Our Unforming: De-Westernizing Spiritual Formation

by Cindy S Lee

Christian spiritual formation resources and teachings have primarily come from Western spiritual traditions. Our current approach to formation comes out of that way of thinking and being, communicating that the white experience of God is the norm and authority. In Our De-Westernizing Spiritual Formation , Cindy S. Lee proposes that we as the church need a new way to engage in spiritual formation. To thrive in our increasingly diverse contexts, we need an unforming and a reforming of our souls. We need to unform the ways Western-dominated church leaders have understood formation. We need to reform--to imagine and create a more intricate spirituality that includes diverse experiences of God. Our Unforming is organized into three cultural orientations and eight postures. Lee proposes that when we consider non-Western cultural ways of being--turning from linear to cyclical, from cerebral to experiential, and from individual to collective--the formation journey shifts. We live out these movements through postures, ways of entering into deeper spiritual transformation. The eight postures reflect our experience of time, generations, imagination, uncertainty, language, work, dependence, elders, and harmony. Lee offers a more robust spirituality to hold the complexities of a multicultural God and the God-human relationship. Our Unforming is sure to inspire further conversation as it shifts how we approach formation in our diverse communities.

Genres: Spirituality, Faith, Christian, Nonfiction, Theology, Religion, Personal Growth

154 pages, Paperback

Published December 15, 2022

Reviews

[Brian Hohmeier · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate what Lee had to say in this book, and at the same time, I find I have a hard time setting aside what I wish this book had been. The clean dualisms that Lee sets up between "Western" spirituality and BIPOC/non-Western/non-patriarchal/sometimes-inclusive-of-queer spirituality (in part if not exclusively through dualisms like linear vs. cyclical, intellectual vs. experiential) seems to me to frame a fundamentally oppositional relationship that (a) perhaps overlooks where the treasures of these non-majority orientations are actually there to be found already even in the Western spiritual formation tradition, particularly in the monastic tradition, and (b) leaves me somewhat confused about the cultural locations we're talking about—e.g., 21st century evangelicalism or the entire Western theological tradition. Perhaps it's ultimately irrelevant what the precise edges are of the scope of Lee's critique, but I feel I could have been helped by more precision here and elsewhere.

In my own reading, I find Lee's challenges to what may have become a mono-culture of spiritual formation—as genuinely the gift of a cultural lens that is more oriented toward the cyclical, experiential and communitarian—to potentially help us recognize not what's fundamentally missing from the Western Christian spiritual formation tradition (itself derived from the Near East) but what's critically been overlooked and neglected by White evangelicalism; and how these seeds, already laid up in the Western tradition, can actually be the seeds of deconstruction of Western Christianity's worst impulses and distortions, particularly through the orientations of non-majority cultures. But again, I worry some of this redemptive possibility is lost in what reads to me as a primarily oppositional stance that dichotomizes at times more than it finds commonality to be shared.

[Renee Davis Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I practically highlighted this entire book.

This is my last assigned reading for my spiritual direction certification, and I highly recommend it for spiritual directors and anyone interested in spiritual formation.

I have a Masters in Christian Spiritual Formation, and throughout my program I asked and processed and wrote papers about how so many spiritual formation resources, practices and recommendations seem to be by and for the privileged. At the time I was working with kids and families in underserved communities and I really wrestled with how the good things I was learning could be made accessible to them.

This book was not written for me, but it did offer answers those questions beyond any I got in my grad program (which was fantastic but limited.)

The author is an American born Taiwanese pastor and spiritual director trying to untangle how her (western church informed) faith muted some of the best aspects of her native culture (collective, communal culture etc.) She has a similar education to mine, and asked the same questions I was asking and more, finding answers outside western academic Christian theology. This book reinforced for me the idea that in you can’t fully know and love the God who created people from every tribe and tongue and nation, if you are only exposed to one lens of learning, seeing and experiencing God. We can learn so much from sitting under the teaching and experience of people with different world views, it’s a shame most of us are only ever exposed to the one dominant culture.

