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Conformed to His Image: Biblical and Practical Approaches to Spiritual Formation

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I have been frustrated for years with most books on spiritual growth, because almost invariably they suffer from tunnel vision, seeing only one particular part of the whole spectrum of Christian growth to the exclusion of the rest. I have searched in vain for a comprehensive evaluation of all the philosophies and methods used over the centuries...searched in vain until I read Conformed to His Image by Ken Boa. Despite having a prodigious intellect(2 doctoral degrees including a D.Phil. from Oxford), he is a humble and accessible man of God(I have had the privilege of meeting him at a retreat some years back). In this seminary level textbook he masterfully summarizes and categorizes a broad spectrum of spiritual growth in 12 major areas, from spiritual disciplines to spiritual warfare. I have underlined sentences on almost every one of the 500+ pages; this book is without equal. Its depth and breath are unique in contemporary Christian literature. Highly recommended.

Kenneth Boa defines 12 facets of the Christian life and deals with each one in a thoroughly practical, yet deeply theological way. He does seem to think that Christians can be demon-possessed, a view which I do not hold. In spite of that, I recommend the book to the seasoned Christan. Written in textbook style, it makes for extended Bible studies for mid-week gatherings, home studies, etc. There are a great number of resources from which he cites quotes, and the cost of the book is worth the resource list alone. I particularly enjoyed the facet about the Christian Disciplines. In a day of hyper-faith, wealth, prosperity, and health gospel, this book is a refreshing return to sanity. I wish I had it years ago.

I am going to be extravagant and almost hyperbolic in what I say in this review. Even though there is the danger of me over-promising on something and it under-delivers, I ignore that possibility and I make a bold proposal and a heartfelt request

Read this book - for it can change your life.
This book can help you discover the life you have always wanted.
It can do that, if you use this book in the right way which I (happily) will just happen to describe in some detail.

First I'll tell you what the book is and what it contains.
Then I'll give you my recommendation on how to use this book.

This is a big book. It can be a bit daunting looking at its size and thumbing through its pages.

This book is a labor of love from Ken Boa.

(Ken - a personal thank-you. I am sure you will write many more books and add them to your list of publications, but this one may be your Magna Opus. If you surpass it with a later book... !).

Boa has sweepingly studied and understood the wide gamut of Christian spirituality in all its many traditions and expressions. And he has nicely summarized his findings in a well organized, biblically rich, pastorally sensitive, spiritually wise offering.

Make no mistake, this book is solid theology and savory spirituality. Boa invites you to think wisely and experience widely of God's manifold richness. It is always grounded in the Scriptures and yet always oriented toward the practical expression of truth.

This book is substantially informed with nuggets of gold from the great spiritual writers and devotional classics, both ancient and contemporary. it is warmly Evangelical and widely Ecumenical in its scope.

Every single page, in fact (really) every single paragraph, and (truly) almost every single sentence is a stepping stone for reflection and prayer.

Boa has woven together the traditions of sacra pagina and lectio divina (read Chapter 15 to see what I mean).

This book (if you let it) will undo you and be used by the Spirit of God to remake you from the inside out (Larry Crabb) and reorder your disordered world (David Naugle)

I don't know what else I can say to entice you to read this book.

Organizationally, it has twelve sections which Boa calls "facets." Metaphorically, he is describing Life With Christ as the gem/pearl of great price and uses 12 facets to explore the depth and breadth of that life. They are:

Relational Spirituality
Paradigm Spirituality
Disciplined Spirituality
Exchanged Life Spirituality
Motivated Spirituality
Devotional Spirituality
Holistic Spirituality
Process Spirituality
Spirit-FIlled Spirituality
Warfare Spirituality
Nurturing Spirituality
Corporate Spirituality

Then, each facet or section of the book is further divided in to several chapters, for a total of 36 chapters, of 12-18 pages in length for each chapter.

Gary Thomas talks about the Spiritual Pathways, Richard Foster discusses the six (or seven) Streams of Christian Spirituality, numerous authors write about 10 or 15 or 30 Spiritual Disciplines. Ken Boa's approach is different. He uses the word "facet" and I might use the word "theme" or "approach" to spirituality.

That is what the book is.
Now, the next important question is - how to use this book? And this is a crucial question.

(Please Note for Review Readers: I have stopped reviewing the book and what follows are my suggestions for how to read and use the book for personal transformation.)


You should have a copy of this book, a good Bible, preferably one without study notes, a notebook or journal and several pens/highlighters.

