“Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear.” (John 18:10)
David French, an evangelical opinion writer for the New York Times who is very agonized about current US political events, recently said, “You should be doing, now, something that your descendants will be able to look back and point to and say, ‘This is what my grandmother or grandmother did in an important moment’... What is it in your life, in your context, that you can do that your grandchildren will look back and say, ‘This is what Grandpa did in 2026 and I’m proud’?”
I agree with French’s sentiment. But I have one concern. If Christians simply act out of a felt need to “do something,” their resulting actions could be unhelpful or even counterproductive, like Simon Peter’s pointless, rash aggression against a servant.
Christians must act. But...
To show God’s love to their neighbors, especially in distressing times, Christians must act. But solid spiritual formation must precede and guide their social action. This is the central theme of Wes Granberg-Michaelson’s book The Soulwork of Justice.
Granberg-Michaelson has a long history of Christian leadership, including 17 years as general secretary of the Reformed Church in America. But before that, he spent eight years on Capitol Hill as aide to US Senator Mark Hatfield, a moderate Republican who was one of the most spiritually mature Christian voices in US politics.
Michaelson discovered the importance of spiritual disciplines.
Surrounded by the busyness and self-importance of Washington, DC, the young Granberg-Michaelson discovered the importance of spiritual disciplines: prayer, introspection, journaling, quiet retreats, and having a spiritual director.
Initially, he resented the requirement to adopt spiritual disciplines in order to participate in a missions group at his church. “It sounded legalistic, robbing me of my freedom in Christ,” he writes. “And my time was already so pressured, with an unjust war to stop, after all.” (Hatfield was a prominent opponent of US involvement in the Vietnam War and Granberg-Michaelson was his foreign policy advisor.)
But Granberg-Michaelson came to recognize that just as a musician must practice in order to perform well, a Christian needs to do contemplative practice to be spiritually consequential. “If your calling,” he asks, “is to participate in God’s transforming work in the world, confronting the perils of embedded evil and pernicious, grinding injustice, how can you possibly attend to those tasks without the disciplined preparation of your heart and soul?”
Spiritual disciplines are not supposed to be comfortable.
If you are not familiar with Christian contemplative traditions—well, you should be. Granberg-Michaelson provides an accessible (I was going to say comfortable, but spiritual disciplines are not supposed to be comfortable) introduction to contemplative work, from a person who, when he started out, was as uncomfortable signing up for a silent retreat as most of us would be.
Granberg-Michaelson discusses four pathways he describes as central to spiritual transformation:
- from self-sufficiency to belonging,
- from certainty to connection,
- from grandiosity to authenticity, and
- from control to trust.
Each description is amply and vulnerably illustrated with passages from the author’s own diaries.
Important social changes usually take a long time.
The closing chapter highlights eight roots or core convictions that should characterize our social engagement if our contemplative interaction with God has been effective. Here I will mention just two: a steadfast, indefatigable, long-term commitment (because important social changes usually take a long time) and maintaining an open heart toward rather than demonizing our opponents.
A handful of passages and examples reflect Granberg-Michaelson’s left-of-center policy leanings. If your vision of a good society and positive social change differs somewhat from his, find your own examples. Don’t let differences in practical application get in the way of God’s call to contemplation.
As we enter the liturgical season of Lent, this would be a good time to start.
Originally published on Bruce Barron's "Gently Provocative Thoughts" Substack. Republished with permission.
Bruce Barron has had a varied career that included investigating the charismatic movement, dominion theology, political campaigning and public policy in the USA. From 2015-2024 he volunteered for the World Evangelical Alliance as a communications aide and was executive editor of the WEA's theological journal from 2018-2024. Among other activities, he directs editorial services for the Society of Christian Scholars. Bruce writes a regular Substack blog, which can be subscribed to here: https://brucebarron.substack.com.