[Jon Coutts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book helpfully shifts spiritual formation away from western myths of progress and control toward broader values of social harmony and self-awareness. The chapters on work-rest, dependence, and elders are especially good. It casts some unhelpful false dilemmas (e.g., of mind v soul/body), and its portrayal of the west is a bit of an american caricature - but to the degree that those myths need dethroning this is fair enough.

[Andrew York · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were a number of concepts and postulations that I disagree with, however I appreciate the different perspectives and thought provoking stories and elements of this book. Living in Korea as a former missionary who is a white male American married to a Korean this book helped immensely. There were often moments when I would have to investigate my life and actions as a missionary, and while I believe I was faithful to Gods call, this book helped me see things I would not repeat in the future (I.e. not listening enough and paying attention to God in the other cultures). Highly recommend, though I will say you may find yourself challenged and maybe even slightly offended.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot say enough good about this book. The author's insights are profound and essential for those of us formed by western spirituality. I found it both affirming of the things that have felt off for me in my formation, as well as challenging in the best way. This is a must read for anyone interested in deepening their faith.

[Tobias Lansberry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book for the discerning reader - there is a war going on in these pages.

Cindy Lee has a right, honorable, and timely goal in this book. She is keenly aware of the problems in American Evangelicalism that have come from focusing on the material rather than the spiritual - and her advocacy to looking at more spiritual paradigms in "Eastern" cultures is very appropriate.

Some problems arise in a lack of nuance in what she means by Western vs Eastern. She ends up dealing with a lot of cultural comparisons, some correlative with the West/East divide, some completely separate, including:
Modern paradigm vs ancient paradigm
Urban city culture vs rural country culture
Highly dynamic populations vs homogeneous populations
Masculine systems vs feminine systems
Individualist emphasis vs collectivist emphasis

All these nuances and more become condensed into a single metric of West vs East - though the author also uses the terms "modern" and "patriarchal", the words seem to be used completely interchangeably with "Western".

This flattening of nuance seems to stem from the author's Neo-Marxist conception of race and identity - which is somewhat ironically, thoroughly materialist and unavoidably Western in origin and nature.

This attempt to reconcile her postmodern Western materialism with ancient Eastern spiritualism makes for battles in every chapter - often oscillating between clarity and wisdom and almost non-sequitur attempts at application in a political and ideologically incompatible framework. On one page adopting a Doaist teaching of losing distinction between concepts to embrace oneness, and on other pages dividing group identity based on skin color, with no real attempt at reconciling the two views.

This comes to a head in the section titled "the sin of disharmony", where she puts forth a definition of collective guilt that is in line with both the modern Neo-Marxist identitarians and the Christian Puritanical movement at the height of their bloodthirsty attacks on anything too "pagan". She is well read enough to be aware of this connection, but seems unable to deal with it, hand waving away the potential abuse of collective guilt as something that happens "in patriarchal cultures".

All that said, there were several sections that were very deep and cut to the bone of common problems in American Christian culture. The section on uncertainty laid bear the Western need to know and be in control, which has led many a church to phariseeism. And the "reorientation to the collective" section laid bare the simply unbiblical and destructive problems with making the individual paramount.

Overall a good read for anyone who can sort the wheat from the chaff, and a truly timely thesis on the Christian imperative of putting the spiritual, the heavenly kingdom of Jesus, above the material and earthly things. We are not called to the things of the flesh, but to be conformed to and by the Spirit.

[Katie Schroder · Rating 4 out of 5]

The chapter on life and faith being cyclical (Eastern culture) and not linear (American West) >>>>

[Brock Elstro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh…that’s my thoughts after reading this book. There were enough nuggets of useful stuff to keep me from hating it, but in the end I can’t recommend this.

I found her commentary and critique of Western colonial Christianity to me to be more often distracting than helpful. There is so much to value and love and learn about and from non-Western spirituality that I didn’t need to feel like white, modern, western Christianity is to blame for all of the worlds ills and that it has nothing to offer.

But apart from that, I thought it was poorly written! Parts seemed unorganized, many examples really needed to be fleshed out, it lack threads to tie the whole thing together, with even the order and titles of the chapters seem to lack forethought! I left most chapters thinking, “what am I supposed to actually do or practice?”

