CED 522
Teacher as Facilitator of Learning
Timothy W. Brock
Education as Spiritual Formation
Introduction
The material in this lecture and discussion was derived from the textbook, To Know as We Are Known: A Spirituality of Education, by Quaker teacher and writer, Parker Palmer. The professor will provide additional information as appropriate.
In the Introduction to this book, Palmer stated that many people live “one-eyed lives,” focusing almost exclusively on the eye of the mind (a world of fact and reason) to form their image of reality (i.e. to make meaning from live experience). He also stated that, more and more, people are looking at live experience through the eye of the heart (a world warmed and transformed by the power of love in the context of community). He then stated the material included in this book was offered in an attempt to help individuals and communities see with both eyes, from a balanced and healthy perspective. Further, Palmer focused on the role of education in this process of “double vision.”
Overview of the Book
In Chapter One, “Knowing is Loving,” Palmer addressed issues associated with epistemology, i.e. what is the nature of knowledge? In this chapter, Palmer offered a critique of then current understandings of knowledge (based in curiosity and control) and proposed an alternative source of knowledge: love and compassion (a type of knowledge that is at the heart of spirituality). He stated that education based on an epistemology of love is a prayerful education. He also explained that, in this type of education, the learner not only knows (the subject matter, the content, etc.) but is also known, face to face with The Word and with Truth.
In Chapter Two, “Education as Spiritual Formation,” Palmer first described how the monastic disciplines (study of sacred texts, prayer, and contemplation) formed the basis of education in spiritual communities of the past. He then argued that, while the roots of that approach are still present in modern institutions of higher education, current educational practices form and deform our ability to see with both the mind and the heart. He argued that, because teachers objectify knowledge (treating knowledge as commodity to be doled out), students are often deformed rather than informed by teaching. He argued that the teacher must move from objectivism to relationship, a relationship between the learner and Truth. When this shift is made, the teacher is “a mediator between the knower and the known, between the learner and the subject to be learned.”
In Chapter Three, “The Teaching Behind the Teaching,” Palmer illustrated the ideas stated in Chapter Two, analyzing and describing how the specific strategies (lecturing, listening, and memorizing) associated with instilling objectified knowledge work against the formation of the learner. He then suggested alternative approaches focusing on self-knowledge, cooperation with others, and interaction with the world. These alternative approaches were grounded in the type of learning associated with the desert fathers and mothers who founded the monastic movement in the fourth century.
The nature of Truth associated with the ancient monastic traditions and Palmer’s contemporary expressions of that approach are explored in Chapter Four, “What is Truth?” In this chapter, Palmer stated that “Truth—wherever it may be found and in whatever form—is personal, to be known in personal relationships.” In short, Palmer believed that Truth is not objective (something to be possessed); rather Truth is relational.
In Chapter 5, “To Teach is to Create a Space…” and in Chapter 6, “In Which Obedience to Truth is Practiced,” Palmer identified a number of practical approaches to teaching and learning that are derived from his understanding of relational knowing. Based on the title of the two chapters, Palmer stated and explored his definition of teaching: “to teach is to create a space in which obedience to truth is practiced.” Palmer stated that this type of “space” should be characterized by openness, boundaries, and hospitality. In this space, there should be room for both respectful speech and reflective silence and silent reflection. Also, the space should be a safe environment in which all participants are encouraged to share and explore their feelings. Finally, the idea that “obedience to truth should be practiced” highlighted both the communal and experiential nature of this type of knowing.
Finally, in Chapter 7, “The Spiritual Formation of Teachers,” Palmer listed the spiritual virtues to be cultivated by teachers: humility and faith, reverence without idolatry, love and openness to grace. He then discussed the types of spiritual disciplines (study, silence, and prayer) that support his approach to teaching. The material in this chapter is based on the assumption that, as teachers, we must be transformed in order to be transformative.
AN INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY
What is Christian Spirituality?
My definition of Christian Spirituality is: “The life-long journey through which a person comes to discover Self in relationship to God and to God’s creation (i.e. the Christian community, humanity, and the world).”
Discover Self--When God creates each individual, God has in mind what type of person this individual will become. This “dream Self” is unique for each person. It includes various personality traits, talents, abilities, preferences, and gifts. The task for each individual--through life’s experiences, to become the person God has created him or her to be.
In Relationship to God--God desires that each individual have a growing awareness of God’s presence and activity in the circumstances of his or her life. God desires an intimate relationship with each individual.
In Relationship to God’s Creation (Christian community, humanity, and the world.)--The discovery of Self and a growing relationship with God do not happen in isolation. This journey is shared with other members of the Christian community. This journey is lived out before other members of the human race, many of whom do not share a commitment to Jesus Christ as the unique expression of God’s self. This journey takes place in the context of the world, God’s special creation.
Pathways to Spirituality
As individuals journey toward self-discovery and deeper relationship to God and God’s creation, we often follow a variety of different pathways. These different pathways may be classified in several ways.
Head, Heart, and Hands
Head-a rational, cognitive, (and sometimes intuitive) path
Heart--an affective, values driven (and sometimes emotional) path
Hands--an action-oriented, “just do it” path
Cataphatic and Apophatic
There are two quite different ways of leading people on the spiritual pilgrimage, which have often been seen as opposed to each other.
Cataphatic--The sacramental method, in which we try to mediate the divine through images, pictures, symbols, and rituals. This is the cataphatic way, from the Greek word meaning “with images.”
Apophatic--The second way is based on the idea that we can best find the divine through emptying ourselves of all images and contents. This point of view stresses the fact that all descriptions and pictures of the holy are inadequate. As we come to total silence, emptiness, and loss of self, and even of ego, we recognize our oneness with the divine and allow ourselves just to experience it, to abide in it, or lose ourselves in it. This is the apophatic way from the Greek word meaning “without images.” (Detachment--Hinduism and Buddhism)
RENOVARE’
RENOVARE’ is the name of a modern approach to spirituality developed by Richard Foster and his colleagues. Renovare’ is a Latin term meaning “to renew.” Through publication of Christian devotional classics and small group process manuals, the approach seeks to rekindle a sense of the spiritual in Christian discipleship.
In this approach, Foster has identified six pathways through which persons are drawn into deeper relationship with Jesus Christ:
Contemplative--The Prayer-Filled Life
Holiness--The Virtuous Life
Charismatic--The Spirit-Empowered Life
Social Justice--The Compassionate Life
Evangelical--The Word Centered Life
Incarnational--The Sacramental Life
Implications
1. Some people prefer one of these paths to the other two. A part of self-discovery is identifying and accepting our preferred path(s). A part of living in community is accepting the fact that other people may have other preferences; and that’s OK.
2. If taken to the extremes, each of these paths has its own unique set of pitfalls.
3. Some persons are able to walk down all of these paths--an integrated spirituality.
What is Ecumenical Spirituality?
Dr. Glenn Hinson, Professor of Church History and Christian Spirituality at BTSR, says that we are entering an era of “Ecumenical Spirituality.” Christians from various groups and denominations are being to realize the importance of reclaiming the spiritual center (or grounding) of our faith. The movement is happening independently in these groups, but Dr. Hinson claims that the flow (like a river) is moving in the same direction, with the same intent--a deepening of the spiritual life.
As this movement toward Ecumenical Spirituality progresses, Dr. Hinson believes that it is critical to examine the individual streams that are coming together to make this new river. It is important to know where we are coming from (the sources) in order to know where we are going to (the destination).
Dr. Hinson identifies 7 traditions (or streams) that flow into the river of Ecumenical Spirituality.
The Tradition of the Martyrs
The Story of Stephen is found in Acts 6:8-8:1.
The Tradition of the Ascetics--The Desert Abbas and Immas
The Tradition of the Monastery and the Convent
The Tradition of the Reformation--Martin Luther
The Tradition of the Counter-Reformation--Ignatius Loyola
The Tradition of the Great Awakening--John Wesley
The Tradition of an “Active” Spirituality--The Social Gospel and Mother Theresa
To these seven traditions in the Christian approach to spirituality, I would add one other in the area of secular spirituality. I call this:
The Quest for a Modern Spirituality
A proponent of this type of spirituality is Blair, a 20 something young man who grew up in a Baptist church in the mid-West. What is Spirituality? For Blair and other of his generation, spirituality is the life-long process through which a person comes to discover self in relationship to a higher power and to creation.
An Overview of the History of Christian Spirituality
The Tradition of the Martyrs
A Tough Spirituality
A person cannot understand the Christian faith and Christian spirituality apart from martyrdom--intentionally choosing to give up one’s life for the faith.
1. Our entire faith system is based on the martyrdom of a man who claimed to be the Son of God and whose followers claimed that he was raised from the dead. Jesus intentionally chose to dedicate his life to the Kingdom of God and to give his life in a violent death.
