All Christian leaders want their people to possess the character of Christ. We want our people to adore God with the fullness of their being, serve others sacrificially, give generously, hear the cry of the poor and oppressed and then take action, to know and to teach the Scriptures, and to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control”(Gal. 5:22-23). We know that as our people come to reflect Jesus to our world, God is glorified. But if you ask any church leader, they will surely say that people do not become like Jesus overnight. It is a process. As leaders, we are responsible for forming people spiritually and our goal is very specific. Our diverse forms of media—printed materials, music, video, web-based content, etc.—are the tools we use to form people according to a particular way: the Way of Christ. We are not simply messaging, marketing, or broadcasting. We are shaping, influencing, and producing. The stakes are extremely high, as the result is eternal. As Dallas Willard observed in The Divine Conspiracy, “We are becoming who we will be—forever.”
What is Spiritual Formation?
Spiritual formation in the Christian tradition is captured well in Galatians 4:19, where Paul likens himself to a mother in the travails of labor until “Christ is formed” in his wayward hearers. Spiritual formation, also called discipleship, is the process by which people are formed into the image and likeness of Jesus. Jesus has redeemed us from our sins, we are justified by faith, yet we are called to follow after Christ as his disciples, opening ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit so that we might be sanctified, becoming like the one who calls us. In the words of Jesus, “Students are not above their teacher, but all who are fully trained will be like their teacher” (Luke 6:40).
Everything we do as Christian leaders shapes our people spiritually. Our direct, face to face communication, our large, public gatherings, our music, and all our other forms of media are involved in teaching people how to become like Jesus, or not. We must always ask ourselves, “Is all of our communication moving people toward the goal of becoming more and more like Jesus? Or are we missing the mark?”
Asking the Right Questions
Forming people into the fullness of Christ requires that we use the right media, at the right time, in the right way, and direct people toward the right result. The way we form people spiritually is fueled by the power of the Holy Spirit, who instills in us a new story, provides us with the measure of grace which we need to pursue the right practices at the right time, and leads us into the company of other Christian people with whom we may undertake the journey of discipleship. In choosing songs, video, visual liturgies, and crafting our sermons and talks, we must ask the right questions to ensure that our means are moving us toward the proper end, presenting “everyone fully mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28).
As a foundation for our thinking, here are four questions that can assist us in evaluating the use of media in spiritual formation.
What narratives does this piece of media invoke, introduce, reinforce, or challenge?
As James Bryan Smith notes in The Good and Beautiful God, “We are creatures who live by our stories.” Every piece of media we incorporate into our gatherings either invokes, introduces, reinforces, or challenges existing stories. When we use media, we want to tell the right stories, stories that represent the truth about reality and about life following after Jesus. Evaluating media for spiritual formation requires that we carefully discern what narratives we impart to our people, and if those narratives will form people according to the way of Christ.
Telling the right stories is a multi-faceted endeavor, and should not only be restricted to telling the stories of Scripture. We should also be telling the story of local congregations, global movements of the Spirit, struggles and challenges of the poor and oppressed whom we’re called to serve, and occasions where the “powers and principalities” are being subverted and exposed by Jesus’s followers today. For example, International Justice Mission (IJM) tells of their work to end slavery through video curriculum and through their YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/IJM2009). By telling its story, IJM exposes a present evil, teaches the biblical and theological basis for action, and inspires people to share in God’s work of liberation. IJM tells the story of a God who has come to set the captive free, and invites the people of God to engage themselves in that holy work.
As we continue to evaluate our resources, we need to remember that most media, particularly video, include multiple narrative layers, requiring us to discern exactly which stories we might reinforce while teaching or preaching. For instance, Bluefish TV (www.bluefishtv.com) currently features a parody of Fox’s 24 called “Twitty-Four,” in which Jack Bauer becomes a Twitter addict and reveals his every move through constant status updates. In doing so, he compromises FBI security, exposes his partner to enemy gunfire, and allows a terror suspect to escape, among other blunders. The video is replete with humor, and issues a challenge to those of us who are constantly glued to our social networks.
