This past
week I received e-mails from a good friend in which he expressed his perplexity
with what’s happening in the field of Christian spirituality today. It would be
a helpful way to end this brief series on the new spirituality by reflecting
generally on the concerns he raised.
The first
of these was the way in which spirituality, and particularly the new discipline
of spiritual formation, seems to have taken over the traditional role of
discipleship within churches and seminaries. Instead of encouraging new
Christians to participate in a process of discipleship training, they are now
encouraged to link up with a spiritual director for an extended course of
spiritual formation. What’s happening here, my friend asked?
While I don’t
have great expertise in this field I do have some perception of what’s behind
this shift. Historically, discipleship training, at least within churches and parachurch organizations, has been orientated toward
influencing what people believe and how they act. It has concentrated on
getting them grounded in the doctrines of the faith and practices of Christian
living. In some instances it has been heavily seasoned with denominational distinctives in terms of doctrines and/or practices.
This, in
the minds of many, is more about religion
(nurturing stereotyped beliefs and practices) than it is about spirituality (developing relationships
and inward transformation). Hence the shift there has been from discipleship to
spiritual formation. Instead of encouraging new Christians (and older believers
for that matter too) to develop programmes of Bible reading and church
attendance, spiritual directors help them get in touch with Christ and become
increasingly like him. They stress the importance of developing intimacy with
Jesus and of paying close attention to his words. In doing so, they emphasize the
relational core of spiritual growth more than they do resultant outward
practices.
While there
is much to commend this emphasis, there are also dangers – and it was these my
friend also alluded to in his correspondence. For one thing, in pursing
relational intimacy spiritual directors tend to pay more attention to
subjective experiences and devotional techniques than they do to understanding
biblical truth. Historically evangelical Christians have understood
spirituality as lived theology. It is simply the outward practical expression
of relationship with the God who has revealed himself in the Bible. The key to
developing a healthy spirituality, it has been argued for centuries, is sound
theology. Spirituality without theology degenerates into sentimentality.
Worse than
that, it can easily be taken captive by self-interest and psychology. Instead
of being a reverential response to a glorious God who has revealed himself in
creation and Scripture, spirituality can become the narcissistic pursuit of
self-fulfilment. Self-realization and spiritual experience in itself become
goals.
In many
cases, the pursuit of experience takes people toward neo-pagan mysticism. Mysticism
throughout the centuries has pursued immediate encounter with the divine. That’s
resurfacing today in contemplative expressions of Christian spirituality.
People are adopting forms of prayer and meditation (and in some cases bodily
posture) that enable them to “enter the silence” or achieve altered states of
consciousness in which they have elevated spiritual experiences.
Rightly,
there are discerning Christians who are alarmed about this and warn against the
dangers of the contemplative spirituality movement. Some have conducted
extensive studies in which they have shown remarkable similarities in the
techniques of contemplatives and mystics in other religions. They have also
noted the openness of contemplatives to interfaith interaction based on commonness
of method and experience. In alerting us to this they do us a service.
At the same
time, this doesn’t mean to say that everything about the new flush of interest
in spirituality is bad. It does need
discerning examination, and in particular, needs to be tested in terms of its
commitment to the word of God as the basis of Christian experience. But at
points it does offer healthy challenge and corrective to more traditional
expressions of Christian life and devotion.