Joe Thorn starts a four parter on "What Does God Want?" (Someone needs to tell Joe that God probably wants more than Joe can write in four posts, but Joe is just a simple guy after all.) In part one he deals with some spiritual disciplines in light of the values Micah 6:8.
I am not pitting spiritual disciplines against these values, but I am pitting the narrow, hyper-personalized approach to spirituality against what God desires for us. When Bible study, prayer and fellowship for the purpose of personal, spiritual strength are our greatest emphases we are missing the point. What God requires of us is not closet spirituality, but public spirituality.
I'm quite certain that nearly no one will disagree with Thorn on this, but in practice most of us are guilty of "closet spirituality." Too often our pride will keep us from admitting it. I've been a member at churches where the first application point every week was, "So first of all we need to read our Bible's more." Aren't we are known by the fruit we produce? It's very easy to see that the American church looks more like Job's counselors than justice and mercy workers.