If you like 24, you’ll connect with the narrative, enjoy the satirical thrust, and probably question your own media habits. But before using this video for your next talk on technology, you should consider the other narratives that this video invokes—those of redemptive violence, the “War on Terror,” and other ever-present themes within the 24 series that may significantly challenge or altogether undermine aspects of Christian belief, including love of the enemy, overcoming evil with good (Rom. 12:21), and that within God’s Kingdom we are safe and secure.
What practices does this piece of media encourage, promote, instill, or challenge?
Many of our communication media do an excellent job of conveying the right information or evoking a positive emotive response, and both of these facets, orthodoxy (right belief) and orthopathy (right feeling), are critical. But our media must also encourage, promote, and instill in our people the right practices, or orthopraxy. This may require challenging people to take up a new habit, such as solitude or serving, or to leave behind existing practices that inhibit them from positively responding to Paul’s exhortation to “work out one’s salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12).
For example, The Work of the People (www.theworkofthepeople.com) has produced a short film featuring John Goldingay of Fuller Theological Seminary entitled “Repent.” Goldingay comments on the culture of the Church, noting how it closely mirrors the surrounding secular community. He exhorts us to engage in a change of feeling, a change of behavior, and a change of mind so that we might be an alternative community of Kingdom people who think, feel, and act differently. Repentance is a practice, and this short film is an excellent springboard for discussion on how we as the Church might move from one way of living and being to another way, a better way, of living and being that reflects Jesus’ words from John 10:10, where he asserts that he has come so that we “may have life, and have it abundantly.”
Does this piece of media connect me to a community wherein I can advance in holiness?
In order to grow in likeness to Christ, sharing in fellowship with other believers is critical. How does the media you employ connect the individual to a community wherein new narratives can be established and new practices taken up? In other words, how does the media you use move people into relationships where they might be formed according to the Jesus way?
The media you use in your ministry should lead to active, missional engagement with the Church and surrounding world. This can occur on a number of levels, including connecting the individual with a small group or by fostering a deeper connection between the individual and the church body through confession of common belief. Media can also connect the individual with a community of people passionate about a particular ministry or cause. For example, Hyper Pixels Media (www.hyperpixelsmedia.com) has produced a mini-movie entitled “World Hunger Crisis” that sparks concern for those around the world lacking the basic resources needed to meet their daily nutrition needs. A church community could not only use this piece of media to raise money to eradicate hunger, but could also use it to begin a conversation about what is being done in their city to ensure everyone has access to enough food. Media can connect people together to fight hunger, human trafficking, or to serve other Kingdom causes, and be spiritually formed to become more like Christ.
Final Evaluation: Ultimately, what kind of person does this piece of media generate?
This might be the most critical question of all, and it is not impossible to answer. Gather trusted friends and advisors and ask those around you what types of narratives your chosen forms of media invoke, reinforce, introduce, or challenge, what practices are encouraged, and what type of connections will result. Use your imagination and project a future for someone engaged with the media you employ in your ministry. Consider the possible outcome. Think carefully about how you are forming people spiritually, for as Paul has written, “People reap what they sow”(Gal. 6:7).
The Goal: Attaining the Full Measure of Christ
In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis remarked, “In Christ a new kind of man appeared: and the new kind of life which began in him is to be put into us.” The goal of spiritual formation, therefore, is to see the life of Christ displayed in us. The process is slow, cannot be rushed, and requires patient obedience, gentle correction, firm rebuke, timely instruction, and virtuous example. This can be done when we utilize the right media, at the right time, in the right way, to bring about the right result. Our goal is to see every person reach the “fullness of the measure of Christ” (Eph. 4:13), an immense task, but one we gratefully accept. As Paul wrote in Colossians 1:29, “To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.”
As we evaluate our media and form people spiritually in the way of Christ, may God, by his immense mercy and grace, establish and grow a Church of exemplary saints who witness truthfully to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of his resurrection, through the Spirit, to the glory of God the Father.
Ben Simpson is a thinker and writer living in the Kansas City area. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/bsimpson.