And to top it off, there was a severe lack of scripture references and passages and talk of God which makes it hard for me to trust this as true to orthodox and biblical Christianity. I am a charismatic and an intercessor, so I can really push things, but I need to stay grounded in God’s word, and this doesn’t do it enough.

Three paragraphs equals three less starts, so 2 stars seems fair.

[Susie Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend! I’ve read a lot of books on spiritual formation. None come close to addressing how far Americans have strayed away from the communal aspect of our spirituality. She provides hope and tangible ways to reclaim the integrity of true spiritual community.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful challenge to shift our spiritual postures toward more cyclical and collective practices, applicable to all but written by and for BIPOC Christians in particular. I used up a good part of a highlighter on this one!

[Lakeland]

Fantastic. I felt so much solace and inspiration and anger and hope in this.

[Adam Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

strong>Summary: Exploring how our spiritual formation needs to be decoupled from western culture.

I am not sure I can describe Our Unforming better than an edited quote from the introduction.

"For all my life, I’ve read books on spiritual formation written by white authors and internalized their experiences of God as the norm and even as the authority. In recent centuries, our spiritual formation resources and teachings have primarily come from Western spiritual traditions. In that process, Western voices have generalized what spiritual formation is for all of us. The way we teach formation in the church is heavily influenced by Western values—such as individuality, dualism, and linear thinking—and Western history like colonialism, the Enlightenment, and industrialization. Even the African roots of early church fathers and mothers have often been ignored when interpreted through a white male lens...I want to untangle and de-westernize the ways my soul has been distorted by the disproportionate influence of Western authority in the church. This does not mean disregarding our long and rich history of Christian spiritual traditions. Rather, we need to recognize that our current understanding of spiritual formation is limited because it was developed under a dominant Western cultural tradition.

Our Unforming is largely written to racial minority Christians who are grappling with the ways that they have distorted themselves to fit into western or white molds. But Cindy Lee is also writing for people like me (a middle-aged, middle-class, white, male, heterosexual, seminary-trained spiritual director). She is pointing out areas where our language and practice of spiritual formation may be more culturally constrained than we understand. It complements books like Karen Swallow Prior's Evangelical Imagination (about how many of our Evangelical norms are rooted in Victorian culture) or Barbara Holmes'Joy Unspeakable about the particular contemplative practices of the Black church. And if pastors or spiritual directors are going to work in diverse communities, they need to be aware of where their biases toward white or western normative ideas or practices are constraining their ability to serve the people they serve.

I believe we need a more robust spirituality for our times. Our spiritual practices need to be reimagined as our communities become increasingly diverse. We need a spirituality not detached from reality but one that takes seriously the injustices and disparities of our societies. We also need to be re-formed in order to discover the sacred in one another. Sadly, voices are missing from this conversation. We need to hear from one another and make space for one another so we can evolve and mature into a more dynamic spiritual community.

Books like this make explicit the ways that we constrain people by not exploring our biases. The quick vignette below reveals one way our culture denies our human limitations.

I still remember the words that began my unforming. An Asian American pastor and mentor, Dan, once said to me, “One day you’ll make a big mistake, but the people around you will love you anyway. On that day, you’ll be free, and you’ll be able to more fully receive God’s love for you.” These words continue to resonate in my soul. They reveal to me how easily I can get caught up in the drive for flawless performance, even in spiritual things. The push for perfection in performance is not just a Western trait, but it has become the standard for modern culture, no matter where we are in the world. The strength of a linear cultural orientation in spirituality is that it is optimistic, hopeful, and focused on growth. Even in suffering and grief, we can soothe our pain with the belief that God can use our sufferings for good. We expect positivity and growth even in the deepest of sufferings. The drawback of a linear orientation is when things don’t go as planned, when life turns messy and complicated, we lack the spiritual vocabulary and depth needed to navigate.

One of the main refrains that I keep at the front of my thoughts when I think about my spiritual direction practice is that grace has to be the center. As Cindy Lee says, "A “just work harder” society creates a “just work harder” religion." We need to help people see that while spiritual practices have value, western default thinking about spiritual practices tends to think of them as work to be completed so we can achieve self-mastery. A grace-centered orientation doesn't try to get people to work harder to find God, but that is explicitly what many western Christians say. 

