Desiring The Kingdom (Cultural Liturgies): Worship, Worldview, And Cultural Formation (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
It is an important book. If you want a real review of it, I wrote one that is a lot longer... so ask. James K. A. Smith challenges the assumption that if people just "know" the right things there will be changes in their actions. Unfortunately that is not what we see empirically. This means mere "worldview education" is inadequate. People are more than merely a brain. At our core we are desiring "animals." Therefore, right education should be seen as formation of desires. Institutions such as sporting culture, malls, higher learning, etc. are seeking to impact our desires and are not neutral... they are making people who approach life in a specific way (e.g. He's a "Harvard" man.). Through cultural liturgies our hearts are formed to desire a kingdom: The Kingdom of God, or another Kingdom. Christian education becomes a "re-formation" project. At times he gets a bit polemical and attacks some straw men, but I think it is worth the read. The thesis of the book is profound (humans are fundamentally lovers - we act based on what we love not what we know) and is a helpful corrective to the evangelical emphasis on "worldview" - which overemphasizes the cognitive faculties of humans. Therefore, discipleship is primarily a matter of God forming our affections to align with his kingdom. Good stuff!The only negative of the book is that it was a far more cerebral than visceral read - contra the thesis of the book. But he is a philosopher and not an artist, and abstract ideas are still important!
What do You think about Desiring The Kingdom (Cultural Liturgies): Worship, Worldview, And Cultural Formation (2009)?
Quite possibly the best book on worship and formation I have ever read. Fantastic.
—paulatii
A wonderful and thoughtful book that challenges the notion of "worldview."
—Annette
