The name of my area of study at GTU is "Christian Spirituality." This is actually a rare program, and GTU and its scholars have received a lot of recognition for advancing the field of Christian Spirituality. This is a focused study, yet because the topic is inherently interdisciplinary, it is allowing and will allow me to explore a number of different topics in theology, interreligious dialogue, the sciences, and the lived experience and practice of Christians.
But part of the learning process for myself and other new students is understanding what "the field" actually is. And a component of this is understanding what is meant by the term spirituality. One of my first assignments was to write a definition of "spirituality", informed by a variety of assigned pieces by scholars in the field with some overlap but some nuance in their definitions.
Which leads me to my question: what do you think spirituality is? Like a recent query I posted here, I'm interested in your responses, unless you really like a particular author's version of it (e.g., you love the way Rick Warren or Richard Rohr articulates it). I'd rather, at least for the moment, not share my answer, so as not to influence any responses. I'm not looking for the right answer, just your actual impressions. You could respond (or just think about) any of the following questions:
But part of the learning process for myself and other new students is understanding what "the field" actually is. And a component of this is understanding what is meant by the term spirituality. One of my first assignments was to write a definition of "spirituality", informed by a variety of assigned pieces by scholars in the field with some overlap but some nuance in their definitions.
Which leads me to my question: what do you think spirituality is? Like a recent query I posted here, I'm interested in your responses, unless you really like a particular author's version of it (e.g., you love the way Rick Warren or Richard Rohr articulates it). I'd rather, at least for the moment, not share my answer, so as not to influence any responses. I'm not looking for the right answer, just your actual impressions. You could respond (or just think about) any of the following questions:
- What is spirituality?
- Is spirituality a good thing? Why or why not?
- Are you engaged in spirituality? (i.e, are you "spiritual"?)
- What is it that demonstrates you are spiritual or not spiritual? (i.e, how do you know you are spiritual or not?)
- Some people talk about being "spiritual but not religious." What do you think of that phrase? Is it true for you?
2 comments:
What is spirituality? /// The search for the "true" self.
Is spirituality a good thing? /// Yes, it reveals in the person a willingness to "let go" of their held assumptions about life and self. These steps indicate humility and openness to "listen" to someone or something outside of their own experience or self-defined reality
Are you engaged in spirituality? /// Yes
What is it that demonstrates you are spiritual or not spiritual? /// I am seeking truth. I am seeking the true me. I am seeking the source of my creation and hopeful of finding my purpose and being in that source. My existence has changed and is changing because of that search; to me, this is an indicator of my spirituality.
Some people talk about being "spiritual but not religious." What do you think of that phrase? Is it true for you? /// I don't care for the phrase. It seems condescending, arrogant, and self-righteous...and all of that seems the antithesis of spiritual. And no, it is not true for me. I am spiritual and I am religious. I find it difficult to separate the two.
I like this. Lots of parallels to how I'd define it. You seem to think that the spiritual journey is very humanizing, that it doesn't take us to a higher realm necessarily but helps get rid of the illusions and obstacles that prevent us from thriving in this realm.
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