You are going to do two readings.

The First Time Reading Through the Book I suggest you read one chapter a day. Aim to read 4-5 chapters a week. That is doable. You can miss a day or two and still keep to your schedule. You will read through the book in 6-8 weeks at this rate. A little faster if you read one chapter every day. NOTE: Do not read more than one chapter a day.

Your Goal in This is to gain a general familiarity with all the facets of spirituality as well as seeing the big picture of spirituality.

Another Goal is to note the key themes and issues in each chapter that are of interest to you. You won't have time to really think about them or explore them (yet), but you can make a note of them in your journal. And if there is anything that really grabs your attention, make a note of that as well. Remember, right now, the big goal is overall familiarity.


Now, you are ready for the Second Reading and this is where the real benefit will come. This reading will last longer and be more interactive for you.

Here is the Method: You will read one chapter per week, at the beginning of the week. You will read the chapter paying attention to main things that stir within, that move you, that grab your attention, that seem to be addressing the needs and interests of your current journey. From your first day of reading, you will have a number (and maybe quite a few) things that are of interest and worthy of deeper reflection. This is the raw material and launching pad you will use the rest of the week.

The Method Continued: For the rest of the week, however many days you are able to set aside for reading, reflecting and praying about those launching pad ideas, you do that. You may have five ideas from your reading that you sense are important for you... or you may have fifteen ideas. Just begin to reflect on them. It may be a Scripture verse, a quote, a prayer, a well said phrase or sentence... but you will find many things that get your attention. There is so much in Boa's writings that you will have to be selective. Pick the stuff that really grabs hold of your heart and mind.

Important Suggestion: What I am asking you to do is use Boa's writings as a devotional/theological source for lectio divina reflections. You may want to begin with chapter 15 first, just to become even more acquainted with this lectio divina process.

A Personal Recommendation: There is so much loaded into every chapter, that you could spend a month doing reflections that arise out of each chapter. If you did that - it would take you three years to go through the book. Most of us are simply not wired to sustain interest and focus for that long. So, my recommendation is that you definitely try to do one chapter per week. One day read the chapter. Then for three or four (or more) days, reflect on the most noteworthy, up-to-date, current journey ideas you find.

Your Goal is to allow the Spirit of God to lead you much deeper into the spiritual life with Christ. The Spirit of God is your teacher and your goal is to keep in step with the Spirit in your daily or regular devotions. So, don't be afraid to deviate from my recommendation. If you need to sit with a chapter longer than a week - that is fine. Also, there is no requirement to work sequentially through the chapters. You may be interested in a particular facet. Begin there if you like.

A Major Enhancer to the Entire Process would be to have a friend or two or three, maybe even four, but no more for spiritual friendship conversations or a very small group dialogue about what you are learning. I would recommend that if you do a group, then you have to be working through the same chapter together.

Here is my final word.

You need to do this. Especially if you are a leader. Most of us are significantly, if not severely, lacking when it comes to the realm of personal transformation and relational spirituality that transforms us. According to Bobby Clinton, it is imperative for leaders to have a spiritual formation paradigm they are consistently working.

Boa has done us the great service of gathering together and describing the biblical facets of that transformative spirituality. If you follow the plan I suggested above, you will spend about one year with in-depth spiritual processing. This might be the best year of your life if you do this.

If you do this - please let me know and let me know how it is going for you.

Joyful readings
blessed encounters,
profound discoveries,
and the experience of the Living God...
... may it be yours in the days ahead.


Brian Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
[...]

I ordered this book some time ago. I have enjoyed Kenneth Boa's other books, Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship Praying the Scripture for Spiritual Growth. So, this book intrigued me. When I got it, I thought it looked too academic, but I was so wrong! I took it off the shelf last week after owning it for over a year. I wish I had picked it up sooner! This is a wonderfully practical guide to Spiritual Formation. It is so comprehensive, and I couldn't put it down. It was food for my soul!

Spiritual formation: Even the term itself is esoteric, suggesting this book's likely value only inside the cloistered halls of seminaries. That misunderstanding would be a tragedy. Readers, this outstanding, very well organized textbook is anything but purely academic! It offers a gold mine of wisdom, experience and biblical understanding about a Christian's spiritual journey--in all its various facets. If there is a God in heaven (and there is!), Dr. Kenneth Boa's book should get very broad distribution among Christian laypeople, not just pastors and professors. His book is absolutely fantastic, thoroughly biblical, and even devotional and reverent. It is also very practical and emminently helpful to persons on the pilgrim's path, particularly to those who are looking for more spiritual progress. Perhaps most helpful is the fact that Boa's book gives readers a balanced perspective on those teachers and teachings that suggest that there is only one pathway within orthodox Christianity to proper spiritual formation and an intimate relationship with God. I give Conformed to His Image my highest recommendation!

