Kenneth D. Boa - Conformed to His Image: Biblical, Practical Approaches to Spiritual Formation

A lthough I was exposed to a number of strong Christian influences as I was growing up, it was only about a month after graduating from Case Institute of Technology that I had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. That summer of 1967 was a strange one, as I moved to Berkeley, California, as a new Christian still immersed in the fleeting flower-child culture. During the next six months, I had virtually no contact with other believers and was moving through a painful transition from an evolutionary mindset that was influenced by occultism and Eastern thought to a gradually emerging biblical worldview. Six months after my conversion, I found myself at Dallas Theological Seminary, which was a culture shock for me at that point in my journey. It took two semesters at Dallas before the things I had previously learned converged into sharper focus through the lens of biblical truth, and a coherent, consistent, clear, and comprehensive life framework began to emerge.

In the years that followed, my readings, experiences, ministries, and growing understanding of Scripture shaped a developing perspective on the depths and dynamics of the spiritual life. I enjoyed the privilege of being exposed to a wide variety of approaches to spiritual formation and discipleship. Particularly fascinating was how each approach was presented with a certain finality by its proponents, who claimed that their style of spirituality was the best available. Each time, I was exposed to another set of useful tools; however, the toolbox never seemed to be complete.

My years of spiritual practice have included interaction with people across the theological spectrum, from liberalism to fundamentalism, from charismatics to anticharismatics, and from people of strongly Reformed to strongly Arminian traditions. I have had the privilege of becoming close to Orthodox Christians, Catholic Christians, and all stripes of Protestant Christians. I have participated with the monks at a Cistercian (Trappist) monastery, I have spoken in spiritual-formation conferences at a Greek Orthodox church, and I have spent time with evangelists who have boldly shared their faith in extraordinary circumstances. I have enjoyed relationships with Anglo-Catholics, Pentecostals, scholars in philosophy of religion societies at Oxford University, missionaries who minister throughout the world, and people in cult-awareness ministries, deliverance ministries, apologetics ministries, evangelism ministries, discipleship ministries, campus ministries, youth ministries, business ministries, ministries to lawyers and doctors, and (of course) churches.

Looking back, I now see how my approach to the spiritual life was marked by seasons of changing interests and focuses. At one point in my journey, I discovered the spiritual disciplines and immersed myself in them. At another point, I found myself captivated by writings that centered on the exchanged lifeChrists life for our life. During yet another period, I focused on the spiritual life as a product of being filled and empowered by the Spirit. I also went through a time when spiritual warfare became particularly real for me. The same thing happened with each of the other facets of spirituality I encountered, and I began to see a pattern. As important as each of these approaches was to me, no one of them was sufficient for understanding the depth and breadth of the Christian life; there was always more.

This has been a source of both frustration and excitement. Frustration, because my quests for a quick fix, a one-size-fits-all approach, or a controllable technique have all failed. Excitement, because I now see that we can hardly scratch the surface of all that God has for us; there are always new surprises. Seen this way, the pursuit of God becomes the greatest adventure of all.

The body of Christ is extraordinarily diverse, and through my experiences with so many facets of the spiritual life in my journey of faith, I have discovered an appreciation for the unique merits of each.

This second edition of Conformed to His Image, like the first edition, presents a synthetic and comprehensive approach to the spiritual life that will expose you to twelve beneficial facets. Each of these facets has value as part of a greater whole, and it is my hope that this book will stretch your thinking and encourage you to press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14). Much of the content of this book is evergreen; however, in this second edition, some necessary updates and enhancements have been made, and a suite of study materials has also been produced to accompany the revised book. I pray God will continue to use this material in its now-varied formats to enrich and challenge believers all around the globe.

Specifically, I pray that as a result of reading this book, you will:

Develop a greater appreciation for the unique way God has made you.

Become aware of a wider array of options for your spiritual journey.

Get out of a spiritual rut.