How do you grow as a believer? Do you think that you’ll grow better in a more hands-on religion like Roman Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy? If so, Matthew Bingham has things to say to you in A Heart Aflame for God: A Reformed Approach to Spiritual Formation.
Specifically, he is arguing that 1) Protestants have a long tradition of thinking Biblically and well about spiritual growth (which is what the bulk of the book is about), so no need to cross the Tiber or the Bosporus to find guidance; and 2) we should be pursuing growth in holiness according to Biblical principles, which we find in the Reformation and Puritan writers in great, albeit often overlooked, detail.
I’ll let you read the book for the details on how to grow in holiness. You should do so, it is worth your time. But of equal interest (but not equal emphasis in the book) is Bingham’s insistence that 1) we don’t need liturgical traditions that compromise the Gospel to pursue holiness and 2) the body is important (we are embodied creatures, after all), but we are fundamentally reasonable and spiritual beings first and foremost, and the mind is the entryway to a whole life of obedience to God.
This is a point Bingham makes in response to recent trends in Evangelicalism, emphasizing the body and the importance of ritual and habit for religious growth. Bingham responds carefully and well, admitting the true arguments that are made without granting unwarranted conclusions. His engagement is generous, thoughtful, and, I think, correct in his conclusions.
So pick up this book and read it, and use it as a springboard into the Puritans, the Dutch Reformed, the other great saints of the past who call us all to be holy.
Dr. Coyle Neal is co-host of the City of Man Podcast an Amazon Associate (which is linked in this blog), and teaches Political Science and History in Southwest Missouri.
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