Minding the Heart: The Way of Spiritual Transformation by
Robert L. Saucy
Among the myriad of books on spiritual transformation
written from a Christian perspective, few focus on the connective relationship
between the heart, emotions, and thinking.
Professor Robert Saucy of Biola University, has written a unique and
unparalleled book, Minding the Heart, about the way our heart has a
significant connection to our thoughts and emotions which shape our practice of
the living the Christian life well. With
a scholar’s eye and a pastor’s heart, this book is a real gem in learning to
dive deeply inside the heart for wisdom and guidance in loving Christ
fully. The book is divided up into 14
chapters starting with a chapter on the abundant life and moving towards a
holistic understanding of the heart, its deviances, and the Christian spiritual
practices. Throughout the book you will
find small gray sections in which Dr. Saucy seeks to elucidate some key
concepts through quotes from other sources and research studies.
Why is Minding the Heart immensely valuable?
We’re taught in our culture that if we are going to change
our actions then we must change our thoughts, but this only runs skin
deep. Robert in his book focuses on the
heart as the center of our being. He writes,
“Because God works his renewal in and through our heart, it will be helpful to
understand something of its nature and how it functions. The
heart is who we are. It is the seat
of our thoughts, emotions, and actions. Understanding the heart will help us grasp the
process of our transformation” (28). If
we only change our thoughts without delving into the matters of our heart and
its waywardness, then we get to the root of the problem. As Robert indicates, “only a growing
relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ can transform our heart…” (28). If the heart is the center seat of our being,
then a complete renewal of our heart with Jesus Christ being at the center of
it all is the only way forward. In other
words, Robert gets to the heart of the matter when he talks about spiritual
transformation.
Secondly, Robert rests his entire book on the powerful words
of Scripture to help change our hearts, thoughts, and emotions. God’s Word has the power to change us because
He is the one speaking to us. Robert
writes, “God’s Word is powerful because he is actively present in it. To be sure a person is surely more than his words,
but his words cannot be separated from him.
The most significant means through which we reveal ourselves to one another
as persons is through our words. Our
words reveal our heart, for “the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart”
(Matt. 12:34). God’s Word is thus God
speaking to us from his heart” (137). In
spiritual warfare, we are either help and strengthened by the Word of God or by
man’s wisdom. As this book indicates,
believing the lies of the enemy is a sure way to be defeated on the battlefield
of spirituality (133). Robert brings out
4 primary ways that the The Word helps us in every facet of the spiritual
journey. By protection, nourishment,
seed of life, and medicine, God’s Word is effective to produce change as we
meditate and take the words to the deep caverns of our heart. Many times this has been comforting to me as
I face the lies of our culture and of Satan, by the very fact of remembering
God’s Word it allows me to see sin for what it is and God for who he says he
is.
Lastly, Minding the Heart provides an interdisciplinary
approach to spiritual transformation that is both unique and profitable. In the chapter on Minding the Mind, Robert
uses neurological science to talk about the relationship between emotion and
cognition. Quoting from Richard Bondi, “Emotions
and feelings are epistemological; they are sensors relating us to the world,
needing interpretation to find significance” (140). An emotion is always interpreted before its
effect is recognized. Therefore, a kiss
on the cheek by a relative is appraised by a child as in connection to the love
his mother or father shows him in a moment of tenderness. Even the emotions of
Lord Jesus Christ are thought-filled ones, leading to his calmness as he approaches
the cross. Emotions do not have to be
wild and frenzied, without concern for their effect. Training our thoughts are as much a part of
learning to evaluate our emotions. I
also wanted to note that throughout the book Robert is careful to use neurological
science only as it brings us into accord with the clear truth of
Scripture.
This is a wonderful book and one that I will go back to
again and again. From meditation to
understanding how emotions work, Robert sees the heart and its place for
spiritual transformation as central. I hope
readers will profit greatly from reading as I did.
Thanks to Kregel Publications for the copy of this book in
exchange for an honest review.
This book looks incredible, I really have been struggling with this lately and have been trying to find a way to heal my heart. I have found another great book on this very thing by Jalaja Bonheim called Evolving Towards Peace, jalajabonheim.com is her site. She writes of deep transformations and pathways to peace and awakening. It's been really good to read.
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