2. Further it must be noted that, after a period of general acceptance, the earliest Christians faced martyrdom for their faith.
The Books of Acts, the history of the early church, records the first such martyrdom in 6:8-8:1.
· Stephen is the first to offer an “apologia”--a formal defend of the faith. Later, these apologists were the first to write down their understanding of the Christian faith to example it to others (possibly the book of Luke?)
· In fact, the word “martyr”- means, literally, “a witness”
· Stephen’s stoning opened the first wave of martyrs that resulted in the death of many of the first generation of Christian leaders.
· Ironically, a persecution in one city or region, designed to stop the propagation of the Gospel, caused many people to flee to other regions, taking their faith with them, and subsequently spreading the gospel to new places.
Through the preaching of the apostles and the evangelistic ministry of Paul to the Gentiles, the Christian faith spread rapidly through the Roman Empire in the 30+ years after the death of Jesus. The rapid growth of the Christian church was, however, tempered by organized persecutions (regional and empire-wide). Examples of such persecutions:
· Nero in Rome in 64
· Trajan in the late 100’s
The charges brought against the Christian were atheism and anarchy. The rejection of the old gods seemed atheism; their refusal to join in emperor-worship appeared treasonable. A misunderstanding of the Christian doctrine of Christ’s presence in the Supper must be deemed the occasion of the common accusation of cannibalism. Much of the governmental persecution of Christianity in this period had is incitement in many attacks upon Christians. That was the case at Smyrna when Polycarp suffered martyrdom in 156.
Examples of such martyrs include Stephen, Peter, Paul, Polycarp, Perpetua and Felicitus.
The importance of the martyrs cannot be underestimated. “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” (Tertullian)
In this context, early spirituality was, according to Glenn Hinson, a preparation for martyrdom. Since mass preaching events were not allowed, persons came to the faith through contact with clandestine church groups. One joined the church through participation in the catechumenal school--a three year process of instruction, prayer, fasting, and disciplines before you were asked to confess “Jesus is Lord’ at the time of your baptism. They wanted people to how what they were getting into before they risked the chance of getting killed for it.
Martyr Stories as Devotional Reading.
Later, the veneration of the martyrs became an act of devotion--and an opportunity for business.
What do the martyrs teach us today? How has their approach to spirituality influenced us?
The Tradition of the Ascetics
A Lonely Spirituality
At the same time of the persecutions and martyrs, many individuals (and some groups) believed that their spiritual path lead them to the dessert, or to other remote places, to detach from the world.
· *Some detached because they viewed the world as an inherently evil place.
· *Some detached because they wanted to move away from the distractions of the world--to get a distance so they could focus on the presence of God.
· *Some detached to the remote places so that they would have to depend completely on God for all of their needs. (As an act of Faith)
They were religious hermits--detached from the world, but in touch with God.
Often, people would hear about a dessert abba or imma living in some distance place and would go on a religious pilgrimage to find this person and to ask for “a word” from God. This was a unique word from God through the abba or imma to this person--a spiritual director or guide.
Example of a word from the abba
Some brothers...went to see Abba Felix and they begged him to say a word to them. But the old man kept silence. After they had asked for a long time, he said to them, “You wish to hear a word?” They said, “Yes, abba.” Then the old man said to them, “There are no more words nowadays. When the brothers used to consult the old men and when they did what was said to them, God showed them how to speak. But now, since they ask without doing that which they hear, God has withdrawn the grace of the word from the old men and they do not find anything to say, since there are no longer any who carry their words out.” Hearing this, the brothers groaned, saying, “Pray for us, abba.”
These hermits became the founders of the Western tradition of contemplative prayer. From their solitary quest came the monastic communities and, indirectly, the universities--both originally devoted to the kind of knowing humankind lost in the Fall, a knowing grounded in the love with which we are known.
What other contributions are a part of the ascetic tradition?
The Tradition of the Monastery and the Convent
Around 300 CE, a dramatic event in the history of the Roman Empire had a dramatic effect on the nature of Christian spirituality. As he prepared to face an opponent in battle, the pagan Emperor Constantine had a dream in which an army marching under the sign of the chi-rho (the first two letters in the name of Christ) defeated its enemy. Constantine took this dream as a sign that he should convert to Christianity. In fact, he had this whole army baptized just before the battle. When he won the campaign, he proclaimed Christianity as the official state religion. By edict, all citizens of the Roman Empire were Christian.
Only a few years prior, Christians were trained for three years as a preparation for baptism and possible martyrdom. Now, with no preparation, all were “declared” Christian. This led a “watered down” faith and the beginning of church-state politics. As the Roman Empire decline and the Dark Ages approach (circa 476 CE), a new expression of spiritual was needed.
The monastic tradition developed as a way to preserve a committed expression of the faith. The goal of the monastic tradition was to see God and to become pure in heart. Prayer and spiritual disciplines were the key to purity of heart. Further, monasteries and convents were oases of learning and culture during the Dark Ages.
At first, the monasteries were considered gathering of religious hermits, person who chose to detach from the world and to live in community. Later, they became centers of biblical study and prayer.
· Copying and Interpreting the Scriptures
· Libraries
· A place to educate future clergy and monks
· Places of Prayer
· Places of Work for the Good of the Community.
By 1200, there were 135 different monastic sects in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe.
An Example of One Monastic Order
The Rule of Benedict (529CE)
Three (3) Vows: Poverty, chastity, and obedience
A Rule of Silence--to sensitize, to help us to be attentive to God, to listen for “holy nudges”
A Rigid Daily Regiment
· Opus Dei (4 hours)--gather to sing and to recite the Psalms (from memory--all 150)
· Lectio Divina (4 hours)--divine reading, a prescribed process of deeply reading the Bible
· Labor (6 hours)--manual, during which one would “practice the presence of God”--Brother Lawrence (who worked as a dish washer in the monastery and had popes come to consult him)
· The Examen (before bedtime)--a prescribed process to reflect on the events of the day, to confess sins, mistakes, shortcomings, and the accept forgiveness--”an examination of conscience”
All of this activity took place in the closed wall of the monastery. Later, the mendicant orders developed, those who would leave the monastery to do ministry among the people. The Franciscans did social ministry and the Dominicans were evangelist/preachers.
If we did not have the monastic tradition, much of the literature and learning from the Greek and Roman societies would have been lost. Further, we might not have the Bible as we know it today.
Practical Applications of the Monastic Disciplines
To Provide an Example of the Ordering of the Spiritual Life
· through daily prayer--3X (or 5X) saying the Lord’s Prayer or 2X using centering prayer
· private or family Eucharist
· fasting (or eating plain, simple foods)
· journaling
· the Examen
· quoting scripture, studying scripture deeply (lectio divina)
· singing hymns
To Show a Connection between Work and the Spiritual Life
· life is integrated
· even the simplest forms of manual labor can be an activity through which we experience God (the example of Brother Lawrence)
To Highlight the Importance of Silence
· To block out all the other stuff with which we try to fill our day
· To listen to the “holy nudges”
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX (1090-1153)
Introduction to the Author
Bernard was one of the great leaders in the history of the Church. He was an eloquent speaker and considered by many to be one of the holiest individuals who ever lived. He grew up in Dijon, France, and at the age of twenty-two entered as a novice in the monastery of Citeaux. Three years later he was appointed to supervise a group of his fellow monks in the newly founded monastery at Clarivaux. Though he was offered high positions in the church, Bernard remained at Clarivaux until his death.
Thanks to careful preservation over the centuries, many of Bernard’s writings have survived today. His works had a profound influence on both Martin Luther and John Calvin. The following reading is taken from his well-known work, his treatise On the Love of God. In it, Bernard incisively outlines his famous “four degrees of love.”
Why God Should Be Loved
You ask me, “Why should God be loved?” I answer: the reason for loving God is God himself. And why should God be loved for his own sake? Simply because no one could be more justly loved than God, no one deserves our love more. Some may question if God deserves our love or if they might have something to gain by loving him. The answer to both questions is yes, but I find no other worthy reason for loving him except himself.
God is entitled to our love. Why? Because he gave himself for us despite the fact that we are so undeserving. What better could he have given? If we ask why God is entitled to our love, we should answer, “Because he first loved us.” God is clearly deserving of our love especially if we consider who he is that loves us, who we are that he loves, and how much he loves us.
And who is God? Is he not the one to whom every spirit bears witness: “Thou art my God”? God has no need of our worldly possessions. True love is precisely this: that it does not seek its own interests. And how much does he love us? He so loved the world that he gave his only Son; he laid down his life for us.
The First Degree of Love:
Love of Self for Self’s Sake
Love is a natural human affection. It comes from God. Hence, the first and greatest commandment is, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God.” But human nature is weak and therefore compelled to love itself and serve itself first. In the human realm people love themselves for their own sake. This is planted within us for whoever hated his own self?
