James C. Wilhoit

Spiritual Formation Goes to College: Class-Related “Soul Projects” in Christian Higher Education

Spiritual formation is both an opportunity and a challenge for educators in Christian colleges and seminaries. How can students be nurtured and guided in developing spiritually within the curriculum? Drawing on a number of educators, studies, and arguments, this article develops a rationale for engaging in spiritual formation and for the use of practical assignments or “soul projects.” A selection of such projects is grouped into genres, followed by a brief exploration of best practices and an evaluation of such assignments.

Soul Projects: Class-Related Spiritual Practices in Higher Education

In recent years, scholars have urged those working in Christian higher education to attend more purposefully to student spiritual and character formation. Anchored by the belief that college is a formative time for the development of values, commitments, identity, and life purpose, these calls have taken many different forms. One consistent theme, however, has been the need to expand character formation beyond ethical training and moral decision-making. While such tools are necessary, these scholars note, there is also a pressing need for the development of righteous virtues, affections, commitments, and patterns of living rooted in a right understanding of God and self. How can professors encourage spiritual attentiveness and transformation within the academic setting of a college classroom? What assignments foster spiritual focus and growth into Christlikeness? What helpful practices from the historic Christian tradition can be included in syllabi and course experiences? As professors committed to educationally-based spiritual formation, we are concerned with how to best encourage student spiritual growth. This article is the culmination of conversations, as well as trial and error in our classrooms, in an attempt to answer these questions.

Contemplative and Centering Prayer

Centering prayer was developed to make accessible the rich Christian contemplative prayer tradition to young North American spiritual seekers. In the fifty years since its development it has become the centerpiece of an international movement, which promotes contemplative prayer through the practice of centering prayer. This paper looks at the history of this movement and its theological assumptions and its connection with mindfulness.

Only God's Love Counts: Van Kaam's Formation Theology

Adrian van Kaam (1920-2007) authored an eleven volume integrated work on spiritual formation, authored or co-authored some ninety books on formation, and established two respected graduate programs in formative spirituality. This paper presents some of his major conclusions found in his writings in psychology and formative spirituality. A difficulty in accessing Fr. van Kaams work is its sheer volume and technical vocabulary. The author suggests an approach for using his theory to address both theoretic and practical concerns in the area of spiritual formation.

Turning Points in Christian Education: Some Initial Perspectives

Preliminary results of a recent interview project with veteran professors of Christian education regarding key transitions in the field over the last several decades. Four main areas of change are addressed, including issues of professional identity, the role of social sciences, the role of Scripture and theology, and cultural changes impacting educational ministry.

Book Review: A Guide to Christian Spiritual Formation: How Scripture, Spirit, Community, and Mission Shape Our SoulsHowardEvan B.A Guide to Christian Spiritual Formation: How Scripture, Spirit, Community, and Mission Shape Our Souls. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2018, 288 pp.

and the respective roles of divine and human agency. The author examines this debate and concludes with the brilliant treatment that the goal of Calvinist spirituality was the sublime that appeared in an array of mediums including art, poetry, and moral philosophy. The final desire was to repose in sovereign grace. This led to contemplation that is illustrated in the writings, in particular, of Edwards, Newton, and William Romaine. Conversely, the Arminian emphasis that privileges greater appreciation for human agency often travels through the agony and struggle of life toward Christian perfection that is best depicted in Charles Wesley’s hymn Wrestling Jacob. The resilience to continually rise up after one has been repeatedly knocked down yielded the final desired victory and is depicted in Wesley’s hymn: “Wrestling I will not let thee go, / Till I thy name, thy nature know” (264). One closing comment needs to be mentioned in relation to the subtitle of the book: True Religion in a Modern World. Hindmarsh is highly sensitive to the context and helps readers to grasp the challenges that early evangelicals faced by living in the emerging world. While certainly not unique to them or their time period, the flourishing of early evangelical spirituality was disruptive both in challenging the formal nature of eighteenth-century church life with the importance of the new birth in Christ but also within the clashing cultural tensions between the emerging modernity and lingering ancient mindsets. While this learned study treats early evangelical piety more deeply than any previous research, Hindmarsh’s style is both readable and accessible. There is a beauty to this writing that delights the reader and occasionally prompts one to pause and admire the author’s prose. For example: “The reception history of this book [i.e. The Life of God in the Soul of Man] demonstrates the way the seed of evangelical devotion was watered from an aquifer of Christian piety stretching back to distant times and places” (79). I strongly endorse this book and look forward to how it will shape future conversations regarding the nature and development of early evangelical spirituality.

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statements he calls “Community Spiritual Formation Corollaries” all the way through the book. Finally, Wilhoit concludes his book with an appendix designed to enable churches to assess their congregation for the presence of the Four R’s. Wilhoit’s writing is crisp, his arguments are clear, and his insights are profound. This book offers timely advice for engaging in the task of the church. Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered deserves to be widely read, discussed, and appropriated into the life of the church.