Customer Reviews

Spiritual Theology: A Systematic Study of the Christian Life

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There is little doubt that from a purely dogmatic standpoint, this is one of the more thorough and exhaustively documented treatments of spiritual theology available today. It is highly intellectual, extensively documented (and I do mean extensively), and a top work of scholarship. As I will discuss below, it is an improveable effort in at least two ways, but from the standpoint of scholarship and depth, this book pretty much blows away most everything that's passing for spiritual theology and spiritual discipline development in Christian bookstores these days.

For those interested in Chan's theological perspective, I would classify him, for lack of better terminology, as being in the left wing of Reformed theology. Chan does seem to be in the Calvinistic camp on the question of man's condition and status before God, and it is this Reformed perspective that tends to lay the groundwork for much of the book. Having said this, the book is quite ecumenical, and it is really amazing the sheer volume of Christians, both past and present, that Chan interacts with in this book. If there's one thing that's beyond debate, in my view, it's that the scholarship exhibited by Chan here is breathtaking and will be much appreciated by those looking for a very in-depth and substantive read.

The book attempts to lay out a systematic approach to spiritual development, and urges readers to develop and adopt a rule of life that integrates individual and corporate spiritual development with an eye towards connecting the global Christian community more closely. Chan spends a good deal of time not only developing many familiar (though some unfamiliar) spiritual disciplines, but also interacting with far more than the Western spiritual experience. In a book like this, Chan's extensive interaction with Eastern and Asian forms of Christian spirituality is very informative and most helpful.

Chan is clearly and rightly concerned about the lack of spiritual development that seems to be dominating much of Protestantism today. In our zeal to adopt individualistic spiritualities that spurn the institutional church and particularly ecclesiastical heirarchy, Chan believes that Protestants have lost a very important aspect of spiritual development - community and global development of a distinctively Christian spirituality. He's right. This book is clearly aimed at getting mainly evangelical Protestants to take another look at the spiritual disciplines not as things to check off on a purely personal 'to do' list, but as the truly life transforming disciplines they are, and to see such spiritual development not purely as individualistic or personal, but as corporate and communally interactive. This mentality is mostly welcome, and it is something evangelicals need to reexamine. The medieval church in particular knew a lot more about spiritual development than many of us today, and Chan very properly has no hang-ups about interacting and incorporating their views and practices into a contemporary rule of life for spiritual development, and neither should we - though this is an area where theological discernment is called for, as Chan himself argues. His remark that 'if Christians today were to learn discernment in large numbers, most television evangelists would go out of business' is spot on, in my view.

I will mention 2 regrets that compel me to the 4 star rating. First, Chan's dogmatic and historical scholarship are impeccable, but his interaction with Scripture is not. The reader will find that Chan seems to quote from just about everything and everybody - with the exception of Scripture. His interaction with Scripture is sparse and surface level. Thus, this book deals much more with how the church has pursued spiritual development then with what Scripture actually says about such things. Big weakness. Secondly, it surprised me that in a book on spiritual development via the spiritual disciplines, little to no mention was made of fasting. This strikes me as a rather glaring omission, particularly since fasting is the one spiritual discipline that has been most abandoned within evangelicalism and is the least understood in terms of its purposes and goals.

With these critiques in mind, I nonetheless recommend the book as a very substantive and needed survey and development of spiritual theology. This is not a book for the beginner, or for someone looking for fluff and a light read. This book 'definitely ain't that'. But it rewards careful study and contemplation.

This is an excelent, scholarly treatment of Christian Spiritual Theology from an ecumenical protestant perspective. (Although Roman and Orthodox sources are not ignored.) It might not serve as the best introduction to the subject due to its depth but for anyone familiar with the discipline it serves as a solid, weighty corrective to the wispy fluff usually given as "christian spirituality."
Spiritual Theology is a synthetic discipline and this book is firmly rooted in dogmatic theology (Part 1.) It then proceeds to study the Christian disciplines and aids to the Christian life (part 2.) The second section is not a laundry list of disciplines with a how-to explanation, but rather a study of the logic, rationale and relationship of the elements of a life of prayer. Although the book is for any context, many comments are from an Asan perspective.
I would recommend this to any one who if moderately familiar with Spiritual Theology, I especially commend the author's broad ecumenical scope as well as his use of contemporary theologians as well as traditional "giants."

