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A Brief Overview of Christian Spirituality. Key Elements of Practices and Approaches across time to living the Christian Way of Life. Defining Spirituality. This presentation will take a definition of Spirituality to be:
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A Brief Overview of Christian Spirituality Key Elements of Practices and Approaches across time to living the Christian Way of Life.
Defining Spirituality • This presentation will take a definition of Spirituality to be: A dynamic process of interpreting and responding to existence- from both a cosmic and an individual perspective.
Christian Spirituality • Taking the previous definition of Spirituality, therefore, when one adds “Christian” to the title and even “Roman Catholic Christian,” the starting point of both interpretation and response must be the person and teaching of Jesus, called the Christ as recorded in Christian Sacred Texts.
Christian Spirituality • A dynamic process of interpreting and responding to existence- from both a cosmic and an individual perspective- through the lens of the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.
Early Christian Spirituality Aspects of Early Church Spirituality: - Influence of Jewish world view and understanding of God - Imitation of Christ the basis for living - An un-brokered God accessible anytime - The model of suffering for one’s faith- persecution the guarantee of heaven - Loving one’s neighbour as oneself - Service, especially of the poor and marginalised - Welcome, inclusion (“mealing”) and healing • -The power of community, belonging • - Evangelisation: “Good News” for humanity
Spirituality of the Middle Ages “Imitation of Christ” became suffering as and for Christ- white martyrdom- resulting in self denial- of food, of desires of the flesh; of comforts; of an ordinary life. A stigmata was the highest form of piety. Monasticism- anchorites and cenobites-, virginity and celibacy, prayer and isolation became the “better way” of Christian life. Meditation and contemplation, separate from the world, were the highest for of communion with God.
Spirituality of the Middle Ages Communion with God was best done away from the world in monasteries, or at least in isolation. For ordinary folk, days of fasting, sexual abstinence, confessing sin and compulsory (non-participative) Sunday Mass were the best ways to gain salvation.
Spirituality of the High Middle Ages • Loss of scholarship and Latin only Bibles meant few had access to the Sacred Scriptures, except through clergy. • Once again, God was only accessible through priests and church controlled ritual. Lay participation in the prayer of the Church was reduced to passive observation. • Jesus the wandering Rabbi became Jesus, Christ Pantocrator of heaven and Earth. • Severe restrictions on reception of Eucharist due to obsession with sin and confession; regulations on fasting and sexual activity meant a loss of the power of communio and healing in this “love feast” which became Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary all over again. • It became easier to “adore” the host rather than receive it- hence the rise in practices such as Corpus Christi processions, Benediction and Exposition; Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Relics and Pilgrimages • Advocacy of relics and pilgrimages to shrines of Christian “models” as penance for sin replaced community: personal piety became the focus of spirituality. • Veneration of saints, construction of shrines and pious practices, including self-scourging, replaced a God made inaccessible by emphasis on sin and unworthiness and the corruption of this world. • Devotion to Mary: pure, virginal, incorruptible, mediatrix with Jesus and God became widespread. • Spirituality became obsessed with death and the afterlife rather than service in love of this world.
Salvation for Sale • While in the Eastern Church monastic prayer and meditation remained the highest form of Christian Spirituality, in the West the focus became on the afterlife: this life was not important: earning heaven and avoiding long periods in Purgatory was the individual’s task. • Plenary Indulgences- the total wiping away of the guilt of sin and automatic entry into heaven could be gained by going on Crusade and some Pilgrimages. • One could buy future remission for sin in Purgatory through the purchase of Indulgences.
Reformation Spirituality • The Reformation and the focus on “Sola Scriptura” as the basis for Christian Spirituality resulted in the emergence of “Bible Christians”. • The doctrine of Pre-destination demanded faith, not good works. One could not gain heaven by “good works, but rather by faith in God and obedience to God’s laws. • Evangelical religion-preaching the Gospel on street corners and in public places: bringing religion back to the people became a significant aspect of Protestant Spirituality. • Much of the focus was on the Old Testament, the Decalogue and God as judge. In many places, Christian Spirituality became dour, mirthless, colourless, focusing on “duty” a quiet, modest way of life. No alcohol. No dancing.
Counter-Reformation Spirituality The Catholic response to the Reformers was to focus on identity and community- of belonging to a church closed against the mainly evil and corrupting forces of the outside world. Catholic spirituality focused around a return to the centrality of Eucharist and reception of the Sacraments; personal piety and practice, especially Marian devotion; and knowledge of the one true faith through memorisation of the Catechism.
Counter-Reformation Spirituality Mysticism and contemplative prayer- again, personal, private prayer rather than communal religious practice. Mass was still in Latin and largely silent, as the laity remained passive observers, though reception of communion was increasingly encouraged.
Counter Reformation Spirituality cont’d • Manuals of pious practices and daily spiritual exercises became popular. Religious ecstasy whereby people experienced intensely personal and physical pleasure in an encounter with the Divine, became a hallmark of deep Spirituality. • Religious congregations were reformed and flourished to win back people for the Roman church. • Missionary activity again became a key element of Christian Spirituality. Spiritual soldiers for Christ set out to convert the New World for Christ. • Service of the World- through education and health services also became a focus of Catholic and other Christian Spirituality.
The Twentieth Century • The twentieth Century saw a flourishing of spiritualities within and outside the Christian tradition. • These expressions ranged from small home –based communities to Pentecostal tent crusades; from personal meditation to mass displays of faith and devotion of millions of people; from isolated islands of faith to televised prayer experiences and faith healing. For some Christians this meant withdrawal from the world in enclosed religious communities such as the Carthusians and Carmelites or closed communities such as the Exclusive Brethren and the Amish.