But if this love of ourselves becomes too lavish, it will overflow its natural boundaries through excessive love of pleasure. People can easily become slaves to the soul’s enemy: lust. This love of self is held in check by the command to love our neighbor. If we cannot love our neighbor because of our love of self, then we must retrain our lusts and give to our neighbor’s needs. Your love will then be temperate when you take from yourself and give to your neighbor.
But what will you do if your own needs are not met? Will you look to God to meet your needs? God promised that those who seek first the kingdom and his righteousness will have all things added unto them. God promises that to those who restrict themselves and give to their neighbor, he will give whatever is necessary. Seeking first the kingdom means to prefer to bear the yoke of modesty and restraint rather than allow sin to reign in your mortal body.
In order to love our neighbor, we must see that God is the cause of our love. How can we have a pure love for our neighbor if we do not love him in God? And you cannot love your neighbor unless you love God. God must be loved first in order that we may love neighbor in God.
The Second Degree of Love:
Love of God for Self’s Sake
God, therefore, who makes everything that is good, makes himself to be loved. He does it as follows: first, God blesses us with his protection. When we live free from trouble we are happy, but in our pride we may conclude that we are responsible for our security. Then, when we suffer some calamity, some storm in our lives, we turn to God and ask his help, calling upon him in times of trouble. This is how we who only love ourselves first begin to love God. We will begin to love God even if it is for our own sake. We love God because we have learned that we can do all things through him, and without him we can do nothing.
The Third Degree of Love:
Love of God for God’s Sake
In the first degree of love we love ourselves for our own sake. In the second degree of love we love God for our sake, chiefly because he has provided for us and rescued us. But if trials and tribulations continue to come upon us, every time God brings us through, even if our hearts were made of stone, we will begin to be softened because of the grace of the Rescuer. Thus, we begin to love God not merely for our own sakes, but for himself.
In order to arrive at this we must continually go to God with our needs and pray. In those prayers the grace of God is tasted, and by frequently tasting it is proved to us how sweet the Lord is. Thus it happens that once God’s sweetness has been tasted, it draws us to the pure love of God more than our needs compel us to love him. Thus we begin to say, “We now love God, not for our necessity, for we ourselves have tasted and know how sweet the Lord is.”
When we begin to feel this, it will not be hard to fulfill the second commandment: to love our neighbor. For those who truly love God in this way also love the things of God. Also, it becomes easier to be obedient in all the commands of God. We begin to love God’s commands and embrace them.
This love is pure because it is disinterested (i.e. not offered in order to obtain something). It is pure because it is not merely in our words that we begin to serve, but in our actions. We love because we are loved. We care for others because Jesus cares for us.
We have obtained this degree when we can say, “Give praise to the Lord for he is good, not because he is good to me, but because he is good.” Thus we truly love God for God’s ask and not for our own. The third degree of love is the love by which God is now loved for his very self.
The Fourth Degree of Love:
Love of Self for God’s Sake
Blessed are we who experience the fourth degree of love wherein we love ourselves for God’s sake. Such experiences are rare and come only for a moment. In a manner of speaking, we lose ourselves as though we did not exist, utterly unconscious of ourselves and emptied of ourselves.
If for even a moment we experience this kind of love, we will then know the pain of having to return to this world and its obligations as we are recalled from the state of contemplation. In turning back to ourselves we will feel as if we are suffering as we return into the mortal state in which we were called to live.
But during those moments we will be of one mind with God, and our wills in one accord with God. The prayer, “Thy will be done,” will be our prayer and our delight. Just as a little drop of water mixed with a lot of wine seems to entirely lose its own identity as it takes on the taste and color of the wine, just as iron, heated and glowing, looks very much like fire, having lost its original appearance just as air flooded with the light of the sun is transformed into the same splendor of the light so that it appears to be light itself, so it is like for those who melt away from themselves and are entirely transfused into the will of God.
This perfect love of God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength will not happen until we are no longer compelled to think about ourselves and attend to the body’s immediate needs. Only then can the soul attend to God completely. This is why in the present body we inhabit this is difficult to maintain. But it is within God’s power to give such an experience to whom he wills, and it is not attained by our own efforts.
Entering into the First, Second, and Third Degrees of Love
What are the four degrees of love? First, we love ourselves for our own sake; since we are unspiritual and of the flesh we cannot have an interest in anything that does not relate to ourselves. When we begin to see that we cannot subsist by ourselves, we begin to seek God for our own sakes. This, the second degree of love; we love God, but only for our own interests. But if we begin to worship and come to God again and again by meditating, by reading, by prayer, and by obedience, little by little God becomes known to us through experience. We enter into a sweet familiarity with God, and by tasting how sweet the Lord is we pass into the third degree of love so that now we love God, not for our own sake, but for himself. It should be noted that in this third degree we will stand still for a very long time.
Can We Attain the Fourth Degree of Love?
I am not certain that the fourth degree of love in which we love ourselves only for the sake of God may be perfectly attained in this life. But, when it does happen, we will experience the joy of the Lord and be forgetful of ourselves in a wonderful way. We are, for those moments, one mind and one spirit with God.
I am of the opinion that this is what the prophet meant when he said: “I will enter into the power of the Lord: O Lord I will be mindful of Thy justice alone.” He felt, certainly, that when he entered into the spiritual powers of the Lord he would have laid aside self and his whole being would, in the spirit, be mindful of the justice of the Lord alone.
When we attain the fourth degree of love, then the net of charity which now, drawn through this great and vast sea, does not cease to gather together fish of every kind, when brought at last to the shore casting forth the bad, will retain only the good. Still, I do not know if we can attain this degree in this life. We live in a world of sorrow and tears and we experience the mercy and comfort of God only in that context. How can we be mindful of mercy when the justice of God alone will be remembered? Where there is no place for misery or occasion for pity, surely there can be no feeling of compassion.
BIBLE SELECTION: 1 JOHN 4:7-21
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
The following questions can be used for discussion within a small group or used for journal reflections by individuals.
1. Which of the four stages of love have you experienced in your spiritual journey? Describe.
2. What are the motivating factors that move us from stage 1 to stage 2? Stage 2 to stage 3? Stage 3 to stage 4?
3. In your opinion, which is the most common stage of love? Why?
4. The writer of 1 John proclaims that we are able to love because God first loved us. How does the love that God has for you enable you to love God? Love yourself? Love other?
5. The fourth degree of love, writes Bernard, is a powerful moment, a sense of oneness, wherein we are “entirely transfused into the will of God.” Have you ever been blessed by one of these special moments? Describe. Why are they only “temporary”?
SUGGESTED EXERCISES
The following exercises can be done by individuals, shared between spiritual friends, or used in the context of a small group. Choose one or more of the following.
1. The first stage of love is a love of ourselves for our own sake. To get beyond this stage, according to Bernard, we must see God as the one who created us and protects us. Spend some time this week reflecting on your birth, noting how you did not create yourself. Also, reflect on how your life is a gift, that even your continued existence is not your own doing.
2. The second stage of love is a love of God for self’s sake, wherein we love God for all that he does, though we do not love God for who God is. Bernard believes that after years of being brought through trials by God we can begin to love God for God’s sake. Why wait for tribulation? Make a list of all the times that God has brought you through trials. Use this list to help you move into that third degree of love.
3. Loving our neighbor, says, Bernard, keeps our self-love in check. This week make an effort to lighten the burden of those around you, beginning with those with whom you live. The invaluable gift of listening is a great way to start.
4. Meditate on Psalm 139. This marvelous song of the glory of creation, of God’s miraculous love and our miraculous existence, will help you focus on the God whose love reaches into the farthest regions of our hearts.
The Tradition of the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation
Common Life in the Early 1550’s (Late Medieval Period)
If you were born in one of the Christian countries (Italy, France, Germany, England), you were a Catholic Christian by birth. The fact that you were born in a Western European country meant that you were a member of the Roman Catholic Church. The Church (the Pope) and the State (the Kings and Princes) were the two major political powers of the day. And the two were inextricably related. Both were able to dictate many aspects of life, including taxes.
A child was born into the faith and was baptized as an infant (with a high rate of infant mortality, to assure that the child would go to heaven). Later, there would be some sort of confirmation process in which the child would memorize and recite a catechism (a document which distilled the essence of doctrine into a question and answer format).
Religious practice in medieval Europe would have included daily services at the local church (small town) or cathedral (city), mass on Sunday, and special festivals built around religious holidays.
The society was oral and visual. Very few people could read and even fewer had access to a copy of the Bible. Since both the worship services and the scriptures were in Latin, most religious instruction came in the form of visual symbols--icons, relics, stained glass windows, art, music, and pageants.
Into this stable environment came several developments that would radically change the nature of life in general and religion in particular.
