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A review by ben_smitty
You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit by James K.A. Smith
5.0
Pros
Do I agree with Smith's conclusion? Mostly. I can see why he would come to the conclusion that our habits form our desires, and that reforming our habits is the way to reform our desires. Since I've started this book, I've payed greater attention to the habits that surround my life. What do these habits say about me? What is it leading me to love?
I loved his criticism of modern marriage, youth groups, the mall, modern worship, and everything else. Those were the best parts of the book, and I walked away feeling convicted about the false messages that surround our world.
There was a time in my life where I hated reading. I decided to discipline myself. I wrote "read 10 pages a day" in my notebook. Did that everyday. Ever since then, I loved reading.
The same thing happened with weightlifting. I immersed myself into the weightlifting world and saw tremendous changes in my desires. I started caring about the food that went in my body. I started studying biology. Became interested in things I would have never been interested in before.
Cons
But then again, one of the greatest things that ever happened to me was when I found theology and apologetics. I didn't know God could be studied, so I started studying God. It changed how I view the world, the church, Christ, and everything else in my life. Because of this, I am big proponent of "thinking-thingism" (the idea that you are what you think). The ironic thing about this book is that it conveyed the importance of spiritual habits through.... information. You can't escape conveying knowledge because knowledge really is power. God didn't give us a book for no reason. Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Rom. 10:17).
Are the liturgical practices he described really "ancient?" Depends. I'm a big believer in first-century Christianity and first-century interpretations of Scripture. The practices he described come across as catholicky (which did not come about until 3rd century AD, arguably), so how did Christianity still flourish without these "ancient liturgical rituals?" Although I could see how Jewish festivals and ceremonies could fit right into these "ancient liturgical practices," it was pretty much ignored.
Also, I couldn't help but feel that Smith gets things backwards. Are we materialists because the malls are conveying messages of "you need this stuff or else you won't be happy?" Sure, it definitely doesn't help. It makes things worse. But I think the mall only fosters what is already there to begin with: sin. Therefore,
Sin ---> Malls ----> Materialism
not
Materialism ---> Malls ----> Now you want things.
It's ok, Jamie. I forgive you. Your message is still super important and I'm just nit-picky. So I will still give you 5 stars and love you anyway.
Do I agree with Smith's conclusion? Mostly. I can see why he would come to the conclusion that our habits form our desires, and that reforming our habits is the way to reform our desires. Since I've started this book, I've payed greater attention to the habits that surround my life. What do these habits say about me? What is it leading me to love?
I loved his criticism of modern marriage, youth groups, the mall, modern worship, and everything else. Those were the best parts of the book, and I walked away feeling convicted about the false messages that surround our world.
There was a time in my life where I hated reading. I decided to discipline myself. I wrote "read 10 pages a day" in my notebook. Did that everyday. Ever since then, I loved reading.
The same thing happened with weightlifting. I immersed myself into the weightlifting world and saw tremendous changes in my desires. I started caring about the food that went in my body. I started studying biology. Became interested in things I would have never been interested in before.
Cons
But then again, one of the greatest things that ever happened to me was when I found theology and apologetics. I didn't know God could be studied, so I started studying God. It changed how I view the world, the church, Christ, and everything else in my life. Because of this, I am big proponent of "thinking-thingism" (the idea that you are what you think). The ironic thing about this book is that it conveyed the importance of spiritual habits through.... information. You can't escape conveying knowledge because knowledge really is power. God didn't give us a book for no reason. Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Rom. 10:17).
Are the liturgical practices he described really "ancient?" Depends. I'm a big believer in first-century Christianity and first-century interpretations of Scripture. The practices he described come across as catholicky (which did not come about until 3rd century AD, arguably), so how did Christianity still flourish without these "ancient liturgical rituals?" Although I could see how Jewish festivals and ceremonies could fit right into these "ancient liturgical practices," it was pretty much ignored.
Also, I couldn't help but feel that Smith gets things backwards. Are we materialists because the malls are conveying messages of "you need this stuff or else you won't be happy?" Sure, it definitely doesn't help. It makes things worse. But I think the mall only fosters what is already there to begin with: sin. Therefore,
Sin ---> Malls ----> Materialism
not
Materialism ---> Malls ----> Now you want things.
It's ok, Jamie. I forgive you. Your message is still super important and I'm just nit-picky. So I will still give you 5 stars and love you anyway.