A well-known Christian leader that everyone would know directly said in his book on prayer that people who know more pray better. Cindy Lee rightly counters by pointing out this weakness:

...the Western church has tried to limit spirituality to the mind by suppressing or neglecting the body. Western Christianity starts with the premise that forming right beliefs will lead to right practices, right morals, and a right society.

It is not just the explicit orientation toward knowledge that is a problem. Even relatively aware Christians who have studied missiology and culture often default to hierarchical thinking that biases western thought by assuming "contextualization" is a type of translation that makes western ideals local instead.

The work ahead to unform our spirituality, however, requires that we break free from these Western parameters. Sometimes this task is referred to as “contextualization.” Contextualizing, however, still assumes that the Western way is the standard way, and all other ways are creative deviations. The work of unforming and re-forming our souls is not contextualization. We are not taking Western norms and adding ethnic expressions. We are going back to what the missionaries should have done in the first place, to allow our experiences of God to be fundamentally changed by sitting and learning from one another. Carvalhaes writes that historically colonized communities still find subversive and creative ways to reimagine worship and liturgy, and we need to learn from these expressions. He writes, “While empires and colonization processes tried to fix rituals as a way of controlling senses, understandings, and bodies, colonized people have always intervened in these processes, creating, rebelling, challenging, undoing, and redoing.” These practices are ways in which colonized people have tried to break free from Western-controlled spaces. Carvalhaes states that we can reclaim our spiritual practices through other forms of knowing, such as attending to our bodily movements, senses, and emotions as expressions of our spirituality.

I could easily continue this as a long quote review, but I will only share one more. Over the past year, I have been researching Christian discernment in particular. There is a good chapter that is largely about discernment that I very much commend. But central to that chapter is this important reminder. "The practice of listening to ourselves is a reminder that we are worthy of being listened to." Lee rightly notes that one of the largest problems of western default thinking is that it creates hierarchical assumptions where non-white or non-western people are taught to mistrust their own thoughts because they are not white or western. It is central to discernment to learn to trust our own thoughts and feelings and rightly name them so that we can begin to discern where God is speaking to us.

This is a brief book but I intentionally did not read more than a chapter at a time because it is a book that I needed to think about and not just quickly move on to the next idea.

One additional note: This is not a "deconstruction book," but I do think that it would be helpful for many people who are consciously in a deconstruction mode to think through how their assumptions may be culturally constrained and while they may be aware of how politics or relational abuse or other issues have impacted them, that deconstruction work should also look at areas of faith and spirituality where they may be less conscious of work that needs to be done. Books like this I think can help make the deconstruction process easier in the long term because it gets at underlying issues, not just those issues which are most visible.

This was originally posted on my blog at https://bookwi.se/our-unforming/

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book refreshing and challenging. It is refreshing and imaginative in showing the many ways we can connect with God beyond what the Western (and particularly evangelical) church has decreed. Some of the spiritual postures I realized I've started to learn by living outside of American culture and there are many I have a lot I haven't experienced yet. It challenged me because there's so much to experience, and reading this book as a white person caused me to confront how the culture that has given me a lot also oppresses others. I highly recommend this for spiritual directors, pastors, and others who care about their own or others life with God!

