Review:
I have always found aspects of developmental theory to be helpful in understanding people’s psycho-social stages (Erickson, Kohlberg) and faith stages (Fowler). Bruce Demarest contributes to this genre with his insightful book on Seasons of the Soul. He describes these “seasons” using Walter Brueggmann’s three stage model for the Christian:
1.Secure initial orientation (coming to faith, experiencing God’s blessing, launching the spiritual journey)
2. Disorientation due to trials and suffering
3. Joyful reorientation (spiritual renewal with new joy in God)
Demarest’s major thesis is that “Jesus’ followers are not immune from distress and calamities; [they] can either draw us to God or drive us further from Him. The difference lies in our response and in our understanding of the ways of God” (42, 54). “Distress and suffering occupy a prominent place in God’s redemptive economy” (77). Since God’s goal of spiritual development is the believer’s transformation of character, Demarest writes to help Christians understand and participate with God in His long-term purposes. Demarest says:
“On the long, winding course of our journey towards spiritual maturity in Christ we will pass through seasons of life where we encounter blessings and hardships…Our distresses and dark nights are both providential and redemptive for they purify our lives, draw us closer to God and align us with His perfect will. God wisely turns up the heat of his refiner’s fire when he sees gold worth purifying…He uses trials for our personal and corporate formation. The perplexity and pain we encounter along the path unmask and reconfigure our souls in Christ…The reality is that the people God uses greatly in kingdom service he often allows to be wounded…The unsettling seasons we encounter on the journey are here both for our trans-formation in Christ and for gaining the wisdom to guide others on their homeward journeys” (151-154).
He gives particular emphasis to the dark night of the soul – “God’s intentional withdrawal of spiritual comforts in order to conform us to Christ” (75). Various reasons for spiritual distress are the subject of 4 of the 7 chapters in the book.
Demarest’s emphasis on seasons of distress gives the book particular value. He cites one man’s testimony: “‘Why has no one told me this before? I have never been informed of the possibility that my soul’s desolation may be caused not by sin but by the Spirit’s providential work in my life.’ The man then added, ‘This morning the burden I have been carrying for years has been lifted from my shoulders!’ On another occasion a Baptist pastor responded, ‘For the first time in my life I understand what is going on in the dark places of my inner world.’” (75-76).
The value of the book is also augmented by the consistent citation of contemporary and classical authors. Quotes from early spiritual fathers or mothers like Anselm of Canterbury, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Isaac the Syrian, Therese de Lisieux or Augustine are interspersed with those byu Henri Nouwen, A.W. Tozer, Evelyn Underhill, Dallas Willard etc. Biblical models are also cited frequently. Plus, Demarest has an appendix that describes the ‘spiritual journey paradigms” of many of the classical and contemporary writers he cites. In addition, he references his own personal experience. Through all these testimonies the wisdom of God is revealed and the redemptive value of God’s purposes in suffering is celebrated.
- M.L. Codman-Wilson, Ph.D., 12/1/11
Excerpts:
In his opening chapter on new Christians, Demarest describes the battle these new believers enter: “Immature new Christians are particularly vulnerable to their own nature and spiritual forces that oppose them. God gives the spiritual comforts of his presence, answered prayer, a sense of God’s love, a unity and belonging with other believers and a desire to reach out to others in Jesus name. But new believers are often drawn by earthly familiar pleasures, an abundance of possessions, the glitter of fleeting material stuff and a succumbing to the tyranny of the urgent in their inordinate busyness for God” (23-27). “In the beginner stage there is a lack of knowledge of God’s ways. Failure to surrender to Christ’s Lordship may persist for some time. New believers who don’t recognize the necessity of the spiritual life may be inconsistent in the practice of healthy spiritual habits” (31). They can “fall into the trap of legalism…fall prey to perfectionism, be unaware of spiritual warfare dynamics and in times of testing or suffering turn from the path of discipleship or revisit the old life…Replacing the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit occurs over time with much discipline and prayer” (34-37). Demarest’s wise words help new believers understand the issues they face and give direction to those who disciple them.
