At a recent Vestry meeting I told the Vestry that I had received an appeal from a couple of parishioners to the change the name of the Seven Spiritual Disciplines, to Seven Spiritual Practices.

For those unfamiliar with the Seven Spiritual Disciplines, I have identified a number of disciplines that I believe serve the needs of spiritual formation in our contemporary age. In my former parish I called these disciplines, the Six Marks of Disciple.

Why six instead of seven? I had combined Prayer and Bible Study into one practicem, “Intentional Faith.” The reason? So many people in the San Francisco Bay Area break out in hives when they hear the world “bible study.” A lot of people associate “bible study” with arch-conservative fundamentalism. So, in an effort to help people remain open to the possibility that maybe, just maybe, the Biblical Narrative might be worth taking seriously, I nested “Prayer” and “Bible Study” under the moniker, “Intentional Faith.”

A number of leaders in my former parish tried to get me to break out “Prayer” and “Bible Study” into separate disciplines. The number “7” carries symbolic value to Hebrew poets and prophets. Besides, they thought a more explicit description of what the foundations of “Intentional Faith” involved would be helpful.

I never made the change. The Six Marks of Disciple had already worked its way into the parish culture. And, I still believe the mission context on the West Coast benefits from a dissociation with fundamentalism.

Here I have discovered a different controversy associated with (what I am now calling) the Seven Spiritual Disciplines. One or two parish leaders expressed concern that, given the legacy of over-control in the life of the church, the word “discipline” in the title seemed strident.

They asked I change the word “discipline” to “practice.” Their aim was to communicate the grace-centered nature of the process that leads to our spiritual transformation.

It made sense to me.

So I took their advice.

I changed the name from “Disciplines,” to “Practices.”

Oops.

At the Vestry meeting, one member of Vestry expressed regret over the change. He felt that something of the rigor of genuine faithfulness had been lost. He made what I thought was a very good point. I failed to appreciate the difference in nuance between the word “discipline” and “practice.”

I asked him to write down his thoughts so that I could give greater consideration to his perspective. He did.

The November, 19, 2006 issue of Life @ St. David’s article on the leadership development training reported on the decision to re-name the Seven Spiritual Disciplines as the Seven Spiritual Practices in order to “better communicate the intent of this gentle discipline.” I think something is lost in the process. There is nothing gentle or easy about taking up the cross regardless of “current sensibilities”.

Discipline implies conscious or intentional activity that uses mental control to direct or change behavior, learn something, or train for something. The many definitions I looked at all implied acting in accordance with rules to promote or produce moral, physical, or mental development. On the other hand, “Practice” refers to habitual performance, custom, and repetition to acquire a certain degree of skill or proficiency. Practice allows one to do things without thinking about the activity—you could almost do it in your sleep. Thus the expression, “practice makes perfect.” I don’t believe practice makes us perfect in God’s eyes.

However, God has given us choice and this is where discipline enters. It takes discipline to pray, to study the Bible regularly, to keep the Sabbath, to tithe, to seek and find mutual support in a small group, to find and use your gifts, and to share the story of the Gospel. Most people do not have the self-discipline to perform some or all of these tasks, because it takes effort and work…none of which is “gentle.’ It is the exercising discipline, doing the work, and finding faith that gains us any measure of ‘perfection.’ It is a continuous process.

I think of it this way, God gave us Ten Commandments, not Ten Guidelines. There is nothing gentle or ambiguous there.

Stu Wilson

So there you have it. Are we talking about Seven Spiritual Disciplines, with the appropriate association of rigorous faith? Or are we talking about Seven Spiritual Practices, with the appropriate association of gracious invitation?

I am open.