[Laney Dugan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really, really excited about this book… but while the broad strokes and general concepts of the book were good and thought-provoking and deserve continued thought and attention, I have many questions about the specifics and details and nuances this book brought to the table. I have many concerns with the Western church and the way the Church in the West has neglected our Eastern and Southern brothers and sisters (and our own Eastern history and beginnings)… and colonization is deeply troubling and not at all okay to me… and the patriarchy needs to stop. 100% to all those things!! However, in throwing out the elements of Western culture that do not reflect the Kingdom of Jesus, I think it’s reasonable that we simultaneously recognize that Eastern cultures also have elements that must be thrown out in order to follow Jesus faithfully, too. I feel like this book wholesale endorsed any and every cultural and spiritual tradition that might happen to have come from your family of origin or culture or ancestry (unless you’re white), which didn’t sit well with me. Yes, colonization is a dark, evil thing that has happened (and still happens in some places, sadly) and has most often in recent history been perpetrated by white westerners in some truly horrific ways… however, in the last 40 years or so, there has been an increased awareness of this in many circles, much repentance, and a push for contextualization of faith and church that is scripturally faithful, and this book didn’t seem to acknowledge that at all, let alone make note of the dangers of syncretism. I would love to see a less black and white (no pun intended whatsoever!), less divisive book on this topic come out for further consideration — the idea is really brilliant I think! To assess the ways our views and understanding and practicing of spiritual formation has been influenced deeply by individualism, the Enlightenment, western views of time and progress, etc. would be so beneficial! I do appreciate Lee for starting a conversation that will hopefully continue, and for articulating particular thoughts and ideas in this book with such clarity. I just wish it had been a little less divisive.

[Brother Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cindy Lee (Taiwanese spiritual director) suggests we need to make three shifts to 'unform' a Westernized understanding of spiritual formation: understanding time as cyclical, seeing experience/intuition as a form of knowledge and treating community as essential to our formation (including our ancestors and elders).

'Unforming' seems to be Lee's term for 'deconstruction'. She suggests in this book that we need to 'unform' beliefs, traditions, teachings and assumptions that "prevent us from experiencing the sacred".

I think her goal with this book is excellent, admirable and necessary. She succeeds in shining light on perspectives that would benefit some of the spiritual formation teachers of our day (most of whom are white). I especially liked how Lee encouraged us to think of our formation non-linearly. How freeing it is to know that our transformation is messy and that there is grace.

I found, however, that she was too brief in her argumentation. For example, she talks about how we should trust our intuitions and experience as God's Spirit may be communicating to us that way (the second shift). I think this is a fine statement to make only if it's defended against the clear counter argument that our emotions and intuitions often cannot be trusted. Readers would have benefitted from an elaboration on most if not all points that she made. Thus, at most, this is a very cursory introduction to the issues at hand.

Finally, I found that she was trying very hard to make this book 'non-White', using countless quotations from various cultural perspectives, but, again, not really going deep enough in her arguments or the arguments of those she quoted. In addition, her practices, though interesting, were not fleshed out enough.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will definitely be re-reading this again. There was so much helpful perspective in here, and things that I’ve found helpful over my own life too—things like viewing spiritual growth/formation as cyclical not just linear, and views on rest, and other things. The discussion questions at the end of each chapter were great too.

The only part I didn’t really like was the section on ancestors, because it felt like she was referring to some sort of generic spirituality rather than knowledge of the true God. I need to re-read it again later and maybe process it with someone, because the question of ancestors feels painful in my family so that might be one reason why I struggled with the chapter. I did feel it needed a more robust discussion of that topic though. I’ve seen Asian believers in various contexts come to different personal convictions on how much of certain ancestral practices they could participate in, but this author seems to just accept them without nuance. It’s a complicated topic and I wish she’d wrestled with it a bit more.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a much-needed book on spiritual formation. The title does not lend itself directly to the content as much of the book is about the experience of BIPOC communities in Western spirituality. I guess the broader title attempts to appeal to a greater subsection of individuals. Regardless, the author and her call for overhauling how we understand spiritual development in the West is essential for the times in which we now live. I'd love to see how some of these ideas move and feel, and how white Westerners can be called to put them into action. The author helps BIPOC individuals reclaim their understanding of spirituality and resist Western modes. Still, I also wonder how those of us who are white can begin reclaiming ways of being that our ancestors used before imperial Christianity (connection to the natural world, communal spirituality, understanding of ancestors and elders, etc). That may be the work of people who look like me.

[Andrew Hillger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was talking to a friend about disengaging from my western biases in my own spiritual formation and reflecting on how much I see it influences others in their spiritual formation, pondering how much we miss in the Christian story by virtue of being born and raised into a predominantly Western thought influenced society and culture.