· Work of the translation of the Bible into vernacular languages (Wycliffe)
· The invention of the moveable type printing press (Gutenberg)
· A rising independence in the Germany states.
· The Reign of Henry VIII in England
· The construction of St. Peter’s in Rome
· In general, the beginning of the Modern Era
These events simulated the rise of three unlikely characters who would lead the process of change and reformation.
MARTIN LUTHER (1483-1546)
Martin Luther is best known as the father of the Protestant Reformation. Born into a peasant family in Eisleben, Germany, Luther (at the urging of his father) sought to better himself by becoming a scholar and then a lawyer. After attending the university in law, he had a crisis of faith (a deep anxiety about his own salvation) and a unique experience in a rain storm. He entered an Augustinian monastery and determined to work out his salvation. “If ever a monk got to heaven with his monkery, I should certainly have gotten there.” He then felt a call to the priesthood and was ordained in 1507. After his studies, he was appointed Professor of Theology at the University of Wittenberg, a position he held until his death. At the university, he lectured on Paul’s letter to the Romans, an exercise that shaped this theological thought (especially concerning salvation.
In 1517, he composed and posted the famous 95 theses on the door of the castle church at Wittenberg--calling attention to a number of “unbiblical” practices in the Roman Catholic Church. He called for reform--not separation. One of his complaints dealt with the selling of indulgences--a “get out of jail free card” that you could purchase in advance of a sin. The extra money was used to build St Peter’s. He was excommunicated in 1520, but was protected by the German princes who wished to split from Roman any way.
Luther was a both a brilliant theologian and a deeply pious (almost mystic) man. He was also very complex and complicated man--on one hand, the identified leader of a major redirection of life and on the other hand, a man who was haunted self-doubt. He believed in demons and devils. He spent a great amount of time in the bathroom.
Three Cardinal Principles of the Protestant Reformation
1. Justification by faith. Luther and the other reformers highlighted the connection between personal faith and Christian commitment. Rather than accepting a nominal form of Christianity simply because one was born in a Christian country, Luther emphasized the fact that “by grace are you saved through faith.” He also understood salvation to be a gift from God, not something that could be achieved by working at it (he had tried that when he became a monk). It was a personal decision with personal consequences. This insight came from his study of the book of Romans (examples 1:16-17, 5:1-5)
2. Supremacy of the Scriptures. Luther believed that the Bible was the supreme authority in Christian living and guidance, not the pope. This belief would later lead to his translation of the entire Bible into the German language and strong efforts in compulsory education so that each person could read the Scriptures for him/herself. He and the other reformers wanted to highlight the role of scripture in the formation of faith. They believed that each person should be able to read, to own or have access to a copy of the scripture in their native language, and to interpret the scripture for themselves.
3. The priesthood of the believer. His belief in the priesthood of the believer meant that each Christian as a member of Christ’s body had no authority over the conscience of other Christians. Having equal access, each person could approach God directly without a priest. Each person could act as his or her own priest. In Addition, belief in the priesthood of the believer denied the superiority of the clergy over the laity.
In many ways against his own wishes, many of the reformers affirmed these basic principles and broke away from the Catholic Church to form a whole new army of Protestant churches and denominations.
JOHN CALVIN (1509-1564)
Born at Noyn, France, and educated at the University of Paris, John Calvin grew up in an atmosphere of wealth and nobility. His father wanted him to study theology, but John felt a yearning to study the law. However, he had keen insight as a theologian and the heart of a pastor. Although he was never ordained, he became the curate of St. Martin de Marteville in 1527. In 1534, he was converted to Protestantism, which resulted in two short imprisonments.
In 1536, he wrote his famous work, Institutes of Christian Religion, at the age of 26. By 1541, he had gone to Geneva, Switzerland, and had influenced that city to the point that he had gained a large following. Under his influence and leadership, and in spite of opposition to him, Geneva became famous for its high moral standards, economic prosperity, and education system. Many consider him to have been the father and founder of both the Presbyterian and the Reformed Protestant Churches.
He was deeply influenced by the writings of Martin Luther and St. Augustine, especially Augustine’s strong predestinarian theology. It is safe to say that no theologian holds a higher or clearer understanding of the sovereignty of God than John Calvin. He was well known for his stern temperament and austere lifestyle. Self-denial is much a part of his theology. From his work in Geneva, we get the idea of the “Protestant work ethic,” austere deportment, abstention from dancing, card playing, gambling, obscenities, and drunkenness. Calvin stressed the importance of physical punishment in the education process--also thrift, sobriety, hard work, and responsible behavior.
FIVE POINT CALVINISM
Total Depravity
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement
Irresistible Grace
Perseverance of the Saints
The followers of Calvin were known by different names across Europe: French Huguenots, Dutch Reformed, English Puritans, and Scottish Presbyterians. Today, in modern Baptist life, we have a strong resurgence of classical Calvinism (within the new fundamentalist leadership of the SBC. Question: What does Unconditional Election do for missions?
Ignatius of Loyola and the Tradition of the Counter Reformation
With the Protestant Reformers establishing their new churches, it was left to groups within the Catholic Church to seek needed reforms in the Catholic system. Catholic renewal manifested itself in “Mystics, Missionaries, and Educators; in the religious communities which they founded; and the legislation of the Council of Trent, implemented by a series of reforming popes.”
CATHOLIC RENEWAL--THREE INTERLOCKING MOVEMENTS
1. Doctrinal Stimulation and Evaluation at the Council of Trent--to re-establish the official “party line.”
2. The Inquisition--Inquisitors were to discover and eradicate heretical beliefs by torture.
3. The Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits--A new religious order, founded by Ignatius of Loyola, would be commissioned to establish schools, educate priests, and send missionaries
Ignatius of Loyola
Ignatius was born in the family castle of Loyola in the Basque region of Spain. His family belonged to a long line of nobility (though they were not wealthy) and Ignatius reflected his refined upbringing throughout his early life. He participated in all the revelry of royalty at court--gambling, dueling, romance--and worldly attractions.
In 1517, he took service in the army and in May of 1521, received a leg wound in a border skirmish with the French. He returned to Loyola to recuperate and found himself able to do nothing but read. He happened upon a book called The Life of Christ and was converted as result. He also read The Imitation of Christ and the stories of St. Francis. He concluded by asking, “Could I not do what Francis did?” He then resolved to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, disposed of all his worldly goods, and clothed himself in sackcloth.
His ship was detained in Manresa, however, and he was forced to remain there for a year. During this time, he had several profound mystical experiences that led him to begin sharing faith with others. He also penned a large portion of The Spiritual Exercises during his stay in Manresa, and carried these notes with him as he continued the journey to Jerusalem. Ignatius would later become famous for these simple yet profound instructions on how to take a spiritual retreat. His “exercises” became the standard for Jesuit retreats and have remained so to this day.
The Motto of the Jesuits: “All to the greater glory of God.”
The goal of the Jesuits was to “form the mind of Christ” in the members of their group and in the members of the Catholic Church. Through a very careful process of spiritual formation based on the book, The Spiritual Exercises, the members of the society worked with mentors (spiritual directors) to develop in themselves the mind of Christ.
This was a spirituality of the head. They used a very rational, cognitive, reasoned approach to faith formation. They also used very clear mental images as a part of their process of disciplined contemplation.
They sought to reform the Catholic Church and the states in which the Catholic Church thrived through education. They educated the children of the most politically powerful people in Europe, as well as the most promising and brightest of the lower classes. Through strict mental disciplines, these Jesuit students developed a powerful intellect and later served as the leaders of Europe.
They evangelized through education. “Give me a child until he is 7 years old and he will remain a Catholic for the rest of his life.” As a result, the cathedral schools developed into major universities, centers of learning, some of which are still around (ex. Notre Dame and Georgetown).
The Tradition of the Great Awakening
A Spirituality of the Heart--and a Spirituality of Evangelism.
JOHN WESLEY
John Wesley was one of nineteen children born to Samuel and Susanna Wesley. His father was an Anglican clergyman and his mother was devoted both to God and to her children. John attended Christi Church College at Oxford, was ordained an Anglican minister, and was made a Fellow of Lincoln College. While he was at Oxford, he and a group of friends banded together to encourage one another to live a holy life. Their methodical approach to holiness led others at the college referred to them as “Methodists.”
After his ordination, John and his brother Charles, accompanied James Oglethorpe to the North American colony of Georgia and busied themselves with mission efforts there. Charles returned to England due to poor health and John returned because of a failed romance.
