Heart and head united

Reformed theology has taken a beating as of late as some prominent Protestants have directly charged the Reformed tradition with an intellectualism that reduces humans to “brains on a stick” who only require doctrine and worldview training. Alongside this direct attack on Reformed spirituality, there has been a surge of interest in “spiritual formation,” championed by figures like Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, and, more recently, John Mark Comer.

While these thinkers are less focused on the Reformed tradition than on evangelicalism more broadly, they aim to address what Richard Lovelace has called the “sanctification gap” in contemporary Protestant piety. But some of the most popular approaches to spiritual formation promote an eclectic spirituality that collects practices from various traditions with inadequate theological discernment. Christians in the Reformed camp need to recognize that many of these practices are at odds with their convictions. Matthew C. Bingham’s A Heart Aflame for God (Crossway, 368 pp.) helps recover authentic Reformed spiritual formation.

A Heart Aflame for God Matthew C. Bingham

Why is it important to retrieve a distinctly Reformed spirituality? First, evangelicalism itself has been profoundly shaped by the Reformed tradition. Bingham sees much that is commendable in evangelicalism’s renewed focus on spiritual formation, but too many gurus diverge from the Biblically grounded spirituality of the Reformers and the English Puritans.

Second, as Bingham insists, we shouldn’t separate the Reformed understanding of the gospel from its view of how the gospel is applied in believers’ lives. He urges those who believe the Reformed teaching on the gospel to consider that the tradition may also be right about spirituality. The Reformed convictions about spiritual formation are grounded in God’s once-for-all work in Christ and the ongoing work of the Spirit, yet formation also requires active, conscious work on the part of believers. This process flows from our union with Christ, centers on the orientation of the heart, aims at Christ-likeness and communion with God, and employs divinely appointed means. This last point marks a sharp contrast with much of the contemporary literature, which often encourages a DIY approach—grabbing spiritual practices from any tradition so long as they seem to “work.”

Bingham says Reformed spirituality is driven by three interrelated emphases: word-centrality, Biblical simplicity, and the heart’s engagement through the mind. These arose as responses to the errors of medieval spirituality, which in large part had become overly external, complex, and formal—too often encouraging nominal faith marked by lip service rather than heartfelt devotion.

The Reformers’ approach to spiri­tuality, which Bingham calls the “Reformation triangle,” centered on Scripture, meditation, and prayer: “Taken together, these three can be conceived as a conversation between the believer and God: we hear from God through his word, we reflect on what we’ve heard in meditation, and we then respond to God in prayer.” Protestants believed word-centric piety was revealed in Scripture itself, and classical Protestant spiritual formation was always aimed at communion with God and never considered a mere acquisition of knowledge. Historical analysis easily dispels the idea that the word-centered approach to spiritual formation had a deadening effect on the religious affections of laypeople. Furthermore, the inclusion of meditation and prayer also refutes the caricature of Reformed spirituality as merely intellectual.

The Reformed triangle can be described in another triad of terms: literacy, simplicity, and sincerity. The commitment to meaningful engagement with God through the Bible led Protestants to promote literacy among the laity and to establish schools for all children. Reformed Christians avoided wordless mysticism, seeking thoughtful encounters with God through the Bible. “Simplicity” entails not binding consciences by prescribing duties that go beyond Scripture. “Sincerity” refers to heartfelt devotion, opposing any approach that encourages vain repetition that honors God with the lips but not the heart.

However, Bingham’s work could do a better job recognizing how form can aid formation. Scripture itself gives us prayers—the Lord’s Prayer and the Psalter, for instance—to which we join our hearts and voices. The historic Reformed practice of psalm singing is itself a form of prayer. Our contemporary allergy to repetition overlooks how such forms have shaped believers.

This oversight also connects to another underdeveloped area in the book: community and corporate worship. Though Bingham addresses this briefly in the appendix (and a short chapter on relationships), he could have integrated the communal dimensions of spiritual formation throughout the book. For instance, corporate prayer and the public reading and hearing of Scripture should have more prominence in the text. For most of church history, reading Scripture was not primarily a private act, but a corporate affair. Given our contemporary fragmentation of church life—exacerbated by car culture and urban designs that isolate Christians from their local churches—this deserves sustained reflection. Just as Bingham notes our “nature deficiency” compared with early moderns, we might speak of our community deficiency.

The second half of the book offers rich applications of the Reformation triangle. The discussions of spiritual warfare, backsliding, the interplay between Scripture and nature, and the dangers of anxious introspection are particularly helpful. Readers interested in small groups will find the Puritan stress on the art of “conference”—deliberate conversation about spiritual things with other Christians—especially instructive. And readers uneasy with Reformed philosopher James K.A. Smith’s shift away from word-based piety will appreciate the book’s critique of Smith’s idea that “the way to the heart is through the body.”

Bingham’s central aim is to take up the concerns of the spiritual formation movement—especially the need to address evangelicalism’s “sanctification gap”—while avoiding some of the common pitfalls exhibited in prominent contemporary proponents. He wants to show that Scripture-based, historically Reformed resources are more than sufficient for the task. He successfully demonstrates that Reformed Christians don’t need to look outside their own tradition to find a coherent and rich account of spiritual growth. We are not left to cobble together a spiritual life from miscellaneous practices. We can draw deeply from our own heritage in the pursuit of growing in the knowledge and love of God.