This book delivers a thorough and concise exposition of spiritual growth. The writer is not afraid to view each segment of spritual growth with a critical and honest evaluation, even at the expense of irritating some closed-mind readers or even those of us that hate being found to think wrongly or without basis regarding what we believe. This deserves a place on the required reading list of every Bible student or anyone else seeking a deeper understanding of maturity. Keep it with your commentaries and dictionaries for future reference.

This book is very enlightening and well written.I would recommend this to anyone, especially to belivers in Christ Jesus to walk a closer walk with Him.

Boa eloquently expounds on God's love for mankind in Spiritual Formation. It is masterfully written yet practically applicable. This is a must read for every Christian!!

Dr. Boa provides an indepth understanding of who we are in Jesus. He transcends religousness and captures the essence of truly following after Jesus - a clear discipleship of Jesus. He provides great insights on the pursuit of Jesus. Thru Dr. Boa's book you can begin to see the God who truly loves us and has our best intentions in mind. A real must read for those seriously pursuing Jesus.

According to the apostle Paul the goal of the Christian life is that we would be "conformed to the image of his Son (Rom. 8:29)." I have used this book several times now in classes at my church on developing in the spiritual disciplines in the context of community. This book has it all - good theology; historical theology; and excellent study questions and applications throughout. I have used this book along with Grudem's Systematic Theology, Allison's Historical Theology, and Ogden's books on discipleship to try to balance the mentoring and discipleship process of making theologically culturally penetrating disciples of Christ.

Kenneth Boa's prayer in is that a result of reading this book you will:

- develop a greater appreciation for the unique way God has made you;
- become aware of a wider array of options for your spiritual journey;
- get out of a possible spiritual rut;
- desire to experiment with other facets of the faith
- appreciate the manifold legacy that has been bequeathed to us by those who have gone before us;
- expand your horizons and be encouraged to move out of your comfort zone
- have instilled in you a greater passion for Christ and a greater desire to participate in his loving purposes for your life.

Does Boa succeed in the above? A resounding "yes." I have used this book one on one; in small groups of 7-14 people; and larger groups of 20-40 people. In every case the book has proven to be effective in helping all involved to grow in Christ like qualities, and behavior. Boa has masterfully written a very practical theology of the spiritual disciplines by comparing these disciplines to facets of the gem that we are ultimately becoming in Christ:

Facet #1 - Relational Spirituality: Loving God Completely, Ourselves Correctly, and Others Compassionately.

Facet#2 - Paradigm Spirituality: Cultivating an Eternal versus a Temporal Perspective

Facet #3 - Disciplined Spirituality: Engaging in the Historical Disciplines

Facet #4 - Exchanged Life Spirituality: Grasping Our True Identity in Christ

Facet #5 - Motivated Spirituality: A Set of Biblical Incentives

Facet #6 - Devotional Spirituality: Falling in Love with God

Facet #7 - Holistic Spirituality: Every Component of Life under the Lordship of Christ

Facet #8 - Process Spirituality: Process versus Product, Being versus Doing

Facet #9 - Spirit-Filled Spirituality: Walking in the Power of the Spirit

Facet #10 - Warfare Spirituality: The World, the Flesh, and the Devil

Facet #11 - Nurturing Spirituality: A Lifestyle of Evangelism and Discipleship

Facet #12 - Corporate Spirituality: Encouragement, Accountability, and Worship

This book is written as a textbook - it is well organized with outlines, introductions, charts, and each chapter closes with questions for discussion and personal application. I think it is one of the most helpful books out there in bridging the typical gaps between books that consider the multi-dimensional aspects of what it means to be human and made and conformed to the image of Christ. Boa weaves biblical theology, human personalities, psychology, etc., to help us see our blind spots and how we can keep chiseling away at what is not like Christ, so we can become the multi-faceted gems that God is working in us to become - through His working and our responsibly working to become like Jesus (Eph. 2:10 and Philippians 2:12-13). I Highly recommend this book - it's definitely a resource you will use for the rest of your life - individually and corporately.