Steve L Porter
964 posts
@SteveLPorter
Senior Research Fellow and Executive Director of the Martin Institute, Westmont College; Affiliate Professor of Spiritual Formation, Biola University
This year has been disorienting and troubling in many ways. Scientific and technological acceleration proceeds without the moral and spiritual development to keep pace, and our public square regularly displays hatred and antagonisms that erode trust and community. In light of all of this and more, the Christian practices of silence and solitude have much to offer to Christian communities, and to the broader public. Today, joined by a number of national partners and organizations, we are issuing A National Call to the Christian Practices of Silence & Solitude. Read the Call: silenceandsolitude.org Watch CCPL's President @MichaelRWear discuss the Call at our annual summit: youtu.be/eQM5oCY6oNw We invite you to join us in the regular practice of silence and solitude through Advent and into the coming year.
Last week: Transformation doesn’t happen through magic, earning, or willpower. It’s relational. This week: Steve Porter helps us understand why it’s not just knowing more about God that transforms us, but experiencing his love in our daily lives. The Grand Canyon analogy: You can study it your whole life, but standing at the edge is different. That’s the gap between factual and experiential knowledge. Job knew about God, but everything changed when he said: “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.” Paul prayed for Christians who already knew God loved them—that they would experience it more fully. To be “rooted and grounded in love.” Here’s the problem: We can have “Christianity from the neck up”—lots of biblical information but not much inner transformation. Spiritual growth is slow because receiving God’s love is slow. And that’s okay. Read Steve’s full article: theedenproject.com/reform-article…