Although Wesley grew up a deeply religious man, something was lacking in his heart. On Wednesday, May 24, the transforming experience came to John Wesley. That evening, he went unwillingly to an Anglican “society” in Aldersgate Street, London, and heard Luther’s preface to the Commentary of Galatians read. “About a quarter before nine, while he (Luther) was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me, that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”
Wesley embarked on an unusual preaching ministry, especially to the common folks in the English countryside. Historians have said that by evangelizing the common people of eighteenth century England, Wesley saved the country from a bloody revolution. His impact upon England was dramatic during his lifetime, and even more dramatic on America after his death as many Methodist preachers crisscrossed the frontier with his message.
Later Wesley and his “Methodists” would use a number of prescribed “methods” or spiritual disciplines in order to “seek purity of heart” (as the monks had done). Also a support of Robert Raikes and the Sunday School, and the religious instruction of children. The disciplined live was important to him.
Quote: “I was more convinced than ever that the preaching like an apostle, without joining together those that are awakened and training them up in the ways of God, is only begetting children for the murderer. How much preaching has there been for these twenty years all over Pembrokeshire! (A section of England). But no regular societies, no discipline, no order, or connection. And the consequence is that nine in ten of those once awakened are now faster asleep than ever.” (The Journal of John Wesley, Thursday, August 25, 1763).
The work of Wesley and others lead to the Great Awakening in England in the late 1700’s and in the American states in the early 1800’s. This preaching-centered approach was designed to stir the emotions toward public repentance (for guilt and remorse as primary motivators).
Spirituality in this context had to do with feelings--seeking religious highs. Sermons (such as the famous Sinners in the Hand of An Angry God) were designed to guilt people into the kingdom of Heaven.
In the Baptist Tradition, the Sandy Creek Tradition represents this model.
The Tradition of an “Active” Spirituality
The admonition is “to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” The goal of this type of spirituality is to embody Christ in the world. The Christian should not waste time in pursuit of the intellectual, or in pursuit of “feel good” religion. The goal is to minister to the needs of humanity in the name of Christ.
Implications
1. We can learn a lot from the history of Christian spirituality and from other faith traditions who have been more intentional in developing a broad-based spirituality (Catholics, Episcopalians, and Methodists).
2. Know thyself. Which is your primary path to spirituality?
3. Balance the head, the heart, and the hands in your understanding of spirituality. Also, there is a time to detach and there is a time to connect.
4. Spiritual disciplines are the keys. (An ordered day, prayer, journalizing, Bible study, devotional reading, fasting, etc.)
5. Learn to listen for God in the rhythms of life. Learn to recognize the “holy nudges.”
Guide Me into an Unclenched Moment
Gentle me, Holy One,
into an unclenched moment,
a deep breath,
a letting of heavy expectancies,
of shriveling anxieties, of dead certainties,
That, softened by the silence, surrounded by the light,
and open to the mystery,
I may be found by wholeness,
upheld by the unfathomable,
entranced by the simple,
and filled with the joy that is you.
The Jesus Prayer
Jesus Christ, God’s Son, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Traditionally, this prayer was continuously repeated throughout the course of the day. It is said that some ancient mystics conditioned their heart to beat in time with the repetition of The Jesus Prayer.
Centering Prayer
As developed by Abba Isaac and John Cassian
and as described in The Cloud of the Unknowing
- Be in faith and love to God who dwells in the center of your being.
- Take up a "love word" (or prayer word) and let it be gently present, supporting your being to God in faith-filled love.
- With your mind emptied and your spirit open, simply experience the presence of God as the center of your being.
- Whenever you become aware of anything, simply, gently return to God with the use of your prayer word.
- Be sensitive to the many ways that God may make God's presence known while you are centered.
- At the end of your prayer time, let the Lord's Prayer or some other prayer of your own choosing pray itself quietly within.
- For beginners, the practice is repeated twice a day, for twenty minutes each time.
LECTIO DIVINA
“Holy Reading” of the Scriptures
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Silencio
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Preparation for spiritual reading
Inner shift from control to receptivity, from information to formation, from observation to obedience
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Lectio
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Read the text, receiving from the text what it will give
Nurtures the “sensing” dynamic associated with the MBTI
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Meditatio
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Processing the Text, seeking to understand and comprehend the Text
Nurtures the “thinking” dynamic associated with the MBTI
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Oratio
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Response to God from the Heart
Nurtures the “feeling” dynamic associated with the MBTI
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Contemplatio
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Yielding and waiting upon God
Nurtures the “intuitive” dynamic associated with the MBTI
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Incarnatio
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Living out the Text
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The Examen
As Develop by Ignatius Loyola from the Jesuit Tradition
This process is designed as a way to review and bring closure to the day.
- Give Thanks to God Our Lord for the Benefits I Have Received. First, say a prayer of thanksgiving, acknowledging the all the experiences and gifts that God has given during the day.
- Ask for Grace to Know My Sins and Rid Myself of Them. Next, ask for the grace of God to be active in your life as you acknowledge sins and ask forgiveness.
- Ask for an Account of My Soul from the Hour of Rising to the Present Examen, Hour by Hour, or Period by Period. Use memory and imagination to repay the events of the day. This phase is like watching a movie of your day in your head. The goal of this activity is twofold: first, to identify the ways in which God was at work in the events of the day, and second, to identify your sins and shortcomings. This phase is not meant to lead a person to “beat up” on one’s self for sins and shortcomings. It is simply a way to acknowledge mistakes and begin to move beyond them.
- Ask for Pardon of God Our Lord for My Faults. Next, thank God for being present in the day and ask for God to pardon all sins. Above all, do not wallow in your sins! Trust that God is indeed faithful and just, that God will forgive sin, and that God will cleanse you from all unrighteousness.
- Resolve, with God’s Grace, to Amend Them. Finally, with God’s guidance and in God’s grace, decide on one or two specific ways in which you will make amends for past sins and/or change your future behavior.
Questions from John Wesley's Holy Club
- Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
- Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
- Do I confidentially pass on to another what was told to me in confidence?
- Can I be trusted?
- Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?
- Did the Bible live in me today?
- Do I give the Bible time to speak to me every day?
- Am I enjoying prayer?
- When did I last speak to someone else about my faith?
- Do I pray about the money I spend?
- Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
- Do I disobey God in anything?
- Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
- Am I defeated in any part of my life?
- Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy, or distrustful?
- How do I spend my spare time?
- Am I proud?
- Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?
- Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, criticize, hold a resentment toward, or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it?
- Do I grumble or complain constantly?
- Is Christ real to me?
Instructions for Walking the Labyrinth
A Sacred Path for Transformation
You are invited to enter and walk this sacred path at your leisure.
The labyrinth is an ancient pattern found throughout the world and used by persons of many faith traditions to experience a personal connection with the sacred. Walking the path becomes a metaphor for life’s journey.
In preparation for the walk, take a few moments to reflect upon where you are in your life. Gain perspective by considering relationships, difficulties, new directions or whatever things you bring to this moment.
I ask that you take off your shoes when walking the labyrinth. I do so for two reasons: one, to preserve the wear and tear on the canvas fabric; second, to symbolically represent the fact that you are walking on holy ground, both outwardly in the Chapel of the Divinity School and inwardly within the holy ground of your soul.
When you are ready, enter the sacred path.
- Between the blue borders is a white path that leads to the center without false turns or dead ends.
- Focus on releasing, cleansing, and letting go the details of everyday life as you begin to walk. Quiet your mind and prepare your heart and soul in openness to God.
- When reached, the center brings a new experience, a place of meditation and prayer, a place to receive what God has for you. Spend as much time there as you feel right for you.
- As you leave the center, retrace the path that brought you in. Your meditation will take on a grounded, energized feeling. New insights and discoveries of individual God-given gifts will empower, invite, and propel you into the world as a more authentic person, one who has encountered the Holy.
In brief, the pattern for walking the labyrinth is:
Purgation
(Letting Go of the Details of Your Life, Quieting Your Mind, Confessing Sin)
on the Way to the Center
Illumination
(With an Open Heart and Mind, Seeking a New Experience of God)
in the Center
Engagement
(Use the Grounding and Energy of the Experience
to Explore New Ways to “Be” in the World)
on the Way Out
Ignatian Reflection on Scripture
An Example Based on Luke 6:12-19, 27-31
- Read the story slowly, either silently or aloud.
- Close your eyes and breathe deeply, slowly, until you are relaxed and calm.
- Picture the scene. Begin with the details in the text. Let your imagination fill in the blanks. (We are outside…daylight. Jesus prayed on the mountain all night. He and his disciples come to a level place…far from town…an open field…dry, prickly grass…one tree…soft, warm air).
- Let the scene come alive. Who is there? What’s happening? What are the sounds? smells? actions? (Excitement…many people…young, old…many skin colors…noisy, many languages…lots of children…some very sick…Jesus sits beneath the tree. He speaks, “Come. Sit Down.”)
- Place yourself in the scene. Where are you? Why? What are you doing? feeling? (I am in the crowd but alone. I am not sick…curious…I sit on the prickly grass near a child who speaks Spanish. He smiles at me…sweet. I am happy, hopeful, and a little nervous.)