The Twentieth Century Others followed the charisms of great Christian leaders and joined religious communities, orders and institutes Other expressions included a return to the model of house or school churches in the early Church- Base Christian Communities in South America; religious communes based around a religious leader such as Taize in France. For others it meant a continuation of “pious living” with rejection of alcohol, gambling, public entertainment- earning the term “wowserism” in Australia. Presbyterianism and Wesleyan Methodism were two expressions of this Spirituality.
Charisms of Great Christian Leaders Lay movements have sprung up in the 20th century in which people reject living in a religious community based on poverty, chastity and obedience, but still live according to the key principles of the founder of that order- e.g. “Third Orders” of Franciscans, Dominicans, Benedictines etc.
Pacifist Spirituality Disillusionment with “old” religion sprang from the horrors of two World Wars and loss of belief was a universal phenomenon. Peace Movements and pacifism became part of Christian Spirituality and living “at peace with God and Creation” became a central focus of Christian living. Cults came and went as people sought liberation from old forms of Christianity and, in a free-er modern world, experimented with new ways of living and believing.
Justice Spirituality • The Catholic Church’s response to the Industrial Revolution was the publication of the great Social Justice Encyclicals across the 20th century, starting in 1891 with RerumNovarum. • From these encyclicals sprang a social justice driven spirituality, made famous by movements such as the Young Christian Worker Movement and the Worker Priest Movement in France which promoted the action/reflection cycle of Spirituality.
Pentecostal Spirituality • In a tradition stemming from the Reformation, spiritualities focused on the power and action of the Holy Spirit in the lives of individuals emerged and grew. • These expressions included extreme and moderate chaotic individual and group ecstatic frenzies and rituals, speaking in tongues and the inclusion of movement, dance, dramatic healings and revelations in rituals. • Other more conventional expressions included house communities and houses of prayer, tent crusades and more recently, televised services led by choirs, modern music and faith healing. The institutional church showed little interest in the Pentecostal Movement and so it is considered a lay Christian Spirituality- and hence open to more liberal and contemporary expressions of prayer and worship.
Ecumenical Spirituality • The rise of the Ecumenical Movement from the 1920’s onwards led to the first meeting of the World Council of Churches in 1948. • Disillusionment with the bitter acrimony between Christian denominations, problems caused by pressure on partners in “mixed marriages” and a general increase in education and mixing of peoples after World War II led to Christians seeking to co-operate in service of the world, social justice and prayer and worship rather than focus on differences. Christian unity and Christians worshipping together and sharing resources became a focus for many Christian communities, especially in small towns. The more open attitude of the Roman Catholic tradition after the Second Vatican Council (1962-5) provided a great boost to this spiritual movement.
Spirituality of Service A focus on Social Justice in the 20th century led to a change in attitude towards mission and evangelical spirituality. Missionary spirituality since the Reformation was led by both lay and religious Christians and sought both to win souls for particular denominations and raise the living standards of indigenous peoples in lands invaded by European colonial expansion. In the 20th century, missionary spirituality focused more on developmental aid in the name of Christ rather than mass conversion. Evangelisation spirituality changed from the concept of “rice Christians” (aid as an incentive for conversion) to locally supported community development sponsored by Christians worldwide. Agencies such as Caritas International and World Vision became more ecumenical in approach and aid was not conditional on conversion.
Eco-Spirituality • The Cold War, the Arms race, the fear of Nuclear Annihilation, pollution and the destruction of the Environment through destruction of forests and chemical poisoning and Space Exploration all contributed to a re-awakening of people’s connections with “mother” earth and the rise of Eco-spirituality. • Encyclicals from Rome urged Catholics to experience an “ecological conversion” in order to restore the balance of human development and respect for all creation. • For many people, Creation or “Green” Spirituality provided them with a more tangible connection with Divineforces. Interest in ancient earth spiritualities such as Druidism, Wicca and Celtic Spirituality has re-emerged as part of this movement. Discoveries about the immensity of the universe, which challenged medieval concepts of heaven, hell and existence in an afterlife also drove people to seek new metaphors for the Divine, which they found in the seasons, creation and the stars.
Atheism, Hedonism and Materialism • Aided by the “God is Dead” philosophy of scientific rationalism, many, perhaps the majority of Western peoples, have rejected traditional Christian spirituality. • The explosion of wealth and materialism in the West competes with Eco-spirituality for followers as hedonism has become the guiding philosophy of peoples as material development spreads around the world. • Cults such as Scientology focus on material wealth as the benefit of belief in self-improvement.
Multi-Faith Spirituality • Perhaps the most dramatic shift in Spirituality in the 20th century has been the amalgam of a number of the beliefs and practices of world religions into unique “new age” spiritualities. • Interest in meditation, personal well-being and consciousness, mindfulness and compassion drawn from Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity and Indigenous beliefs have emerged as popular elements in modern Spiritualities.
Future Spiritualities • As in any century, Christian Spiritual practices will vary in the future. Some will be conservative and inward-looking; others will be focused on service of one’s neighbour, the earth, and/or the cosmos. • Whatever this “imitation of Jesus” might take, it will need to be validated by the Scriptures and will probably also draw on various previous expressions in the Christian tradition and perhaps also other religious traditions. • How much the Institutional church will control and approve of Spiritual movements will depend on the credibility of the leadership of the church.
