A Look at Redeeming the Routines

This isn't really a book review, more of a book thought. I'm in the middle of a pretty good book by Robert Banks called Redeeming the Routines: Bringing Theology to Life. Its a book about lay theology, or what he prefers to call "Theology of Everyday Life". It's a very L'Abri-esque book, one that tries to bridge the gap between what we believe and how we live out our lives with an emphasis on the 'routine' side of life where we spend most of our time. I hopefully will do a full book review one of these days but for now I wanted to share what he's talked about so far and maybe start some thoughts along these lines. In chapter 2, The Credibility Gap, he formulates ten theses that have their basis in the experiences of a wide range of people who have corroborated or extended his own conclusions about the relationship between belief and the routines of everyday life.

1. Few of us apply or know how to apply our belief to our work, or lack of work
2. We make only minimal connections between our faith and our spare time activities
3. We have little sense of a Christian approach to regular activities
4. Our everyday attitudes are partly shaped by the dominant values of our society
5. Many of our spiritual difficulties stem from the daily pressures we experience
6. Our everyday concerns receive little attention in the church
7. Only occasionally do professional theologians address routine activities
8. When addressed, everyday issues tend to be approached too theoretically
9. Only a minority of Christians read religious books or attend theological courses
10. Most churchgoers reject the idea of a gap between their belief and their ways of life

That's a pretty good list. He goes into pages of detail for each point which I won't discuss here but I thought it was a good overview of the problem and a good articulation of the state of Western Christianity. I think number 10 is the kicker here. After reflecting on 1-9, I came to the realization that most people would either give you the blank i-don't-have-a-clue-what-you're-talking-about-i-just-want-to-enjoy-my-sermon stare, or deny that this was a problem all together and falling into their dualistic-American private religion worldview that has been nestled into their minds. But thankfully Banks addresses this problem and I look forward to reading how he might deal with it. Maybe I'll post a follow-up.

I feel a deep resonance with the problems addressed in this list. The ideas represented here have fueled a lot of my passion and desire for teaching or being in some type of a vocational/equipping ministry. When I became a Reflective Christian sometime near the end of college, what sparked a flame in me was the disconnect I saw between the story of the people of God in the scriptures and the lives of the Christians all around me (granted, I may have had a skewed perception). There just didn't seem to be much difference in the daily lives of the people who claimed to be 'saved' and those who the 'saved' claimed were 'lost' (The Dude has issues with even using these words). I thought to myself, along the lines of what CS Lewis once wrote, If this whole thing is true then it should make a difference to every aspect of my life, not just some 'religious' part...and if it's not true, it doesn't make a hell of a difference. That has been the essence of my questioning for the last few years; thinking about and exploring why those differences are there, how can they be connected, and how the issues can be raised and dealt with among nominal Christians and devoted Christians alike.

Ranald Macaulay says that spirituality is the restoration of humanity to the image of God. When we are truly spiritual, we are truly human. The movement away from super-spirituality where praying, singing, and bible reading have precedent over the rest of life begins with an understanding that with the exception of sin, all of life is sacred. Of course praying, singing, and bible reading is spiritual, but no more or less than appreciating music, washing dishes, or listening to a friend. This book should make us aware of how small a part of our lives are actually being engaged in this movement towards restoration.

Along these lines, there is a great story about Madeline L'Engle. She was listening to a young friend explain that he felt like he had no time to pray during the day. He was so busy and tired that praying just didn't fit in his schedule. She asked him if he ever considered praying while on the toilet. He answered quickly, "I don't really think thats an appropriate place to do that." She snapped back, "That's not very incarnational of you!"

This book is a good place to start if you want to think that joke is funny(kind of), and a better place to start if you want to bridge the gap between belief and behavior.

By the way, Dennis Haack of Ransom Fellowship did a very short review of this book here.