Week 4 & 5- Disconnects in the Christian Life

Often in our lives, as in our spiritual experience, there is a disconnect between what we know of God and what we experience of Him daily. This is not merely a personal issue of heart/head disconnect, but as John Coe explains, it is an issue handed down from the seminarians who are leading our churches. Within seminary itself is a heart/head disconnect, rooting from the modernist mindset that "seminary was not a place to train men and women to be Godly, but to train Godly men and women for the ministry" (B.B. Warfield).  They will train students in the Word, but often not in the Spirit. 

This is significant to every Christian person because the disconnect between "where I truly am" and "my spiritual and character ideal" has created a sanctification gap in daily life and in the church.  Is this similar to your experience? 

"Many well-intentioned believers sit in churches week after week, having been equipped only to become 'mature beginners,' knowing from the Word what they could become yet having an underlying suspicion that they are not as mature as they should be.  As a result, they wonder in their deep whether they will ever go on to full maturity."

"...Even the best of theological preaching may in fact be partly responsible for the sanctification gap insofar as it does a better job of presenting the spiritual ideals and goals from the Bible than it provides the necessary wisdom to assist people in their daily growth.  

-Coe, Spiritual Theology: A Theological-Experiential Methodology for Bridging the Sanctification Gap

Imagine the trickle down effect from Seminary to your pastor to your church. 

Most seminaries focus on effectively studying and teaching the Word of God. "Clearly the Word is central to the training of pastors and it is good for students to engage in serious study of the Scriptures...However, there is a deep theological connection between the Word and the Spirit, the Word and prayer, for the Word apart from the Spirit is unable to give life ("...for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" 2 Cor 3.6)...They will be tempted to put their confidence in their theology and not in God, and to follow the teachings of more or less charismatic professors and insightful professors, rather than enter into being an apprentice of the Spirit"
- Coe, 7 Deadly Disconnects of Seminary Training: Theological and Spiritual Formation Reflections on a Transformation Model

This can be depicted as:

Spiritual Theology (above, on the right) can begin to remedy this Sanctification Gap in both the seminary's and the believer's life.

Spiritual Theology is that part of theology that brings together:

a) the study of the truths of scripture with 

b) a study of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the experience of human beings

NOTE: For the Spiritual Theologian their personal life becomes the first place of experiential learning and integration...

*observation--how does the Spirit work individually/corporately? How does the human spirit/pathology/sin work? How does one become healthy? What is healthy?

*reflection-integrating the Spirit's work through the disciplines of reading and learning philosophy, ethics, anthropology (study of human communities), psychology, literature, anatomy, lives of saints, spiritual autobiographies, etc.

Spiritual Theology leads to Illumination, a Double Knowledge of God and self(selves). 

1)Without the knowledge of God, our churches/pastors have either an "Arrogant" or a "Superficial" connection to God 

and 

2) Without the knowledge of self, our churches/pastors have a "Narcissistic" connection to God.

Double Knowledge within the church and the believer's life gives authority and room for God's Spirit to personally reign. Practicing this as Spiritual Theology can help heal the loftiness of of the seminary, the confusion of the church, and the disconnection of the believer--helping one to become aware of God's immediate work and presence in their life. This is exciting for us because we desire God to be experientially present in every area of our marriage. 

Though it might be daunting, God has really made us to reflect Him and share in His wisdom through the Spirit ministering His word into our lives.  Giving ourselves over to Him means sharing with Him our honest process, and letting Him work in every area He owns in us.  This can include any/every area, prayer, eating, reading a book, arguing, jumping rope, singing, running, giving, crying--all things are meant to be shared. Nothing is hidden for Him, and so we can share our lives willingly and completely with God. 

Experiment with one of the prayer projects, and allow God to highlight areas the HE WANTS TO SHARE WITH YOU.