Simon Chan presents a systematic overview of the Christian spiritual life. Although this book has promise and potential to be a great work, I don't think that it delivered on all levels. At times, Chan's work is insightful and inspiring as to the current state-of-affairs regarding the Christian church. He gives some great parameters in which to do this sort of work.

Although Chan does set up some strong criteria and parameters for this study (at any time)--historical, evangelical, global--the book fails to keep to the direct task at hand at all times. As another reviewer stated, this book can be a laborious read and Chan's thought pattern can be somewhat difficult to follow at times. This leads to rabbit trails and a reader that is, at times, behind the point the author is currently making.

On a personal note: I wish that Chan would have been more careful in selecting quotations from various Christian writings for two reasons: 1) at times, there are too many quotes -- making it hard to follow. 2) at times, the quotations come from either very mystical Christians (Teresa of Avila) or questionable ones. [Again, this to personal taste]

Overall, this book is a need-to-read for those doing theology. I have been a bit hard on the writing style, but Chan does have strong points regarding Christian theology and the life of faith. (Another reviewer did not like Chan's theological position, but that needs to be beside the point in order to catch the thrust of his message) Chan makes points that our churches need to hear and heed as well as our theologians.

Theology is "the doctrine of living unto God," wrote the Puritan theologian William Ames. As such, true theological reflections ought to arise from personal encounter with God in Jesus Christ and lead to a deeper spiritual life. However, since the Enlightenment period, theology becomes increasingly fragmented into specialized, merely "academic" branches (dogmatic, biblical, philosophical and so on) that are often disconnected from its goal of guiding us to godliness. As a result, the church is impoverished if her devotional books are doctrinally thin and her theological works are spiritually vacuous. In his book Spiritual Theology: A Systematic Study of the Christian Life, Dr Simon Chan seeks to address this modern weakness by placing Christian spirituality on solid theological foundations while exploring the practical implications of various Christian doctrines.

Any good spiritual theology, he argues, should have a framework comprehensive enough to account for various experiences without losing balance. It should also be internally consistent where each doctrine meaningfully relates to others without explaining away all mysteries of the faith. Finally, it should evoke a sense of the spiritual realities beyond such formulations by integrating prayer and reflections. But what makes for a distinctly Christian spiritual theology? In order to be faithful to both the Christian storyline as well as our own Asian context, Chan calls for three interconnected criteria: the global-contextual (sensitivity to complex historical conditions that shape our thoughts), the evangelical (a personal relationship with Christ mediated by the gospel that entails a countercultural ecclesiology) and the charismatic (an openness to the surprising work of the Holy Spirit). We should be able to review and evaluate Chan's spiritual theology using these tests of adequacy he has provided.

In the first part of the book, "The Theological Principles of Spiritual Theology," he argues that our knowledge of who God is determines the shape of our spirituality. In spite of the Trinitarian language that pervades the church's liturgy and creeds, our practice is often inconsistently focused on only one Person of the Godhead. For example, a Christological spirituality that focuses on forgiveness of sins and personal relationship with Jesus engenders a warm piety over against impersonal religiosity (page 47). But it may also lead to insular tendencies that see church as mainly opposed to the world if uncoupled from a spirituality of the Father that also affirms our common humanity and creation care. In contrast, a Trinitarian spirituality is modelled after the inner life of the Godhead. It is characterized by a personal intimacy with God through Christ (the Son) and openness to the powerful works of the Spirit that finds its inter-penetrating unity in a basic ascetical structure of life (the Father).

