Introduction
When I was deciding what book to read this week, Graham Tomlin’s book, Spiritual Fitness, struck me as intriguing. I’m into all things spiritual and all things fitness. Sounds like a book for me. The book did not disappoint! It exceeded my expectations. I just wish it was available on audible with English accent.
I was delighted to see a book on my shelf like no other. Dr. Tomlin is a British theologian, Bishop of Kensington in the Church of England (Anglican) and President of St. Mellitus College in central London. Tomlin has the ability to communicate a complex topic in simple language.
Summary
Graham Tomlin says, “To be spiritually fit is to be like Jesus. It means to become more fully human. It means to become like God.”1 He also defines a “mature Christian” as “…someone in whom a quality of life has grown that enables her to be generous even when she is poor, to love when it hurts, to show kindness as a regular habit of life, without even thinking about it.”2
The objective of Spiritual Fitness is as clear as Tomlin’s definition of “spiritually fit:” “It is the central contention of this book that the church should be concerned about the fact that people no longer find it [spiritual fitness] necessary, compelling or relevant.”3 The ways in which spiritual fitness occurs is through the church/community enabling “people and communities to be restored into the image of God.” The means to that spiritually fit end is through a life of a spirit-empowered fitness regiment.
Spiritual maturity is not limited to the ‘academic model’ (i.e. knowing doctrine), the ‘spirituality model’ (i.e. engaging in spiritual disciplines) or the ‘social action model’ (i.e. involvement and impact on society), but summed up in the cultivation of certain qualities such as the fruit of the spirit in Galatians chapter five.
Tomlin is on to something in suggesting the local church be viewed like a gym. A gym is a communal ground for common hope and interest. “They [gyms] fit into a coherent narrative which points out a way in which our lives will be better, richer, more fulfilling.”5 On the other hand, similar to many local churches, local gyms have members who attend with ulterior motives. And that is all I have to say about that.
Chances are we have all heard the “I-go-to-church” philosophy, which subconsciously undermines the idea of belonging. Many evangelists pitch the question, “Hey, wanna come to my Church?” or as one well-intended co-worker of mine put it, “You should come to my church!” This approach is often uninvited and once its out there, makes just about any friendship awkward. But Tomlin has something to say about that,
We speak of ‘attending' church. The problem is that ‘attending' is a static, passive activity. If you ‘attend' something you just go to be there, not to be active or involved, not to learn or do something purposeful. We attend meetings, interviews, lectures. No one would speak of ‘attending' the gym.6
When I was deployed on a ship, I adapted this church attendance philosophy. I would ask people to “come to the church service.” When they wouldn’t show up, I would judge them in my heart and write them off. One Marine told me he was going to come out for the Easter service and I remember responding arrogantly and judging him. I might have said, “oh you’re one of those” but I cannot recall. I pray he has forgiven me as my Father in heaven has for all those years!
Opine
Staying on the gym analogy, I found myself disagreeing with Tomlin’s statement: “Most gyms are in fact not very communal...each person is locked into his or her own personal world.”7 It is true that a lot of people are in an isolated world when they walk into a gym, but overall, the gym is an actual community. I have been a member of a non-school gym once in my life (24hr fitness) and there were several communities within that community. There was the 5 am psycho cardio people, the 5:45 am wrestlers (me and my buddies), the seniors, the spin class, the “no legs” dudes in the corner, etc. The gym is a large community.
I also challenge the assumption that, “A spiritually fit person might or not be physically fit or healthy, but he or she will have developed the qualities of love, generosity, forgiveness, and kindness. In short, such a person will have developed virtue.” I agree that a person can be spiritually fit, but out of shape by a doctors decree. The point I make is, if a person is overweight by lifestyle and not sickness, then the heart of the issue is an issue of the heart. Gluttony is sinful and often manifests itself in our bodies. My gluttony is hidden by my inherited fast metabolism so it’s easier for me to hide my sin of second helpings and comfort. I’m simply stating that submitting to laziness and compromise in eating is a spiritual issue not a health one per se.
Toward the end of the book, Tomlin suggests a wonderful forgiveness class. However, he suggests that forgiveness entails actually going to a person and seeking reconciliation. The problem with this is it does not account for those who must forgive someone who cannot be found, has died, or does not want to be contacted. If forgiveness is literally “letting go” we must separate it from the physical act of a handshake in the spirit of reconciliation.