- Focus on Jesus. Watch him carefully. What is he doing? saying? How is he feeling? (Jesus is calm…he looks at the crowd…but not directly at me…he blesses us with his eyes. I feel welcomed…children crawl up on his lap…a soft breeze…he speaks, “Blessed are you.”)
- Choose a sentence to dwell on—something Jesus says or does. See him turn toward you. (“Love your enemies. Pray for those who abuse you.” Jesus comes to the little boy next to me…he is from El Salvador. “Bless her,” Jesus says to the boy. “Pray for her.” He means me! I am this child’s enemy! My nation has abused his people, harmed his family. I feel sick, sad. “I’m so sorry,” I say, but I can’t speak Spanish. The boy takes my hand. I am crying. Jesus holds me, rocks me.)
- Rest in the company of Jesus. Breathe slowly, deeply. Let this be your prayer.
- If you are with others, you may share your reflections with one another.[1]
[1] Bass, Dorothy C. and Don C. Richter, editors. Way to Live: Christian Practices for Teens. (Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2002), pp. 26-28.
CED 522
Teacher as Facilitator of Learning
Timothy W. Brock
Education as Spiritual Formation
Introduction
The material in this lecture and discussion was derived from the textbook, To Know as We Are Known: A Spirituality of Education, by Quaker teacher and writer, Parker Palmer. The professor will provide additional information as appropriate.
In the Introduction to this book, Palmer stated that many people live “one-eyed lives,” focusing almost exclusively on the eye of the mind (a world of fact and reason) to form their image of reality (i.e. to make meaning from live experience). He also stated that, more and more, people are looking at live experience through the eye of the heart (a world warmed and transformed by the power of love in the context of community). He then stated the material included in this book was offered in an attempt to help individuals and communities see with both eyes, from a balanced and healthy perspective. Further, Palmer focused on the role of education in this process of “double vision.”
Overview of the Book
In Chapter One, “Knowing is Loving,” Palmer addressed issues associated with epistemology, i.e. what is the nature of knowledge? In this chapter, Palmer offered a critique of then current understandings of knowledge (based in curiosity and control) and proposed an alternative source of knowledge: love and compassion (a type of knowledge that is at the heart of spirituality). He stated that education based on an epistemology of love is a prayerful education. He also explained that, in this type of education, the learner not only knows (the subject matter, the content, etc.) but is also known, face to face with The Word and with Truth.
In Chapter Two, “Education as Spiritual Formation,” Palmer first described how the monastic disciplines (study of sacred texts, prayer, and contemplation) formed the basis of education in spiritual communities of the past. He then argued that, while the roots of that approach are still present in modern institutions of higher education, current educational practices form and deform our ability to see with both the mind and the heart. He argued that, because teachers objectify knowledge (treating knowledge as commodity to be doled out), students are often deformed rather than informed by teaching. He argued that the teacher must move from objectivism to relationship, a relationship between the learner and Truth. When this shift is made, the teacher is “a mediator between the knower and the known, between the learner and the subject to be learned.”
In Chapter Three, “The Teaching Behind the Teaching,” Palmer illustrated the ideas stated in Chapter Two, analyzing and describing how the specific strategies (lecturing, listening, and memorizing) associated with instilling objectified knowledge work against the formation of the learner. He then suggested alternative approaches focusing on self-knowledge, cooperation with others, and interaction with the world. These alternative approaches were grounded in the type of learning associated with the desert fathers and mothers who founded the monastic movement in the fourth century.
The nature of Truth associated with the ancient monastic traditions and Palmer’s contemporary expressions of that approach are explored in Chapter Four, “What is Truth?” In this chapter, Palmer stated that “Truth—wherever it may be found and in whatever form—is personal, to be known in personal relationships.” In short, Palmer believed that Truth is not objective (something to be possessed); rather Truth is relational.
In Chapter 5, “To Teach is to Create a Space…” and in Chapter 6, “In Which Obedience to Truth is Practiced,” Palmer identified a number of practical approaches to teaching and learning that are derived from his understanding of relational knowing. Based on the title of the two chapters, Palmer stated and explored his definition of teaching: “to teach is to create a space in which obedience to truth is practiced.” Palmer stated that this type of “space” should be characterized by openness, boundaries, and hospitality. In this space, there should be room for both respectful speech and reflective silence and silent reflection. Also, the space should be a safe environment in which all participants are encouraged to share and explore their feelings. Finally, the idea that “obedience to truth should be practiced” highlighted both the communal and experiential nature of this type of knowing.
Finally, in Chapter 7, “The Spiritual Formation of Teachers,” Palmer listed the spiritual virtues to be cultivated by teachers: humility and faith, reverence without idolatry, love and openness to grace. He then discussed the types of spiritual disciplines (study, silence, and prayer) that support his approach to teaching. The material in this chapter is based on the assumption that, as teachers, we must be transformed in order to be transformative.
AN INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY
What is Christian Spirituality?
My definition of Christian Spirituality is: “The life-long journey through which a person comes to discover Self in relationship to God and to God’s creation (i.e. the Christian community, humanity, and the world).”
Discover Self--When God creates each individual, God has in mind what type of person this individual will become. This “dream Self” is unique for each person. It includes various personality traits, talents, abilities, preferences, and gifts. The task for each individual--through life’s experiences, to become the person God has created him or her to be.
In Relationship to God--God desires that each individual have a growing awareness of God’s presence and activity in the circumstances of his or her life. God desires an intimate relationship with each individual.
In Relationship to God’s Creation (Christian community, humanity, and the world.)--The discovery of Self and a growing relationship with God do not happen in isolation. This journey is shared with other members of the Christian community. This journey is lived out before other members of the human race, many of whom do not share a commitment to Jesus Christ as the unique expression of God’s self. This journey takes place in the context of the world, God’s special creation.
Pathways to Spirituality
As individuals journey toward self-discovery and deeper relationship to God and God’s creation, we often follow a variety of different pathways. These different pathways may be classified in several ways.
Head, Heart, and Hands
Head-a rational, cognitive, (and sometimes intuitive) path
Heart--an affective, values driven (and sometimes emotional) path
Hands--an action-oriented, “just do it” path
Cataphatic and Apophatic
There are two quite different ways of leading people on the spiritual pilgrimage, which have often been seen as opposed to each other.
Cataphatic--The sacramental method, in which we try to mediate the divine through images, pictures, symbols, and rituals. This is the cataphatic way, from the Greek word meaning “with images.”
Apophatic--The second way is based on the idea that we can best find the divine through emptying ourselves of all images and contents. This point of view stresses the fact that all descriptions and pictures of the holy are inadequate. As we come to total silence, emptiness, and loss of self, and even of ego, we recognize our oneness with the divine and allow ourselves just to experience it, to abide in it, or lose ourselves in it. This is the apophatic way from the Greek word meaning “without images.” (Detachment--Hinduism and Buddhism)
RENOVARE’
RENOVARE’ is the name of a modern approach to spirituality developed by Richard Foster and his colleagues. Renovare’ is a Latin term meaning “to renew.” Through publication of Christian devotional classics and small group process manuals, the approach seeks to rekindle a sense of the spiritual in Christian discipleship.
In this approach, Foster has identified six pathways through which persons are drawn into deeper relationship with Jesus Christ:
Contemplative--The Prayer-Filled Life
Holiness--The Virtuous Life
Charismatic--The Spirit-Empowered Life
Social Justice--The Compassionate Life
Evangelical--The Word Centered Life
Incarnational--The Sacramental Life
Implications
1. Some people prefer one of these paths to the other two. A part of self-discovery is identifying and accepting our preferred path(s). A part of living in community is accepting the fact that other people may have other preferences; and that’s OK.
2. If taken to the extremes, each of these paths has its own unique set of pitfalls.
3. Some persons are able to walk down all of these paths--an integrated spirituality.
What is Ecumenical Spirituality?
Dr. Glenn Hinson, Professor of Church History and Christian Spirituality at BTSR, says that we are entering an era of “Ecumenical Spirituality.” Christians from various groups and denominations are being to realize the importance of reclaiming the spiritual center (or grounding) of our faith. The movement is happening independently in these groups, but Dr. Hinson claims that the flow (like a river) is moving in the same direction, with the same intent--a deepening of the spiritual life.
As this movement toward Ecumenical Spirituality progresses, Dr. Hinson believes that it is critical to examine the individual streams that are coming together to make this new river. It is important to know where we are coming from (the sources) in order to know where we are going to (the destination).
Dr. Hinson identifies 7 traditions (or streams) that flow into the river of Ecumenical Spirituality.
The Tradition of the Martyrs
The Story of Stephen is found in Acts 6:8-8:1.