Chan proceeds to draw out the spiritual implications from principal doctrines of humanity, salvation and the church. The depth and variety of sins in fallen human nature find their sources in the flesh, the world and the devil. A proper understanding of sin as radical and relational turning away from God is needed to avoid superficial fixes of mere moral improvement. In order to progress spiritually, we need to accept personal accountability instead of blaming it all on genes or circumstances. According to Chan, the cure for worldliness is found in neither externalizing it into a list of places to avoid nor internalizing it into mere attitudes regardless of outward actions. It lies in seeing the world as ultimately transitory in light of the brevity of life and eternity of the life to come (1 Corinthians 7:29-31). To combat sin, we need resources from the gospel of salvation.

Although most Protestant Christians understand that we are declared righteous by grace through faith in Christ, it is unclear how it is related to our actual progress in godliness. Sanctification is a result of justification, but in practice, imputed righteousness does not automatically lead to a transformed life. According to Chan, spiritual theology could only be sustained by understanding grace as both "God's unmerited favor to undeserving sinners" and "an empowering gift" infused by God that enables human response (page 83). Otherwise, development of character can be reduced to works righteousness or the importance of spiritual disciplines as means of grace is largely ignored. He contends that the pilgrim's progress in conformity to the image of Christ requires repeated actions of growing intensity so that good habits can replace bad ones. The goal of all ascetical disciplines is perfect union with God in love (page 101).

However, sanctification does not occur in a vacuum apart from the body of Christ. Spiritual formation is not designed to develop individualistic qualities but to enable responsible and virtuous living within the ecclesial community. Contemporary Christians need to understand that they have been baptized into one Body (1 Cor 12:13). The universal church across space and time bears the visible marks of preaching, baptism and the Lord's Supper and as a sacramental community, points forward to the new creation through her suffering, celebration and solitude.

In the second part of the book called "The Practice of the Spiritual life," Chan clarifies that his purpose is not to offer tips on how to carry out spiritual disciplines but to focus on the theology that undergirds these practices. While spirituality is a work of divine grace, actual progress comes through effort by practising means of grace like prayer, meditation on the Word, spiritual friendships and so on. He advises a rule of life that is embraced and ordered to enable us to achieve ascetical proficiency. A pattern or rhytmn of life helps us to be more regular in reinforcing desirble habits. We tend to agree that acquiring a certain competency at work or sports require some form of discipline and practice. What makes us think that proficiency at being a Christian is attained by aimless drifting or ad hoc effort?

Chan is aware of how incessant demands of modern living weigh down urban Christians today so he proposes "an ascetism of small steps" (page 11). Borrowing an analogy from mountain climbers, beginners are shown a pathway of simple steps starting from prayer as the first principle of spiritual theology (Chapter 6). Thereafter the winding stairs ascend gradually to the practice of God's presence in daily activities (Chapter 7), meditative Scripture reading and memorization (Chapter 8) and the cultivation of spiritual friendships, meditation on God's creation and social justice (Chapter 9). The author also warns of pitfalls and dangers that may hinder our progress.

Therefore discernment becomes necessary to overcome common setbacks like seasons of distraction or dryness, over-scrupulosity that results in rigidity and self-delusion (Chapter 10). Chan also draws plenty of insights from the reflections of revivalist-theologian Jonathan Edwards on how to separate true religious affections and extraordinary phenomena from spurious ones. Finally, the book draws to a close with a discussion on the art of spiritual direction. According to Chan, there are no self-taught saints because even the most mature pilgrim needs help from time to time (page 225). The spiritual director could help to ask hard questions and discern the workings of grace in the life of the directee.