“The prosperity gospel is false…Jesus had forewarned: “in the world you shall have trouble” (Jn.16:33). Unexpected disappointment, severe illness or a major life crisis can leave even Christians dislocated, emotionally distressed and weakened. These disoriented experiences highlight how fragile we humans are and how desperately we need to grow strong in the Lord” (43).
”Suffering is often caused by our own sinful behaviors and choices. Unresolved sin becomes a major source of the Christian’s anguish. Suffering is also caused by the evil that is synonymous with the world system controlled by Satan, a toxic environment characterized by decay and corruption…If we allow ourselves to be captivated by the world with its deep rooted evil, we put ourselves in spiritual danger” (64). Troubles can be caused by Satan directly, who attacks our minds to deceive us with false images of God, and attacks our bodies. And troubles can come from internal distress” (68). His warning to mid-lifers is significant: “If we failed to give attention to our spiritual growth in the earlier part of life, at midlife we may find ourselves strangely disinterested in the things of God…Midlifers need to face up to the reality that we cannot live the afternoon of life according to the program of the morning” (71-72).
Through the dark night of the soul “God changes the habits of our lives, lovingly weaning us from attachment to inordinate pleasures, possessions and puffed up egos. He cuts away at our spiritual greed in which we seek pleasurable comforts more than God himself…The dark night should help us see our soul’s self-seeking self-love and self-sufficiency. It should also turn us to seek God” (93-97). “Through the ambiguity of the dark night God purifies and transforms our old fleshly nature…As John of the Cross said: “‘the dark fire of God is his remedy and medicine which he gives to the soul to treat its many diseases. He does so only to bring the soul back to health…to drive from it every kind of spiritual evil’” (100).
“Believers need to attend to their physical, emotional and spiritual worlds. We must respond to manage our trials and grow.” To do that we need to:
a. Deal with any known sin
b. “Be assured of God’s loving kindness. God will provide exactly the resources we need at precisely the right time” (108).
c. Share with God our deepest longings and hurts, including our disappointment with God.
d. Abandon all to God. As C.S Lewis has Christ say: ‘Give me all…I have not come to torment your natural self but to kill it…I will give you a new self instead’ (110).
e.” Slow down our lives and journey within to our “inner sinai” where God will reveal areas of unforgiveness, woundedness and guilt and help us know Him more intimately” (115).
f. Practice prayer – “prayer helps us abide in love and talk with the Lover of our souls” (117).
g. Keep a spiritual rule of life which includes praise
h. Walk with a spiritual companion “who supports us in our struggles and helps us in our relationship with Christ so we confront our demons, heal and grow” (120).
i. Reach out to others with love.
The season of joyful reorientation can come after seasons of disorientation. In this “season” a believer can expect fresh illumination of God’s love and have a “renewed heart that beats with a desire to be wholly sanctified in thought, word and deed” (131); greater intimacy with Christ so “the believer feels profoundly known, fully accepted and unconditionally loved” (132); a freedom “from compulsive behavior patterns, enslaving addictions and vulnerability to Satanic deception” (135); inner healing from deep roots of bitterness, feelings of inferiority or superiority, areas of mistrust and painful memories” (134); a childlike trust and delight in God’s love; an empowerment to serve others – “with egocentricity uprooted by God’s discipline our capacity to love others is enlarged” (142), and a contemplation of the joys of heaven.
Demarest admits, however, that “all believers who go through the seasons of disorientation and darkness “do not reach the season of joyful reorientation. Some are not prepared to pay the price of total surrender, rugged trust or perseverance amidst trials...Along the challenging pathway we may fail to accept or respond to God’s enabling grace” (147). “The maturity to which God calls us requires courage, tenacity and prudent risk-taking as we move into unexplored territory” (153).
Final Thoughts:
Demarest certainly doesn’t sugarcoat the areas that challenge and tend to destabilize Christians on their spiritual journey, but his insights remove some of the confusion that can attend disorientation stages. With his insights the territory ahead is not as “unexplored” as before. He has provided a way through and given the models of countless saints in the past who have traversed a similar path and gained greater intimacy and joy with God.
Overall, this is a helpful book to read and share with Christians experiencing painful disorientations. It is particularly applicable to missionaries and those in evangelism and outreach who are besieged by the destructive forces of Satan.