Desiring the Kingdom

1. We are fundamentally desiring, liturgical animals, not just thinking machines.

We are more concretely homo liturgicus; humans are those animals that are religious animals not because we are primarily believing animals but because we are liturgical animals—embodied, practicing creatures whose love/desire is aimed at something ultimate.

Beyond thinking things. Traditional views often see humans as primarily rational beings ("I think, therefore I am") or even believing beings ("I believe in order to understand"). However, a more robust anthropology reveals we are fundamentally creatures of desire and love. Our core orientation to the world is affective and noncognitive, operating more from the "gut" or "heart" (kardia) than the head.

Love defines us. What ultimately defines us is what we love or desire most deeply – that to which we are fundamentally oriented and which governs our vision of the good life. This ultimate love is inherently religious, not in the sense of adhering to doctrines, but in being aimed at something ultimate that gives life meaning and purpose. This "love pump" is a structural feature of being human and cannot be turned off, though it can be misdirected.

Liturgical by nature. Because we are desiring animals, we are also liturgical animals. Liturgies are rituals of ultimate concern that shape our identity by training our desires towards specific ends. This is not limited to traditional religious ceremonies; any set of practices that aims to capture our heart and direct our ultimate love functions liturgically.

2. Our deepest desires and identity are shaped by embodied practices and habits.

Our love is aimed from the fulcrum of our desire—the habits that constitute our character, or core identity.

Habits are key. Our desires for particular visions of the good life become operative through the formation of habits or dispositions. These habits are precognitive tendencies to act in certain ways, forming a "second nature" that drives much of our behavior without conscious reflection. They are the hinge that directs our love.

Practices form habits. These habits are inscribed in us through bodily practices and rituals. Because our hearts are closely tied to our bodies, repeated physical actions and routines train our desires. This process can happen intentionally (like practicing piano) or unintentionally (like absorbing cultural norms), often operating at the level of the adaptive unconscious.

Embodied formation. The intimate link between bodily practices and our unconscious dispositions highlights the holistic nature of human persons. We are not disembodied minds; we are selves who are our bodies. Therefore, the training of desire requires embodied practices where a particular goal or vision of the good life is embedded and transmitted through ritual and repetition.

3. Cultural institutions function as powerful "secular liturgies" that form our loves.

If many configurations of cultural practices function as quasi-liturgies, as formative pedagogies of desire that are trying to make us a certain kind of person, we need to ask ourselves: Is there a place that could form us otherwise—a space of counter-formation?

Beyond neutrality. Cultural institutions are not neutral spaces simply providing information or services. They are dynamic structures of desire, animated by practices aimed at specific visions of the good life. These institutions, as products of human making, take on a systemic power that shapes the people within them.

Liturgical power. Specific configurations of cultural practices and institutions function as liturgies because they are rituals of ultimate concern. They aim to shape our identity by specifying what ultimately matters, often seeking to trump other loyalties. This formative power is insidious because it operates through material, affective means, bypassing conscious critique.

Cultural exegesis. To understand culture, we must "read" these institutions and practices to discern the implicit vision of the kingdom they promote. This requires an "apocalyptic" perspective that unveils the religious and idolatrous character of seemingly benign institutions. We must ask:

• What vision of human flourishing is implicit in this practice?
• What sort of person will I become after being immersed in this liturgy?
• To what end is this practice aimed?

4. The mall and consumerism are liturgies of consumption promising false transcendence.

In a culture whose civic religion prizes consumption as the height of human flourishing, marketing taps into our erotic religious nature and seeks to shape us in such a way that this passion and desire is directed to strange gods, alternative worship, and another kingdom.

Worship at the mall. The mall, as a site of consumerism, functions as a powerful secular liturgy. Its rhythms, rituals, and spaces are loaded with a particular vision of the good life, communicated through affective, visceral means like sights, sounds, and smells. Marketing acts as its evangelism, using images and stories to capture imaginations.

Implicit narrative. The mall's liturgy tells a story with several key elements:

• Brokenness: Icons of the ideal subtly highlight our perceived flaws and lack.
• Sociality: Relationships are often framed by competition and objectification.
• Redemption: Consumption is presented as the solution to our lack, a form of therapy and fulfillment.
• Unsustainability: This way of life requires hidden processes of production and disposal, fostering a learned ignorance of its injustice and environmental cost.

Pseudo-transcendence. The mall promises a kind of transcendence through acquisition, investing products with a temporary sheen of magic. However, this is unsustainable, leading to a cycle of needing new experiences and products as the old ones lose their luster. This liturgy trains us to both overvalue and undervalue things, treating them as disposable.

5. Nationalism and entertainment form desires through ritual and sacrifice.

By this I mean certain constellations of rituals, ceremonies, and spaces that—like the mall’s liturgies—invest certain practices with a charged sense of transcendence that calls for our allegiance and loyalty in a way meant to trump other ultimate loyalties.