They had just recently finished seminary and recommended I read this book. I found it to be a wonderful step on my journey in dismantling destructive, distractive, and misconstrued biases that have influenced my own spiritual worldview and the worldview of other Christians (and non-Christians) around me.

I think any Christian living in a Western dominant culture should consider giving this book a read. Some more conservative folks may be turned off by some of the language use feeling too "woke", I think those are the individuals who would stand the most to gain from learning what Cindy Lee has to say in these pages.

[Arlene Whitlock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent resource for looking at Christian spirituality from a different lens. Currently the lens that gets the most attention is one that has been handed down through the centuries from a patriarchal Western point of view. While this point of view has shaped institutions, governments and policies, it also has created unhealthy systems of shame, isolation, and exclusion. These systems have harmed communities and thus individuals. It is no wonder so many are disillusioned with Christianity. Cindy Lee has done an excellent job at considering alternatives. The current state of Christianity admittedly has left many wholes and fractions. This needs to be acknowledged and dealt with. Lee gets at the heart of the matter based on the consideration of those outside of the Western patriarchy.

[Jacci · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book slowly, not because it was hard to read but because the ideas stretched my brain. I realized how very linear my spiritual formation has been. Trying to think circularly, expand my ideas about rest, and honor my ancestors are all new thoughts for me. (And I wrote a book about deconstruction). I realize now it was a very white book. But I'm learning and growing and committed to continue to do so. Thank you to the author for putting these thoughts into words. My whole teaching team for our Spiritual Direction Training program is reading it to help us know how to move forward.

[Nathan Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm grateful our church encouraged us to read this for multiple reasons, among them the slow rate of digestion it compelled, coupled with doing so as a community. An intentional reading with others is the best way to process something so profound. Challenging. Enlightening. Encouraging and also saddening in its necessity. The author presents a compelling way towards re-forming, which is the missing ingredient for too many who struggle with deconstruction.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like the term "un-forming" versus deconstruction. Spiritual formation through the lens of an Asian American woman, Cindy S. Lee, provides so much insight into how it is important to honor the cultural heritage and postures of all cultures, especially BIPOC folks. This book has given me clarity to the influences of a Western patriarchal spiritual formation and the freedom to embrace the diverse experiences ofGod. I love the questions at the end of each chapter. Very helpful for individual or group reflection. A very helpful read.

[Casey Summers · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's good to critically reflect on the ways Western culture has mishaped us spiritually. Willie Jennings has done a lot of this work in Christian Imagination, but that's a challenging book to read. This one will be more accessible to most folks. I highly recommend it. I found it helpful in giving me new ways to think about how culture shapes and mishapes us as well as how non-Western approaches to spiritual formation can lead us into greater spiritual health.

[Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most compelling spiritual formation book I can remember reading. The three cultural orientations, nine spiritual postures, and related practices resonated deeply -- most feel like a welcome invitation, and, admittedly for this reader entirely raised by Western culture, a couple feel challenging. I know I will return to Lee's offering here again and again.

[Laura Weston · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am galled that I have to give this book one star to be honest. I certainly do not mind reading books that I disagree with but this book is so intentionally inflammatory and poorly written that it is infuriating. She makes outlandish claims (that she insists she's not setting out to make) and hides behind the vaguery of undefined terms, platitudes, and slippery or nonexistent theses so that no debate or conversation can really happen as there's no foothold. A maddening experience.

[Dave Pettengill · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read in quite a while on spiritual formation. So much of our concepts of spiritual formation is based on white western patriarchal understandings, so we end up missing out on so much when it comes to understanding God and ourselves. Lots of great insights into BIPOC ways of understanding God and the faith.

[Christine Hiester · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Such an important book. The postures and elements of life and spirituality that the author highlights are necessary to create a wholeness in our life of faith. Once we see, we can’t unsee. So now to embrace and embody these changes…

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

She packs a LOT into this text. And what I liked about it was that it wasn't just about unforming, there was so much reforming in here too. I will be going back to this one.

[Felicia Murrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly Recommend

I found myself highlighting almost every other paragraph. This is probably one of the most important books on spirituality I’ve read in a while.

[Brandi Diamond · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written book. I couldn’t put it down - really helpful.