DIRECTED BY DISCIPLESHIP: UNTANGLING OUR DESIRES AND LOVES

Abstract

ABSTRACT

NATHAN RICHARD LASHOTO DIRECTED BY DISCIPLESHIP: UNTANGLING OUR DESIRES AND LOVES Under the direction of Graham B. Walker, Jr. Ph.D., Supervisor

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus’ final words on Earth were an instruction to go and make more disciples. In the book of John, Jesus defines a disciple as one who loves as Christ loves. While some in the church consider discipleship to Jesus to be head knowledge, Christ defines discipleship as a type of heart knowledge. This heart knowledge knows the proper things to love, desire, and pursue. In modern America we are told many things to love, desire, and pursue through advertisements, social media, and political campaigns. If discipleship to Jesus Christ is the goal of Christians, then the church must learn how to interact and compete with a variety of desires and models presented and help reorient congregations back on the path of discipleship. The thesis entangles with the claims of Luke Burgis’ Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire and James K.A. Smith’s You Are What You Love to offer a better way to connect discipleship to Christ to the lived-experiences and identities of church congregations. Six participants were chosen to join in this project and participated in an introductory meeting to inform them of the structure and requirements for participation. Three times, over the course of five sermons, participants met for a semi-structured interview. During this time, the group was asked specific questions about the sermon and how effective it was in providing a discipleship orientation for their week. After introducing the problem in detail, this thesis explores the biblical, theological, philosophical, and psychological foundations for why discipleship to Jesus Christ involves a reorienting of our desires and loves. It then details the central finding of the project, which concerns how desires and loves are shaped and formed. The primary themes that emerged are how sermons interact with desire, the importance of models for desire, and the importance of providing space to wrestle with competing desires. Finally, this thesis concludes with ideas for future development, which include how sermons can more intentionally interact with discipleship through connections with desire.