Civic religion. Nationalistic rituals, often channeled through sports and entertainment, constitute powerful pedagogies of desire. They aim to make us loyal citizens willing to make "the ultimate sacrifice" for the nation. This formation happens liturgically through material, affective rituals, not just through civics lessons.

Rituals of allegiance. Examples include:

• Sporting events: The national anthem, flag displays, and military flyovers create a powerful, multisensory experience of national unity forged by battle and sacrifice.
• Opening exercises: Daily pledges of allegiance in schools subtly inscribe habits of loyalty.
• Entertainment: Films and TV shows reinforce national myths of freedom, power, and the valor of war, capturing imaginations through narrative and affect.

Competing kingdoms. These liturgies embed a vision of human flourishing often tied to material prosperity, individual freedom, and a view of intersubjectivity as competitive or even violent. This vision is often antithetical to the Christian vision of the kingdom, yet many Christians experience little tension, having been subtly shaped by these powerful cultural forces.

6. The university is a liturgical institution shaping desires beyond the classroom.

The university is not just out to deposit information in our heads with a view to professional success (even if the university increasingly thinks of itself that way); rather, the university can’t help but be a formative, liturgical institution, animated by rituals and liturgies that constitute a pedagogy of desire.

More than knowledge. While universities pride themselves on being rational spaces for the pursuit of truth, they are also deeply religious and formative institutions. Their power lies not just in dispensing knowledge but in shaping desires and identities through powerful (though often unofficial) liturgies. The university aims for our imagination and heart.

Unofficial liturgies. Beyond formal academic rites like convocation, the most formative practices are often unofficial:

• Freshers' Week: An intensive initiation into the university's social life, often emphasizing pleasure, tribal loyalty (sports), and instrumental views of learning.
• Dorm/Frat life: Incubators of habits related to social networking, cliquishness, and sometimes hedonism or isolation.
• Campus rhythms: The frenetic pace of activities, often leaving little room for rest, prepares students for a similar pace in certain careers.

Forming a certain person. These rituals subtly mold students into particular kinds of people who desire certain ends, often aligning with the values of the market and state. The university, in this sense, can function as an outpost of the earthly city, training students to be productive consumers and leaders within existing societal configurations.

7. Christian faith is primarily a practice and a love story, not just a belief system.

Christianity is not an intellectual system, a collection of dogmas, or a moralism. Christianity is instead an encounter, a love story; it is an event.

Beyond ideas. Reducing Christian faith to a set of ideas, doctrines, or a "worldview" misses its fundamental nature. Christianity is not primarily about what we think or believe in an abstract sense, but about who we are called to be and the practices that form us into that identity. It is a form of life rooted in an encounter with God.

A different anthropology. This understanding aligns with the anthropology of desiring animals. Since we are shaped more by love and practice than by abstract ideas, Christian faith must engage us at this deeper, affective level. An intellectualized faith, unhooked from embodied practices, struggles to reconfigure our core desires.

Practices are key. Becoming a disciple is not merely a matter of changing one's self-understanding or adopting new beliefs; it is about becoming part of a community with a different set of practices. These practices, particularly those of Christian worship, are the means by which Christian faith is lived, absorbed, and transmitted, shaping our desires and identity.

8. Christian worship is the primary matrix from which a Christian worldview emerges.

Lived worship is the fount from which a worldview springs, rather than being the expression or application of some cognitive set of beliefs already in place.

Worship precedes doctrine. Contrary to the idea that doctrine or worldview comes first and is then expressed in worship, Christian worship practices are the matrix from which beliefs and doctrines emerge. The church was worshiping long before its doctrines were fully articulated or the biblical canon was finalized.

Practice carries understanding. Following Charles Taylor, Christian worship carries a distinct "social imaginary"—a noncognitive understanding of the world implicit in its practices. This understanding is absorbed through full-bodied participation, shaping our imagination and orienting us to the world in a way that precedes theoretical reflection.

Affective formation. Because we are affective creatures, worship's ability to engage our bodies and senses makes it uniquely powerful in shaping our understanding. The sights, sounds, smells, and movements of worship communicate a vision of the world that gets "in our bones" in a way that abstract ideas often cannot. Worship is the primary school for learning the Christian social imaginary.

9. Christian worship is a full-bodied, sacramental encounter with God and creation.

The only way in which particular sacraments can have meaning is if the universe is so created and structured that this can happen.

Earthy and material. Christian worship is inherently embodied and material, requiring physical participation and utilizing elements like water, bread, and wine. This materiality is not incidental; it is central to how God meets us and gets hold of us, affirming the goodness of creation and embodiment.

Sacramental imagination. Worship fosters a sacramental understanding of the world, seeing the physical and material as means by which God's grace is mediated. This counters both dualistic gnosticism (which disdains matter) and reductionistic naturalism (which sees matter as "merely" material). The world is seen as charged with God's presence.