The Tradition of the Ascetics--The Desert Abbas and Immas
The Tradition of the Monastery and the Convent
The Tradition of the Reformation--Martin Luther
The Tradition of the Counter-Reformation--Ignatius Loyola
The Tradition of the Great Awakening--John Wesley
The Tradition of an “Active” Spirituality--The Social Gospel and Mother Theresa
To these seven traditions in the Christian approach to spirituality, I would add one other in the area of secular spirituality. I call this:
The Quest for a Modern Spirituality
A proponent of this type of spirituality is Blair, a 20 something young man who grew up in a Baptist church in the mid-West. What is Spirituality? For Blair and other of his generation, spirituality is the life-long process through which a person comes to discover self in relationship to a higher power and to creation.
An Overview of the History of Christian Spirituality
The Tradition of the Martyrs
A Tough Spirituality
A person cannot understand the Christian faith and Christian spirituality apart from martyrdom--intentionally choosing to give up one’s life for the faith.
1. Our entire faith system is based on the martyrdom of a man who claimed to be the Son of God and whose followers claimed that he was raised from the dead. Jesus intentionally chose to dedicate his life to the Kingdom of God and to give his life in a violent death.
2. Further it must be noted that, after a period of general acceptance, the earliest Christians faced martyrdom for their faith.
The Books of Acts, the history of the early church, records the first such martyrdom in 6:8-8:1.
· Stephen is the first to offer an “apologia”--a formal defend of the faith. Later, these apologists were the first to write down their understanding of the Christian faith to example it to others (possibly the book of Luke?)
· In fact, the word “martyr”- means, literally, “a witness”
· Stephen’s stoning opened the first wave of martyrs that resulted in the death of many of the first generation of Christian leaders.
· Ironically, a persecution in one city or region, designed to stop the propagation of the Gospel, caused many people to flee to other regions, taking their faith with them, and subsequently spreading the gospel to new places.
Through the preaching of the apostles and the evangelistic ministry of Paul to the Gentiles, the Christian faith spread rapidly through the Roman Empire in the 30+ years after the death of Jesus. The rapid growth of the Christian church was, however, tempered by organized persecutions (regional and empire-wide). Examples of such persecutions:
· Nero in Rome in 64
· Trajan in the late 100’s
The charges brought against the Christian were atheism and anarchy. The rejection of the old gods seemed atheism; their refusal to join in emperor-worship appeared treasonable. A misunderstanding of the Christian doctrine of Christ’s presence in the Supper must be deemed the occasion of the common accusation of cannibalism. Much of the governmental persecution of Christianity in this period had is incitement in many attacks upon Christians. That was the case at Smyrna when Polycarp suffered martyrdom in 156.
Examples of such martyrs include Stephen, Peter, Paul, Polycarp, Perpetua and Felicitus.
The importance of the martyrs cannot be underestimated. “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” (Tertullian)
In this context, early spirituality was, according to Glenn Hinson, a preparation for martyrdom. Since mass preaching events were not allowed, persons came to the faith through contact with clandestine church groups. One joined the church through participation in the catechumenal school--a three year process of instruction, prayer, fasting, and disciplines before you were asked to confess “Jesus is Lord’ at the time of your baptism. They wanted people to how what they were getting into before they risked the chance of getting killed for it.
Martyr Stories as Devotional Reading.
Later, the veneration of the martyrs became an act of devotion--and an opportunity for business.
What do the martyrs teach us today? How has their approach to spirituality influenced us?
The Tradition of the Ascetics
A Lonely Spirituality
At the same time of the persecutions and martyrs, many individuals (and some groups) believed that their spiritual path lead them to the dessert, or to other remote places, to detach from the world.
· *Some detached because they viewed the world as an inherently evil place.
· *Some detached because they wanted to move away from the distractions of the world--to get a distance so they could focus on the presence of God.
· *Some detached to the remote places so that they would have to depend completely on God for all of their needs. (As an act of Faith)
They were religious hermits--detached from the world, but in touch with God.
Often, people would hear about a dessert abba or imma living in some distance place and would go on a religious pilgrimage to find this person and to ask for “a word” from God. This was a unique word from God through the abba or imma to this person--a spiritual director or guide.
Example of a word from the abba
Some brothers...went to see Abba Felix and they begged him to say a word to them. But the old man kept silence. After they had asked for a long time, he said to them, “You wish to hear a word?” They said, “Yes, abba.” Then the old man said to them, “There are no more words nowadays. When the brothers used to consult the old men and when they did what was said to them, God showed them how to speak. But now, since they ask without doing that which they hear, God has withdrawn the grace of the word from the old men and they do not find anything to say, since there are no longer any who carry their words out.” Hearing this, the brothers groaned, saying, “Pray for us, abba.”
These hermits became the founders of the Western tradition of contemplative prayer. From their solitary quest came the monastic communities and, indirectly, the universities--both originally devoted to the kind of knowing humankind lost in the Fall, a knowing grounded in the love with which we are known.
What other contributions are a part of the ascetic tradition?
The Tradition of the Monastery and the Convent
Around 300 CE, a dramatic event in the history of the Roman Empire had a dramatic effect on the nature of Christian spirituality. As he prepared to face an opponent in battle, the pagan Emperor Constantine had a dream in which an army marching under the sign of the chi-rho (the first two letters in the name of Christ) defeated its enemy. Constantine took this dream as a sign that he should convert to Christianity. In fact, he had this whole army baptized just before the battle. When he won the campaign, he proclaimed Christianity as the official state religion. By edict, all citizens of the Roman Empire were Christian.
Only a few years prior, Christians were trained for three years as a preparation for baptism and possible martyrdom. Now, with no preparation, all were “declared” Christian. This led a “watered down” faith and the beginning of church-state politics. As the Roman Empire decline and the Dark Ages approach (circa 476 CE), a new expression of spiritual was needed.
The monastic tradition developed as a way to preserve a committed expression of the faith. The goal of the monastic tradition was to see God and to become pure in heart. Prayer and spiritual disciplines were the key to purity of heart. Further, monasteries and convents were oases of learning and culture during the Dark Ages.
At first, the monasteries were considered gathering of religious hermits, person who chose to detach from the world and to live in community. Later, they became centers of biblical study and prayer.
· Copying and Interpreting the Scriptures
· Libraries
· A place to educate future clergy and monks
· Places of Prayer
· Places of Work for the Good of the Community.
By 1200, there were 135 different monastic sects in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe.
An Example of One Monastic Order
The Rule of Benedict (529CE)
Three (3) Vows: Poverty, chastity, and obedience
A Rule of Silence--to sensitize, to help us to be attentive to God, to listen for “holy nudges”
A Rigid Daily Regiment
· Opus Dei (4 hours)--gather to sing and to recite the Psalms (from memory--all 150)
· Lectio Divina (4 hours)--divine reading, a prescribed process of deeply reading the Bible
· Labor (6 hours)--manual, during which one would “practice the presence of God”--Brother Lawrence (who worked as a dish washer in the monastery and had popes come to consult him)
· The Examen (before bedtime)--a prescribed process to reflect on the events of the day, to confess sins, mistakes, shortcomings, and the accept forgiveness--”an examination of conscience”
All of this activity took place in the closed wall of the monastery. Later, the mendicant orders developed, those who would leave the monastery to do ministry among the people. The Franciscans did social ministry and the Dominicans were evangelist/preachers.
If we did not have the monastic tradition, much of the literature and learning from the Greek and Roman societies would have been lost. Further, we might not have the Bible as we know it today.
Practical Applications of the Monastic Disciplines
To Provide an Example of the Ordering of the Spiritual Life
· through daily prayer--3X (or 5X) saying the Lord’s Prayer or 2X using centering prayer
· private or family Eucharist
· fasting (or eating plain, simple foods)
· journaling
· the Examen
· quoting scripture, studying scripture deeply (lectio divina)
· singing hymns
To Show a Connection between Work and the Spiritual Life
· life is integrated
· even the simplest forms of manual labor can be an activity through which we experience God (the example of Brother Lawrence)
To Highlight the Importance of Silence
· To block out all the other stuff with which we try to fill our day
· To listen to the “holy nudges”
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX (1090-1153)
Introduction to the Author
Bernard was one of the great leaders in the history of the Church. He was an eloquent speaker and considered by many to be one of the holiest individuals who ever lived. He grew up in Dijon, France, and at the age of twenty-two entered as a novice in the monastery of Citeaux. Three years later he was appointed to supervise a group of his fellow monks in the newly founded monastery at Clarivaux. Though he was offered high positions in the church, Bernard remained at Clarivaux until his death.
Thanks to careful preservation over the centuries, many of Bernard’s writings have survived today. His works had a profound influence on both Martin Luther and John Calvin. The following reading is taken from his well-known work, his treatise On the Love of God. In it, Bernard incisively outlines his famous “four degrees of love.”
