Shaped by the Word: The Power of Scripture in Spiritual Formation

Mulholland has been shaped by the Word largely because of the intention he brings to the Bible. He approaches the Bible with the desire to hear what God is saying to him personally through the Word. And since he approaches the Bible with that intention he is not disappointed. For centuries people have come to the Bible for spiritual counsel. If that is our intention it will deliver. Mulholland says it well on page 42: "spiritual reading has more to do with approach than with content..." One of the key quotations in the book for me is found on page 38: "In New Testament times (there was) a concept of logos or "word" as the shaping, organizing, forming principle of the universe that held everything together and directed its course..." This word shapes us in and through the words of the Bible.I like Mulholland's emphasis on letting the Biblical text master you, as opposed to trying to master and control the text. It is a very different kind of reading than that to which we are accustomed. I think Mulholland summarizes his approach to the Bible in the following line on page 104: "God's relationship with humanity is not structured by legal demands of a distant deity but by the intimacy of a personal relationship."-Amos Smith (author of Healing The Divide: Recovering Christianity's Mystic Roots)

glad, in fact, very glad to rate this book and comment on dr mulholland. he first of all was in the navy...i was in the marines we had differences [a funny]. i got to know him at lakewood retreat and conference center in donaldson indiana at a five day academy earlier. i found him to be absolutely a life changing force, a dynamic and extravagant christian man, and wonderfully compelling. the book is a grand work, i now have 2 copies of which i can only find the latest as i think one of my bible study buddies now has an addition to his library unconciously of course. dr mulholland is in a very real sense along the lines of william willoman, robert snaze, and author and bishop mike coyner as a lecturer on biblical subject matter and this book reflects that boldly. elizabeth cannom was his compliment at the academy and was a marvelous inspiration. would not be fair not to mention her as well.

"I am a word, shaped by THE Word, God breathed...."I found the book very compelling and encouraging. At the author's invitation to read Scripture formationally rather than functionally, I was inspired to write a poem I named THE WORD. Reflecting on Mulholland's idea that not only are we shaped by the word, we become the living word of God I began to ponder the Genesis 1-2 story along with John 1 and Psalm 139. We are more than a word on a page, we are God breathed, small incarnations of Him in the world.

A very difficult book for an introductory masters level seminary course, and heavy. I found a lot of his metaphors very repetitive. The final chapter on psychology didn’t flow well with the other contents of the book. Myers Briggs seemed random and too strange to include. I agree with the other reviewer who said he assumed that the reader was closed off to God rather than entertaining the possibility of his own errors. That was spot on.For a book about spiritual formation, the Holy Spirit is not mentioned much, only briefly 3 times. He has such an important role to play but seems marginalized.

I found this book very interesting, The point of the book is to allow Scripture to master you rather than you trying to master scripture. Mulholland does a great job of challenging the way we normally read scripture and reminding us that scripture was written to transform us, rather than us trying to manipulate scripture to accommodate what we already believe.Included is some great insights and John Wesley's scripture reading guidelines and the importance spiritual disciplines and the danger of thinking God owes us if we participate in them rather than participating just to connect with God with no strings attached.

This was a very informative reading. Its thrust is to have true people of Faith and Love of God in Jesus name, to come to the word of God for formation or transformation rather than just academically and intellectually, in order to win arguments or any other vanity. But walking with God is a relationship that is accomplished in joint operation of the Holy Ghost and Word working together with faith/obedience and prayer. Nice Job by Dr. M. Robert Mulholland, I'm not fond of mixing Psychology and the Word of God.

This book, Shaped By the Word, is an excellent call to continual Bible study. It also challenges the reader to not just read the Word of God, but allow the Words of Scripture to transform i.e., not just inform but transform. Jesus said in John 6.63 "The words I have spoken to you--they are full of the Spirit and life." And, yet it seems too many of us who call ourselves followers of Christ tend to not believe those very Words.

Mulholland's text is a very readable and approachable primer about using scripture for spiritual formation. One of the things I especially appreciated was his definition of spiritual formation that formed the foundation for his text. He refutes those who want to use scripture or any 'technique' to become more spiritual for their own sakes. Mulholland points the reader to a focus outside of themselves. He maintains that spiritual transformation must be for the sake of others and not ourselves.

This is a great book which stresses the importance of reading the Bible. It also teaches certain things about reading.

An approach from a Biblical scholar that the Bible should not just be studied intellectually but read allowing the Word of God to shape your heart, mind and soul.