God's action. Worship is not merely human activity; it is a dialogical encounter where God is active through Word and Sacrament. This is a mediated encounter, honoring the incarnational nature of God's relationship with humanity. The Spirit's transformative presence is uniquely intense in these material practices.

10. Christian worship practices form a distinct social imaginary of the Kingdom of God.

The practices of Christian worship over the liturgical year form in us something of an “old soul” that is perpetually pointed to a future, longing for a coming kingdom, and seeking to be such a stretched people in the present who are a foretaste of the coming kingdom.

A peculiar people. Christian worship constitutes a people with a unique identity and orientation. Through its practices, it forms a distinct social imaginary that envisions the Kingdom of God as the ultimate telos, contrasting sharply with the kingdoms promoted by secular liturgies.

Key elements of this imaginary:

• Liturgical Time: The Christian year and weekly rhythms train us to be a people of memory (remembering God's past acts) and expectation (longing for the coming kingdom), resisting presentism.
• Call and Gathering: We are formed as a called-out people, a new polis, whose very gathering is an eschatological act anticipating the unity of the communion of saints.
• Law and Freedom: Hearing God's law counters modern autonomy, training us to see true freedom in rightly ordered desires aimed at God's intended good for creation.
• Confession and Pardon: Practices of confession and assurance of pardon counter secular tendencies to deny brokenness or offer redemption without forgiveness, forming a people honest about sin yet hopeful in grace.
• Baptism: Initiates us into a royal priesthood, constituting a new people where social hierarchies are relativized and the church is our primary family, called to hospitality and renunciation of "the world."
• Creed: Recited as a pledge of allegiance to a foreign king, forming us as a historical people indebted to tradition.
• Prayer: A performative ontology and epistemology, training us in dependence on God and concern for the world.
• Scripture and Sermon: Narrate the story of the kingdom, fueling the imagination and providing a "constitution" for the baptismal city.
• Eucharist: A sacramental feast hallowing the mundane, anticipating the eschatological feast, and training us in reconciliation and kingdom economics.
• Offering: A practice of gratitude embodying an alternative economics of gift and distribution.
• Sending: Commissioned as witnesses, sent to be God's image bearers in cruciform cultural labor.

11. Christian worship functions as a vital counter-formation to secular liturgies.

While the practices of Christian worship are best understood as the restoration of an original, creational desire for God, practically speaking, Christian worship functions as a counter-formation to the mis-formation of secular liturgies into which we are “thrown” from an early age.

Competing formations. Secular liturgies powerfully shape our desires towards visions of the good life often antithetical to the Kingdom of God. Because they operate affectively and often unconsciously, they can easily trump the formation offered by Christian worship, especially if the latter is reduced to mere cognitive input.

Worship as resistance. Christian worship is not just a religious exercise; it is a counter-cultural practice that actively resists the formations of secular liturgies. By immersing us in practices that embody a different vision of the kingdom, it aims to reorient our desires and imaginations away from idols and towards God.

Beyond Sunday. While Sunday worship is crucial, its limited time can be insufficient against the constant immersion in secular liturgies. Effective counter-formation requires extending the formative power of worship through daily Christian practices and spiritual disciplines, creating a broader fabric of formation that nourishes the desire for the kingdom. This may also involve selective abstention from certain cultural practices due to their formative power.

12. Christian education should be an ecclesial, formative project rooted in worship.

If the goal of Christian worship and discipleship is the formation of a peculiar people, then the goal of Christian education should be the same.

Re-visioning Christian education. Christian education should not be primarily about providing a "Christian perspective" or worldview as an intellectual framework. Its goal is the formation of radical disciples of Jesus, citizens of the baptismal city, who take up their creational vocation as God's image bearers, empowered by the Spirit and following Christ's cruciform example.

Ecclesial, not just Christian. To be meaningfully "Christian," education must be tethered to the thick practices of the church. An "ecclesial" university is an extension of the church's mission, drawing deeply from the well of Christian liturgy to form imaginations and desires. It is nourished "from the heart of the church."

A new monasticism. The ecclesial university represents a kind of "new monasticism," intentionally incorporating Christian practices that form desire and fuel the imagination. It is a space for forming a peculiar people whose desires are configured by worship, making them potentially "useless and unproductive" for what currently passes as "society."

Practices in education. Liturgically informed pedagogy extends worship's embodied learning into the classroom and beyond. This involves:

• Reconnecting Church, Chapel, Classroom: Campus worship is integral to academic life, forming imaginations for Christian scholarship.
• Reconnecting Classroom, Dorm, Neighborhood: Living environments foster intentional communities engaged in daily Christian practices, including liturgical ones.
• Reconnecting Body and Mind: Pedagogy incorporates embodied learning and spiritual disciplines to form dispositions alongside intellect.

Last updated: June 1, 2025