Ten questions about spiritual formation

Dallas Willard answers (a bit more than) ten questions about spiritual formation:

1. What is spiritual formation? How is it to be described in the language of contemporary life?


2. What are the primary elements or activities involved in an effective process of Christian spiritual formation?


3. How is spiritual formation expressed in the language of the Bible? Is it a biblical concept? And is there anything really new in the current usage, or is it just new language for something we have been doing all along?


4. What is the relationship between spiritual formation and salvation? How is grace involved with spiritual formation?


5. What relationship does spiritual formation have to "spirituality" and the many "spiritualities" that now abound? How, if at all, is Christian spiritual formation exclusive rather than inclusive?


6. What is the role of spiritual disciplines in spiritual formation?


7. How are the gifts and fruit of the Spirit involved with spiritual formation?


8. Isn't spiritual formation a human project, equally well expressed in many traditions other than the Christian?


9. What is the relationship between psychology and spiritual formation?


10. Does Christian spiritual formation really matter? Can't we get along quite well without it?