Book Analysis Essay on You Are What You Love

Introduction

You are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit is a book authored by James K.A Smith. The 224-page book was published in 2016 for mainly Christian audience with a desire to truly worship God. The book has a simple preface that enables the reader to easily comprehend the main aspects of Christianity discussed therein. James K. A Smith is a decorated philosopher associated with radical orthodoxy. His works, just as the present book touch on philosophy, ethics, and theology. Smith focusses his writing on philosophies that inhibit true worship and Christian counter-modernism. Smith in his writing borrows from renowned critical thinkers such as Aristotle, Descartes, and others to weigh in his ideas and criticize inherent beliefs concerning Christianity.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Chapter 1: You Are What You Love: to Worship is Human

The first chapter introduces the audience to the most fundamental question a Christian should ask: "What do You Want?" Discipleship is a hungering, a wanting to sanctify as Christ and as such, one needs to reconcile their wants, weigh each of them, and direct their hearts to want for Christ.

This chapter acknowledges the place of intellect in Christianity. Smith states that Christians are inclined to believe that Christ like knowledge from the bible and books written from its perspective equates to Christ-like actions. For example, the bible clearly states that stealing is a sin. However, such Christians must have encountered a gap between their knowledge of Christ and their actions (stealing and yet it is sinful) because all actions are born of the heart, not of knowledge.

Additionally, Paul in Philippians 1:9-11 shows an interesting dynamic between love and knowledge. He affirms that love is the condition of knowledge. What this means is that what one loves, will acquire knowledge for it. For example, one's love for a car will lead them to learn more about cars.

This chapter also emphasizes the place of habits and cultural practices in formulating people's 'loves' Cultural practices that are referred to as liturgies, such as shopping manifests the love for cars. This love, as aforementioned, then generates knowledge about cars.

Chapter 2: You Might not Love What You Think

The second chapter presents a dilemma regarding what Christians may think they want and what they truly want. Smith gives an analogy of the film Stalker which centers on two characters writer and professor who are brought to the Room where all their hopes, dreams, and most coveted desires can be realized. Upon reaching the threshold, however, the two realize that they are unsure of what they truly want. Christianity is similar to this in that there is a gap between what Christians think they want and what they truly want. Christians may be quick to state their desires as Godly and yet they frequently face sinful wants and fall easily to worldly temptations. This gap is reconciled through confession.

Smith suggests that other than confessions, Christians ought to carry out an audit to realize what normalized actions, through habits, are sinful. The author states that every human is a worshipper and through cultural practices, they are liable to accommodate rival gods (in the form of loves; such as cars) in their hearts. A liturgical audit should help one decipher these rival gods. This realization will help the Christian to avoid them and seek the face of God.

Chapter 3: The Spirit Meets You Where You Are

The third chapter begins by ascertaining that if hearts can accept rival liturgies, then they can, indeed, accept Christ like counter liturgies. The heart here is likened to something that hungers. Smith states that the process of hungering and feeding is automated. Its automation results from habit from repetitive cultural practices. For example, the hunger for a burger, as opposed to chicken wings, results from the repetitive cultural practice of ordering burgers and not chicken wings. It is not as a result of knowledge of the benefits associated with burgers, rather, repetition and the habit of eating burgers.

Smith states that discipleship is a migration from a worldly kingdom to the kingdom of God. As such, the migrants have to learn a new language and new habits. Similarly, the new Christians must unlearn rival liturgies. The spirit, as Smith asserts, is ready to help with these steps by providing the litany of love to help build love and formulate a Christian liturgy.

Chapter 4: What Story Are You in?

This chapter begins by reminding Christians that acquiring knowledge may not solve the problem of rival gods. Smith reminds each person in Christianity that they have a formative task to rid of rival gods. While the pastor is the curate, the elder is the curator and the parishioner must allow themselves to embrace Christian liturgy.

Chapter 5: Guard Your Heart

This chapter reflects on how to protect one's heart from rival gods. Parents, for instance, are advised to not only teach their children of God but to also preserve their houses with godlike aura. Smith gives an example of an ornament given by some churches during child baptism. The ornament is then stored in the child's room so he or she can grow with it. Such an ornament lives with the child; directing him or her to Christ.

Chapter 6: Teach Your Children Well

This chapter offers guidelines on how to train youths and other interested people on how to truly worship God. Formers or trainers need to take part in true worship, pray together, eat together, sing, read, and think together. These activities will help them grow both spiritually and mentally to offer learners with the best knowledge. After all, teachers of knowledge as Smith indicates are formed, not born.

Chapter 7: You Make What You Want

The final chapter affirms that Christians pursue God with God in their midst and that they love him because he loved them first. Additionally, Smith admonishes Christians who believe that God hates the world because it has fallen into the hands of evil men. On the contrary, as Smith asserts, God created humans as sub creators to discover the potential of his creation by recreating. They should, therefore, acknowledge and appreciate his original creation, the mar, and renewal.

Smith's writing of You are What You Love is borderline informal with many film and food references. This shows that he desired his readers of all ages to find interest in this book. His use of well-known philosophers also attracts various intellectual readers. Other than this, he shows that although his book discourages banking of Christian Knowledge for later withdrawal, he supports a wise collection of biblical knowledge.

Conclusion

In conclusion, found this book particularly timely as my mind recently ventured in thoughts concerning the place of man in creation. I came to the same conclusion as Smith that God created humans to serve as sub creators to him. Unlike Smith, however, I failed to capture the dilemma between knowledge and actions. In the past, I have witnessed the gap between biblical knowledge and Christ like actions in myself. My solution for this was always to read more of the bible. My reading of You are What You Love has indeed set me in a different path (to not bank more knowledge but to open my heart to love Christ fully) and has allowed me to acknowledge and appreciate the dynamic between love and knowledge.

Bibliography

Smith, James KA. You are what you love: The spiritual power of habit. Brazos Press, 2016.