{"product_id":"desiring-the-kingdom-formation-education-liberation-paperback","title":"Desiring the Kingdom: Formation, Education, Liberation - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJames K. A. Smith\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow Education Can Liberate Us from Idolatry\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe first edition of \u003ci\u003eDesiring the Kingdom\u003c\/i\u003e has been widely used in a variety of educational settings. In this substantial revision, popular speaker and award-winning author James K. A. Smith rearticulates his core argument, that human beings are lovers shaped by liturgies, for a new cultural context. Smith helps us recognize the way cultural practices form--and \u003ci\u003ede\u003c\/i\u003eform--us. In this fully revised edition, he\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e● \u003cb\u003ereveals cultural liturgies at work\u003c\/b\u003e, showing how cultural phenomena from the Apple Store to Instagram, from the football stadium to the frat house, immerse us in the liturgies of neoliberalism and consumer culture;\u003cbr\u003e● \u003cb\u003ereimagines the human person\u003c\/b\u003e as a lover and \"liturgical animal,\" shaped more by practices and social imaginaries than by ideas alone;\u003cbr\u003e● \u003cb\u003ereframes Christian worship\u003c\/b\u003e as a pedagogy of desire and liberal arts education as liberating; and\u003cbr\u003e● \u003cb\u003eshows how holistic education can liberate us\u003c\/b\u003e from the smoke screens of ideology and our unconscious captivation to idols.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt the heart of \u003ci\u003eDesiring the Kingdom\u003c\/i\u003e is an account of Christian assimilation to rival gospels. These liturgies turn us into consumers who confuse happiness with acquisition and consumption. When we fail to see cultural practices \u003ci\u003eas\u003c\/i\u003e liturgies, we end up turning the church into a den of robbers \u003ci\u003ewith the best of intentions\u003c\/i\u003e, often in the name of \"relevance.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis makes Smith's account of Christian worship and education urgent. The goal is an education in character that, far from producing mere moral conformity, teaches us to want what God wants for the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIdeal for courses in theology, culture, worldview, worship, and philosophy, \u003ci\u003eDesiring the Kingdom\u003c\/i\u003e is also essential reading for scholars, pastors, church leaders, and teachers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A must-read for those who care about how humans are formed and how disciples are made\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this substantial revision of \u003ci\u003eDesiring the Kingdom\u003c\/i\u003e, popular speaker and award-winning author James K. A. Smith rearticulates his core argument--that human beings are lovers shaped by liturgies--for a new context.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"There are few books that have truly and meaningfully changed our cultural and ecclesial conversations about formation, worship, and discipleship across different churches and institutions. This book is one of those critical few. By illuminating the profound connections between practice, habits, beliefs, and desire, Smith elevates discussions of Christian practice and liturgy from a mere theological afterthought to their rightful--and needful--place. It is hard to overstate the impact this book has made on my thinking and life. This updated edition is a crucial engagement with our contemporary moment, probing more deeply into the formative power of cultural liturgies. A must-read for those who care about how humans are formed and how disciples are made.\"\u003cbr\u003e--\u003cb\u003eTish Harrison Warren\u003c\/b\u003e, Anglican priest; author of \u003ci\u003eLiturgy of the Ordinary\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eWhat Grows in Weary Lands\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Some prophetic words come too early, others too late. Amazingly, this second edition proves that \u003ci\u003eDesiring the Kingdom\u003c\/i\u003e continues to come right on time, showing how the original poignantly recounted the history of our present and powerfully predicted where our loves would take us, cementing its status as a treasure old and new.\"\u003cbr\u003e--\u003cb\u003eJonathan Tran\u003c\/b\u003e, Duke Divinity School\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"In this timely new edition, Smith cautions that it is all too easy to be captivated by the liturgies of capitalism and nationalism. Designed to manufacture and manipulate our desires for the profit and power of the few, these liturgies teach us to love idols. With urgency and moral clarity, Smith calls on Christians to reject these liturgies, and he shows how worship can--or should--shape a people maladjusted to the imperatives of greed and domination and form them instead for the work of love and justice-seeking. A powerful book.\"\u003cbr\u003e--\u003cb\u003eMolly Farneth\u003c\/b\u003e, Haverford College\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJames K. A. Smith\u003c\/b\u003e (PhD, Villanova University) is the author of numerous influential books, including \u003ci\u003eYou Are What You Love\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eOn the Road with Saint Augustine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHow to Inhabit Time\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eHow (Not) to Be Secular\u003c\/i\u003e. He is professor of philosophy at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he holds the Gary and Henrietta Byker Chair in Applied Reformed Theology and Worldview. Smith served as editor in chief of \u003ci\u003eComment \u003c\/i\u003emagazine (2013-2018) and \u003ci\u003eImage\u003c\/i\u003e journal (2019-2024). He has written for \u003ci\u003eChristianity Today\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eChristian Century\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 272\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.8 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e November 03, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67972773740851,"sku":"9781540968838","price":34.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/k_kERwXxE99781540968838.webp?v=1794433893","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/products\/desiring-the-kingdom-formation-education-liberation-paperback","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}