Application
This book is a practical manual for all local churches. For one, a forgiveness class or workshop is to the local church as a cardio class is to a gym. No gym worth its dues lacks a cardio program, lest they seek to produce people who look good but run out of gas on the first lap. Remember those “no legs” dudes I mentioned earlier? First of all, there's the new adage, “friends don’t let friends skip leg day” and “if you’re not doing cardio you’re wrong.”
Every church must be in the business of forgiveness because God is in the business of forgiveness. And we must remember that forgiveness fits into the larger narrative of the divine plan of God to redeem and restore man into his image. Forgiveness is the means by which people become more fully human and retired into the image of Christ. We should have unlimited forgiveness because we have been forgiven. But that all points back to a community that cultivates the spirit of forgiveness. For now, that job belongs to the local Church.
Innovation
God has given me a new way to pray for those who have sinned against me. I have shared this “prayer of forgiveness” model with a handful of people and the response has been liberating. From seasoned Christians to babes in Christ, the implications of a “yes and amen” gospel are that of thanksgiving and praise.
Scriptures assure us that we can forgive because we have been forgiven. We are empowered by the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. We are not hurt because he (Jesus) is not hurt and he lives in us (permanently). I don’t have to walk around hurt because I have died to myself and I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ in me. Hence, I believe this prayer of forgiveness is a prayer of freedom in Christ:
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Pray the following prayer of victory over bitterness/resentment:
Lord, I choose to forgive (name the person) for (name ONE INSTANCE of what they did/failed to do) because (share the painful experience).
After you have let go of all instances of bitterness towards one particular person, close out your forgiveness of that person by this proclamation of truth:
Lord, I choose not to hold on to my resentment. I thank you for setting me free from the bondage of my bitterness. I choose to “let go” of my desire to seek revenge and my “right” to be angry.
I confess I believed the lie that I was hurt and that I had rights to be angry. Thank you for your forgiveness. Thank you that I am NOT hurt and angry because YOU are not hurt and angry and you live in me and have healed me.
I now ask you to bless (NAME of PERSON) who tried to hurt me. Forgive them for they didn’t know what they were doing. Bless them and change me. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.
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1 Graham Tomlin, Spiritual fitness: Christian character in a consumer society (London: Continuum, 2006), 82.
2 Ibid., 44.
3 Ibid., 7.
4 Ibid.
5 Ibid., 33.
6 Ibid.
7 Ibid., 32
8 Ibid., 43
Favorite Quotes
• “...the Church’s first task is not actually evangelism, or just getting the words right, but displaying the life of the kingdom in its own life and community…” (p. 1).
• “We are here to enable people and communities to be restored into the image of God" (p. 7).
• “We are defined more by the things we choose than by the act of choosing itself" (p. 14).
• “Students have powerful images of what a perfect body is, and pursue it incessantly. But...they no longer have any image of a perfect soul, and hence do not long to have one” (Allan Bloom quote) (p. 31).
• “We speak of ‘attending' church. The problem is that ‘attending' is a static, passive activity. If you ‘attend' something you just go to be there, not to be active or involved, not to learn or do something purposeful. We attend meetings, interviews, lectures. No one would speak of ‘attending' the gym” (p. 33).
• “Physical fitness is to the human body what fine-tuning is to an engine. It enables us to perform up to our potential" (President Bush quote) (p. 42).
• “Obedience that constantly cuts across our wills eventually leads to bitterness and unresolved frustration" (p. 44).
• “The point of the new covenant as the prophets saw it was not that God would give us a new law, but that the law would be written on our hearts" (ref. Ezekiel 36:26-27) (p. 45).
• [speaking of Enlightenment] “The attempt to build a morality without a sense of human purpose was bound to fail" (p. 47).
• “The most important social task of Christians is to be nothing less than a community capable of forming people with virtues sufficient to witness to God’s truth in the world" (Stanley Hauerwas quote) (p. 51).
• The most important service the church does for any society is to be a community capable of developing people of virtue (p. 51).
• “Growing in spiritual health, unlike the pursuit of physical fitness, is essentially communal” (p. 51).
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