Christian spirituality suffers from a basic problem: most people don’t know what it is. Too often, among Christians, dogma is confused with spirituality. The video explains the problem and identifies some of the authentic expressions of Christian spirituality.
The following is a text version of this posting.
It was a very odd experience for me. I had been invited to teach in a spiritual development program at a seminary about ten years ago. Recognizing that I was probably a bit more progressive than many of the people who registered for the program, it was suggested that I attend the initial workshop for newcomers to the program to get a better understanding of the background of participants. My experience in the seminars I attended left me with mixed emotions: shock, panic, and disbelief.
Participants were asked to define spirituality. Consistently, they described spirituality as a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Some were bold enough to say that non-Christians didn’t have spirituality. I asked how Buddhists who are known for their spiritual practices fit into these definitions. I was told that what Buddhists practiced wasn’t spirituality. I tried a different approach and paraphrased the writings of great Christian mystics like Meister Eckert and Teresa of Avila. The facilitator told me that this was a discussion of Christian spirituality and not inter-faith spirituality.
Against my better judgment, I agreed to teach a class in the program. It was a disaster. I carefully chose to offer a class on adult developmental psychology and spirituality. As a psychologist, I thought that would be a safe and non-controversial topic. It wasn’t. I felt attacked by several participants for not basing my comments on the theology they found acceptable. I was scheduled for several seminars on this topic. Midway through the second one, I threw in the towel. I kept repeating the key concepts I was trying to convey in the hope that something would connect. It never did. Even before this course was done, I knew I never wanted to teach in this program again.
There’s a significant problem when it comes to Christian spirituality: Christians, to a large degree, don’t know what it is. Instead, they mistake their theological statements for spirituality. The irony is that when one considers the breadth of the Christian tradition, there’s an astounding range and depth of spiritual wisdom. From the earliest years of the Christian era, mystics and saints explored the depths of their spiritual lives. Many of them wrote about their experiences.
Christian spirituality is rooted in the understanding that humanity was made in the image and likeness of God. The spiritual journey is a journey inward toward experiencing the Divine within us as fully as we possibly can. In that process, a person comes to understand that God is all life and that all life is in God, that there is no duality or separation. The spiritual writers of Christianity used a wide variety of images and metaphors to explain their spiritual journey, growth, and development. John Climacus wrote about a ladder of ascent. Teresa of Avila wrote about a series of mansions and the movement from one to the next. John of the Cross, exploring challenging experiences, wrote about the dark night of the soul and the dark night of the senses. The unknown author of The Cloud of Unknowing explained that contemplative practice was like entering a cloud where one is known but what is present is unknown. Julian of Norwich opened herself to experience the motherhood of God. None of these things fit neatly into doctrine, but they represent the living and breathing heart of Christian spirituality.
As for this idea that Christian life is based on a personal relationship with God through Jesus, well, it’s a modern concept that’s just a couple of hundred years old. It’s very American. It’s all about the individual: Jesus and me. And it’s about a formula outlining what to do and what experience to have. As for Christian spirituality, the real stuff is expansive and all-encompassing. Christian spirituality makes room for a wide variety of experiences that don’t fit into easy theological definitions. For that reason, the real Christian spiritual tradition is truly life-giving.
Thinking about what you shared reminded me of a memory of a professor I had at a seminary in the Chicago area years ago. He recommended to students not just to read contemporary authors but to read the ancient Christian mystic writers. Thank you for the reminder.