Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation
There is no doubt that the way in which the world approaches religion and faith have dramatically changed over the past hundred years, in fact, it has been going through a change since the onset of the Resonance. World events, perceptions in the various religions, and what society finds ethically and morally acceptable are drivers that are working to redefine the way that the bible is studied and taught. In the book “Desiring the Kingdom,” (2009) by James Smith, the author examines the teaching and learning of religion through non-tradition means and underscores that the notion of humans as “knowing” individuals is a flawed assumption but rather, examining education from the perspective of what we know but rather what we love. The author underscores that Christian education is “formative” rather than simply informative it the growth of a Christian perception (p. 17). In the second part of the writing Smith underscores that the study of religion should be a natural process that shapes one’s identities by driving a natural connection to the world. The author establishes the concept of “liturgies” and states this is what, “make us certain kinds of people, and what defines us is what we love" (p.25). For the common person, some of the concepts require re-reading however; for the most part, this book speaks to those who are already in the ministry, studying theology, and who have a higher level of understanding of belief and spirituality.

Brief-Summary
In reflecting on this work, it becomes obvious that the cornerstone of the book and its message is one of love. Within the message of love is the concept of the liturgy, which is defined as “a Greek term meaning “public work or work done on behalf of the people” and it is within this context, that one sees the connection between liturgy and the connection to the community.
In the second chapter, Smith ...