An Evaluation

For pastors, seminary students and informed laity, Spiritual Theology is a rewarding book that presupposes some knowledge in classical and contemporary theological discussions. It is not a `how-to' book for beginners. Personally, I find that it is a valuable resource that integrates systematic theology with its goal of "living unto God". It admirably passes its own tests of adequacy by drawing resources from various spiritual traditions (desert fathers, Catholic, Orthodox and so on). Being ecumenical in outlook, Chan is also evangelical in his conviction that a personal encounter with Christ as necessary for salvation while remaining conversant with the Asian cultures in which he is situated. For example, his discussions of sin and salvation engage meaningfully with Confucian and Buddhist spiritualities by tracing lines of convergence and divergence (page 66, 77). It also evokes an inner hunger to pursue spiritual disciplines more intentionally for myself. I felt convicted that my own spiritual life could be significantly improved by finding a rule of life between the polarities of contemplative and active.

From his Pentecostal perspective, Chan also engaged robustly with both Catholic and Reformed views of grace with a "spirituality of the Spirit" as an expectant openness to God's surprising work beyond what we can predict or control. I find his proposal on rethinking grace as a helpful corrective to integrate intentional effort in the process of spiritual formation. At the same time, he demonstrates a confident ability to be critical of his own tradition by pointing out its weakness in trying to `routinize the extraordinary' and a rather undiscerning attitude towards supernatural phenomenon such as `holy laughter' (page 48, 214). Although some arguments are difficult to follow at times, there are valuable insights to be gained from virtually every page.

There are some proposals for improvement: the time-honored discipline of fasting seems to be omitted even though it could serve to intensify our hunger for God and perhaps a Kuyperian model of cultural-political engagement could complement the `alternative polis' model in contexts like Singapore and Korea where a sizeable Christian population exists (page 36). But the holistic spirituality that emerges is essentially Trinitarian, deeply personal and centered on prayer coupled with meditation on God's word. Its devotion opens up in fellowship with a community of faith, service to others in social justice and appreciation of creation. If such spirituality characterizes the Asian church, it would breathe new life into our mission and church life. As Asian Christians, we are deeply indebted to Chan's insightful and challenging contributions to spiritual theology.

Simon Chan's book is a very edifying read. A unique book of a kind that marries theology and spirituality almost seamlessly. He sets a good theological basis for our understanding of God, church, salvation and sin before drawing out an 'ascetical'(spiritual disciplines) program, that is accessible even to novices. His discussion on sin is very well distilled. The radical nature of sin is well expounded, which helps one see the genius of such doctrines as 'justification by faith'. He then helps us see how that can be lived out in a way that is both congruent and effective, thus healing what Lovelace calls 'the sanctification gap'(between being declared holy and becoming holy).

His writing is peppered with various quotations, making it easy for me to know where he is coming from and pointing to sources for further reading. In so doing, he does not go over grounds which other writers have trodden and yet stands on the shoulders of such giants of the Church. He focuses his insightful comments on specific issues that confront the church today,especially in the context of Asian churches that are swept by such forces as individualism and globalization. His analysis of differences between Western and Eastern thinking helps one to do theology with greater discernment and sensitivity to the pecularities of one's culture. Much more can be said about the book but it certainly serves as a wonderful resource for anyone committed to 'living unto God'.

I read Chan's book and tried to find more reviewers, but it was difficult to find. I enjoyed the read, although it was a slow and fairly uneventful read. His view on spiritual warfare was below acceptable...refer to chapter 3, especially where he said that demon possession rare. Positives were -that he believed in generational sin (pg. 60) -that as a community of saints we can only change in smal steps...not confrontational (pg.104) -that we as Christians need to focus on Christ as he is all we have (pg.110+) - that one cannot reproduce the prayers of the saints (pg.132) -that in spiritual friendship one must be willing to open up to others (pg. 178+) -that with the rule of life God does not work in a box (ch. 10) I wish he would have been more open to the giftings of the Holy spirit like prophecy, healing and the like I wish he would have also included more about fasting, meditation, worship and other disciplines as Richard Foster did in The Celebration of Discipline. Thank you for reading my review

The first half is a typical theological treatise. The second half is about spiritual disciplines to put theology into practice. The author pulls from all streams of Christianity not just one denomination. Well written.

This book is a masterpiece. Chan masterfully brings brings a divine center to the fragmented ecumenically minded christian. Da Bomb!