I find it refreshing when I come across other people who might think the same way I do about our approach in the church to generosity, giving, and Christian stewardship. Erika has recently completed James Smith’s Desiring the Kingdom which, going forward may set the stage for a good series of related post. As Smith would certainly agree, living a generous life according to principles of Christian stewardship is much more than a worldview and requires far greater effort than reading books, responding to sermons, and engaging in life-group discussion. In order for Christian stewardship to take root, we must have a desire in our hearts for those things that we have been taught in our heads.
Smith argues that our obsession with everything cognitive distracts us from the pre-cognitive - the habits, both thick and thin, that truly form our identities. This is the sort of formation and re-formation that occurs before we even think about things. Smith might suggest that, more important than filling our heads with information about generous giving are the habits and rituals that both form and, eventually, reflect our desires to be generous. We have mistakenly convinced ourselves that everything we do in the church can be taught, diagrammed, and put into a formula - a very modern approach to Christianity. We believe, for example, that Christian stewardship can be taught (i.e. The Treasure Principle), diagramed (i.e. Time, Talent, and Treasure), and formulated (i.e. tithing). These approaches inform the mind of the giver but rarely have the power to transform the life of a giver. We need to work towards discovering patterns, rituals, and habits that shape our desires, define our lives, and reflect our values.
Smith asserts that we can better discern what exactly Christianity is by what Christians do, rather than from texts, doctrines, and theological positions. I’d certainly argue that we can discern far more about Christian stewardship by observing the patterns of our daily lives then we ever will by filling our heads with the how-to’s, what to’s, and why’s.
Re-citing the Apostles’ Creed in church and rising in unison for the National Anthem at a ballgame are no more powerful rituals than the well-worn path that guides our daily pilgrimage to Wal-Mart. Smith would argue that Wal-Mart uses its size, marketing tactics, and great prices to habitually draw us in and form our desires. I agree and believe that when we formulate patterns and habits around Wal-Mart, it both forms our identities and ends up having a far greater power and influence over us than we could imagine.
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Jason leads the advancement efforts at Logos Academy; an inter-cultural, Gospel-centered, community school located in York City, Pennsylvania. Jason and his family are members of the City Church community. In addition to his full-time ministry, Jason speaks to groups about Christian stewardship, generous giving, and effective ministry advancement. You can learn more at The Generous Life.
