57 pages • 1 hour read
Savannah GuthrieMostly What God Does: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere
Nonfiction | Biography | Adult | Published in 2024A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Cultural Context: Faith in a Secularizing Society
Mostly What God Does seeks to highlight the role of faith as a stabilizing and unifying force. The book suggests that faith can provide a sense of purpose and hope amidst the complexities and uncertainties of modern life. One trend in the cultural landscape is growing secularism in the United States. This trend is characterized by a decline in church attendance and religious affiliation. According to the Pew Research Center, the proportion of Americans identifying as Christian has been steadily decreasing, while the number of those identifying as religiously unaffiliated, including atheists and agnostics, has been rising. This shift reflects broader changes in societal attitudes towards religion and spirituality.
In response to these trends, many religious institutions are adapting by emphasizing core values such as community, compassion, and service, rather than strict adherence to doctrinal norms. This adaptation is evident in the increasing involvement of faith-based organizations in social justice initiatives, community service projects, and interfaith dialogue. These efforts aim to address the practical and emotional needs of communities in ways that resonate with contemporary values and experiences.
Guthrie’s book reflects this broader cultural context by suggesting that faith is not only about religious rituals but about embracing a way of life that offers resilience against societal challenges. The book encourages individuals to find solace and strength in their beliefs, positioning faith as a counterbalance to the pressures of modern existence. This perspective aligns with broader trends within contemporary spirituality that prioritize personal experience and ethical living over institutional loyalty and doctrinal conformity. For example, the Emerging Church movement within Christianity seeks to engage with postmodern culture by emphasizing relational, experiential, and missional aspects of faith. It often critiques traditional church structures and practices, advocating for more organic and participatory forms of community. The emerging church focuses on authentic relationships, social justice, and living out one’s faith in everyday life rather than adhering to rigid doctrines or hierarchical structures.
Additionally, the “Spiritual but Not Religious” (SBNR) demographic has been growing, characterized by individuals who identify with spiritual beliefs and practices but do not affiliate with organized religion. This trend reflects a desire for personal spiritual exploration and a focus on ethical living without the constraints of institutional doctrine. People in this group often engage in practices such as meditation, mindfulness, and involvement in community service, seeking a direct and personal experience of the divine.
Moreover, there is a notable increase in interfaith dialogue and collaboration. This trend emphasizes common ethical principles and shared human values over doctrinal differences. Faith-based organizations and communities increasingly work together on social issues like poverty, environmental sustainability, and human rights, reflecting a shift towards practical expressions of faith that transcend traditional religious boundaries. Contemporary Christian practices also reflect this shift. Many churches are adopting more inclusive and less dogmatic approaches, focusing on community building, social justice, and personal spiritual growth. This includes the rise of home churches, small groups, and online faith communities that prioritize personal connections and experiential learning over formal rituals and institutional affiliation.
Guthrie’s book engages with contemporary spirituality by positioning faith as a stabilizing and unifying force amidst the complexities of modern life. Reflecting broader cultural trends such as the rise of the “Spiritual but Not Religious” demographic and the emphasis on personal experience over institutional loyalty, Guthrie’s book resonates with the evolving landscape of faith. By highlighting the importance of community, compassion, and service, Guthrie aligns with the adaptive strategies of modern religious institutions. Her narrative encourages embracing faith as a source of resilience and hope, mirroring the values of relational and experiential spirituality that increasingly define the spiritual journey in today’s society.
Ideological Context: Themes of Divine Love and Grace in Christianity
Mostly What God Does delves into Christian faith, focusing on themes of divine love and grace. In Christian theology, these concepts are central and have implications for personal behavior, ethical decisions, and interpersonal relationships. The book presents God’s love as unconditional and transformative, providing guidance and support through life’s difficulties. This perspective reflects a widely accepted Christian understanding that emphasizes a personal relationship with God.
Grace, in Christian theology, is often understood as the unearned favor of God towards humanity, encompassing forgiveness, redemption, and empowerment for righteous living. Guthrie’s exploration of grace highlights its practical implications, suggesting that it influences how individuals interact with the world and each other. This approach aligns with teachings from various Protestant Christian traditions that emphasize grace as a foundational aspect of faith and practice.
By focusing on these theological themes, Guthrie’s work presents a view of Christianity that emphasizes relational and experiential aspects of faith. This view is consistent with modern trends within Christianity that prioritize personal spirituality and moral living over institutional and doctrinal rigidity. Movements such as the emerging church and various forms of contemplative spirituality reflect this shift, seeking to renew and deepen the experience of faith in contemporary contexts.
The Emerging Church movement, for example, seeks to engage with postmodern culture by emphasizing relational, experiential, and missional aspects of faith. It often critiques traditional church structures and practices, advocating for more organic and participatory forms of community. This movement focuses on authentic relationships, social justice, and living out one’s faith in everyday life rather than adhering strictly to doctrinal norms or hierarchical structures.
Similarly, contemplative spirituality, which includes practices such as meditation, mindfulness, and centering prayer, emphasizes personal spiritual experience and direct encounters with the divine. These practices often draw from ancient Christian traditions, such as the monastic traditions of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, while being adapted to contemporary contexts that value personal growth and inner peace.
Guthrie’s reflections resonate with these contemporary expressions of faith, which prioritize a lived experience of spirituality over adherence to formal doctrines. However, this perspective may contrast with more traditional or conservative Christian denominations that emphasize doctrinal purity, ecclesiastical authority, and established liturgical practices. For example, traditions such as Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and certain branches of Protestantism often place a stronger emphasis on the sacraments, church hierarchy, and theological orthodoxy. So, while Guthrie’s reflections may resonate with many individuals, they represent one perspective within the diverse landscape of religious thought.
