for gaining the wisdom to guide others on their homeward journeys” (151-154).

He gives particular emphasis to the dark night of the soul – “God’s intentional withdrawal of spiritual comforts in order to conform us to Christ” (75). Various reasons for spiritual distress are the subject of 4 of the 7 chapters in the book.

Demarest’s emphasis on seasons of distress gives the book particular value. He cites one man’s testimony: “‘Why has no one told me this before? I have never been informed of the possibility that my soul’s desolation may be caused not by sin but by the Spirit’s providential work in my life.’ The man then added, ‘This morning the burden I have been carrying for years has been lifted from my shoulders!’ On another occasion a Baptist pastor responded, ‘For the first time in my life I understand what is going on in the dark places of my inner world.’” (75-76).

The value of the book is also augmented by the consistent citation of contemporary and classical authors. Quotes from early spiritual fathers or mothers like Anselm of Canterbury, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Isaac the Syrian, Therese de Lisieux or Augustine are interspersed with those byu Henri Nouwen, A.W. Tozer, Evelyn Underhill, Dallas Willard etc. Biblical models are also cited frequently.  Plus, Demarest has an appendix that describes the ‘spiritual journey paradigms” of many of the classical and contemporary writers he cites.  In addition, he references his own personal experience.  Through all these testimonies the wisdom of God is revealed and the redemptive value of God’s purposes in suffering is celebrated.

Some highlights in the book:

1.In his opening chapter on new Christians, Demarest describes the battle these new believers enter: “Immature new Christians are particularly vulnerable to their own nature and spiritual forces that oppose them. God gives the spiritual comforts of his presence, answered prayer, a sense of God’s love, a unity and belonging with other believers and a desire to reach out to others in Jesus name.  But new believers are often drawn by earthly familiar pleasures, an abundance of possessions, the glitter of fleeting material stuff and a succumbing to the tyranny of the urgent in their inordinate busyness for God” (23-27).  “In the beginner stage there is a lack of knowledge of God’s ways.  Failure to surrender to Christ’s Lordship may persist for some time. New believers who don’t recognize the necessity of the spiritual life may be inconsistent in the practice of healthy spiritual habits” (31).  They can “fall into the trap of legalism…fall prey to perfectionism, be unaware of spiritual warfare dynamics and in times of testing or suffering turn from the path of discipleship or revisit the old life…Replacing the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit occurs over time with much discipline and prayer” (34-37).  Demarest’s wise words help new believers understand the issues they face and give direction to those who disciple them.

2. “The prosperity gospel is false…Jesus had forewarned: “in the world you shall have trouble”  (Jn.16:33). Unexpected disappointment, severe illness or a major life crisis can leave even Christians dislocated, emotionally distressed and weakened.  These disoriented experiences highlight how fragile we humans are and how desperately we need to grow strong in the Lord” (43).

4.”Suffering is often caused by our own sinful behaviors and choices.  Unresolved sin becomes a major source of the Christian’s anguish. Suffering is also caused by the evil that is synonymous with the world system controlled by Satan, a toxic environment characterized by decay and corruption…If we allow ourselves to be captivated by the world with its deep rooted evil, we put ourselves in spiritual danger” (64). Troubles can be caused by Satan directly, who attacks our minds to deceive us with false images of God, and attacks our bodies.  And troubles can come from internal distress” (68).  His warning to mid-lifers is significant: “If we failed to give attention to our spiritual growth in the earlier part of life, at midlife we may find ourselves strangely disinterested in the things of God…Midlifers need to face up to the reality that we cannot live the afternoon of life according to the program of the morning” (71-72).

5.Through the dark night of the soul “God changes the habits of our lives, lovingly weaning us from attachment to inordinate pleasures, possessions and puffed up egos.  He cuts away at our spiritual greed in which we seek pleasurable comforts more than God himself…The dark night should help us see our soul’s self-seeking self-love and self-sufficiency.  It should also turn us to seek God” (93-97).  “Through the ambiguity of the dark night God purifies and transforms our old fleshly nature…As John of the Cross said: “‘the dark fire of God is his remedy and medicine which he gives to the soul to treat its many diseases.  He does so only to bring the soul back to health…to drive from it every kind of spiritual evil’” (100).

6. “Believers need to attend to their physical, emotional and spiritual worlds. We must respond to manage our trials and grow.”  To do that we need to:

            a. Deal with any known sin

            b. “Be assured of God’s loving kindness. God will provide exactly the resources we need at precisely the right time” (108).

            c. Share with God our deepest longings and hurts, including our disappointment with God.

            d. Abandon all to God. As C.S Lewis has Christ say: ‘Give me all…I have not come to torment your natural self but to kill it…I will give you a new self instead’ (110).

            e.” Slow down our lives and journey within to our “inner sinai” where God will reveal areas of unforgiveness, woundedness and guilt and help us know Him more intimately” (115).

            f. Practice prayer – “prayer helps us abide in love and talk with the Lover of our souls” (117).

            g. Keep a spiritual rule of life which includes praise

            h. Walk with a spiritual companion “who supports us in our struggles and helps us in our relationship with Christ so we confront our demons, heal and grow” (120).

            i. Reach out to others with love.

7. The season of joyful reorientation can come after seasons of disorientation.  In this “season” a believer can expect fresh illumination of God’s love and have a “renewed heart that beats with a desire to be wholly sanctified in thought, word and deed” (131); greater intimacy with Christ so “the believer feels profoundly known, fully accepted and unconditionally loved” (132); a freedom “from compulsive behavior patterns, enslaving addictions and vulnerability to Satanic deception” (135); inner healing from deep roots of bitterness, feelings of inferiority or superiority, areas of mistrust and painful memories” (134); a childlike trust and delight in God’s love; an empowerment to serve others – “with egocentricity uprooted by God’s discipline our capacity to love others is enlarged” (142), and a contemplation of the joys of heaven.

Demarest admits, however, that “all believers who go through the seasons of disorientation and darkness “do not reach the season of joyful reorientation.  Some are not prepared to pay the price of total surrender, rugged trust or perseverance amidst trials...Along the challenging pathway we may fail to accept or respond to God’s enabling grace” (147).  “The maturity to which God calls us requires courage, tenacity and prudent risk-taking as we move into unexplored territory” (153). 

Reviewer’s final comments:

Demarest certainly doesn’t sugarcoat the areas that challenge and tend to destabilize Christians on their spiritual journey, but his insights remove some of the confusion that can attend disorientation stages.  With his insights the territory ahead is not as “unexplored” as before.  He has provided a way through and given the models of countless saints in the past who have traversed a similar path and gained greater intimacy and joy with God.  

Overall, this is a helpful book to read and share with Christians experiencing painful disorientations.  It is particularly applicable to missionaries and those in evangelism and outreach who are besieged by the destructive forces of Satan.

                                                                                    M.L. Codman-Wilson, Ph.D. 12/1/11