Why God Should Be Loved
You ask me, “Why should God be loved?” I answer: the reason for loving God is God himself. And why should God be loved for his own sake? Simply because no one could be more justly loved than God, no one deserves our love more. Some may question if God deserves our love or if they might have something to gain by loving him. The answer to both questions is yes, but I find no other worthy reason for loving him except himself.
God is entitled to our love. Why? Because he gave himself for us despite the fact that we are so undeserving. What better could he have given? If we ask why God is entitled to our love, we should answer, “Because he first loved us.” God is clearly deserving of our love especially if we consider who he is that loves us, who we are that he loves, and how much he loves us.
And who is God? Is he not the one to whom every spirit bears witness: “Thou art my God”? God has no need of our worldly possessions. True love is precisely this: that it does not seek its own interests. And how much does he love us? He so loved the world that he gave his only Son; he laid down his life for us.
The First Degree of Love:
Love of Self for Self’s Sake
Love is a natural human affection. It comes from God. Hence, the first and greatest commandment is, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God.” But human nature is weak and therefore compelled to love itself and serve itself first. In the human realm people love themselves for their own sake. This is planted within us for whoever hated his own self?
But if this love of ourselves becomes too lavish, it will overflow its natural boundaries through excessive love of pleasure. People can easily become slaves to the soul’s enemy: lust. This love of self is held in check by the command to love our neighbor. If we cannot love our neighbor because of our love of self, then we must retrain our lusts and give to our neighbor’s needs. Your love will then be temperate when you take from yourself and give to your neighbor.
But what will you do if your own needs are not met? Will you look to God to meet your needs? God promised that those who seek first the kingdom and his righteousness will have all things added unto them. God promises that to those who restrict themselves and give to their neighbor, he will give whatever is necessary. Seeking first the kingdom means to prefer to bear the yoke of modesty and restraint rather than allow sin to reign in your mortal body.
In order to love our neighbor, we must see that God is the cause of our love. How can we have a pure love for our neighbor if we do not love him in God? And you cannot love your neighbor unless you love God. God must be loved first in order that we may love neighbor in God.
The Second Degree of Love:
Love of God for Self’s Sake
God, therefore, who makes everything that is good, makes himself to be loved. He does it as follows: first, God blesses us with his protection. When we live free from trouble we are happy, but in our pride we may conclude that we are responsible for our security. Then, when we suffer some calamity, some storm in our lives, we turn to God and ask his help, calling upon him in times of trouble. This is how we who only love ourselves first begin to love God. We will begin to love God even if it is for our own sake. We love God because we have learned that we can do all things through him, and without him we can do nothing.
The Third Degree of Love:
Love of God for God’s Sake
In the first degree of love we love ourselves for our own sake. In the second degree of love we love God for our sake, chiefly because he has provided for us and rescued us. But if trials and tribulations continue to come upon us, every time God brings us through, even if our hearts were made of stone, we will begin to be softened because of the grace of the Rescuer. Thus, we begin to love God not merely for our own sakes, but for himself.
In order to arrive at this we must continually go to God with our needs and pray. In those prayers the grace of God is tasted, and by frequently tasting it is proved to us how sweet the Lord is. Thus it happens that once God’s sweetness has been tasted, it draws us to the pure love of God more than our needs compel us to love him. Thus we begin to say, “We now love God, not for our necessity, for we ourselves have tasted and know how sweet the Lord is.”
When we begin to feel this, it will not be hard to fulfill the second commandment: to love our neighbor. For those who truly love God in this way also love the things of God. Also, it becomes easier to be obedient in all the commands of God. We begin to love God’s commands and embrace them.
This love is pure because it is disinterested (i.e. not offered in order to obtain something). It is pure because it is not merely in our words that we begin to serve, but in our actions. We love because we are loved. We care for others because Jesus cares for us.
We have obtained this degree when we can say, “Give praise to the Lord for he is good, not because he is good to me, but because he is good.” Thus we truly love God for God’s ask and not for our own. The third degree of love is the love by which God is now loved for his very self.
The Fourth Degree of Love:
Love of Self for God’s Sake
Blessed are we who experience the fourth degree of love wherein we love ourselves for God’s sake. Such experiences are rare and come only for a moment. In a manner of speaking, we lose ourselves as though we did not exist, utterly unconscious of ourselves and emptied of ourselves.
If for even a moment we experience this kind of love, we will then know the pain of having to return to this world and its obligations as we are recalled from the state of contemplation. In turning back to ourselves we will feel as if we are suffering as we return into the mortal state in which we were called to live.
But during those moments we will be of one mind with God, and our wills in one accord with God. The prayer, “Thy will be done,” will be our prayer and our delight. Just as a little drop of water mixed with a lot of wine seems to entirely lose its own identity as it takes on the taste and color of the wine, just as iron, heated and glowing, looks very much like fire, having lost its original appearance just as air flooded with the light of the sun is transformed into the same splendor of the light so that it appears to be light itself, so it is like for those who melt away from themselves and are entirely transfused into the will of God.
This perfect love of God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength will not happen until we are no longer compelled to think about ourselves and attend to the body’s immediate needs. Only then can the soul attend to God completely. This is why in the present body we inhabit this is difficult to maintain. But it is within God’s power to give such an experience to whom he wills, and it is not attained by our own efforts.
Entering into the First, Second, and Third Degrees of Love
What are the four degrees of love? First, we love ourselves for our own sake; since we are unspiritual and of the flesh we cannot have an interest in anything that does not relate to ourselves. When we begin to see that we cannot subsist by ourselves, we begin to seek God for our own sakes. This, the second degree of love; we love God, but only for our own interests. But if we begin to worship and come to God again and again by meditating, by reading, by prayer, and by obedience, little by little God becomes known to us through experience. We enter into a sweet familiarity with God, and by tasting how sweet the Lord is we pass into the third degree of love so that now we love God, not for our own sake, but for himself. It should be noted that in this third degree we will stand still for a very long time.
Can We Attain the Fourth Degree of Love?
I am not certain that the fourth degree of love in which we love ourselves only for the sake of God may be perfectly attained in this life. But, when it does happen, we will experience the joy of the Lord and be forgetful of ourselves in a wonderful way. We are, for those moments, one mind and one spirit with God.
I am of the opinion that this is what the prophet meant when he said: “I will enter into the power of the Lord: O Lord I will be mindful of Thy justice alone.” He felt, certainly, that when he entered into the spiritual powers of the Lord he would have laid aside self and his whole being would, in the spirit, be mindful of the justice of the Lord alone.
When we attain the fourth degree of love, then the net of charity which now, drawn through this great and vast sea, does not cease to gather together fish of every kind, when brought at last to the shore casting forth the bad, will retain only the good. Still, I do not know if we can attain this degree in this life. We live in a world of sorrow and tears and we experience the mercy and comfort of God only in that context. How can we be mindful of mercy when the justice of God alone will be remembered? Where there is no place for misery or occasion for pity, surely there can be no feeling of compassion.
BIBLE SELECTION: 1 JOHN 4:7-21
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
The following questions can be used for discussion within a small group or used for journal reflections by individuals.
1. Which of the four stages of love have you experienced in your spiritual journey? Describe.
2. What are the motivating factors that move us from stage 1 to stage 2? Stage 2 to stage 3? Stage 3 to stage 4?
3. In your opinion, which is the most common stage of love? Why?
4. The writer of 1 John proclaims that we are able to love because God first loved us. How does the love that God has for you enable you to love God? Love yourself? Love other?
5. The fourth degree of love, writes Bernard, is a powerful moment, a sense of oneness, wherein we are “entirely transfused into the will of God.” Have you ever been blessed by one of these special moments? Describe. Why are they only “temporary”?
SUGGESTED EXERCISES
The following exercises can be done by individuals, shared between spiritual friends, or used in the context of a small group. Choose one or more of the following.
1. The first stage of love is a love of ourselves for our own sake. To get beyond this stage, according to Bernard, we must see God as the one who created us and protects us. Spend some time this week reflecting on your birth, noting how you did not create yourself. Also, reflect on how your life is a gift, that even your continued existence is not your own doing.
2. The second stage of love is a love of God for self’s sake, wherein we love God for all that he does, though we do not love God for who God is. Bernard believes that after years of being brought through trials by God we can begin to love God for God’s sake. Why wait for tribulation? Make a list of all the times that God has brought you through trials. Use this list to help you move into that third degree of love.
3. Loving our neighbor, says, Bernard, keeps our self-love in check. This week make an effort to lighten the burden of those around you, beginning with those with whom you live. The invaluable gift of listening is a great way to start.
4. Meditate on Psalm 139. This marvelous song of the glory of creation, of God’s miraculous love and our miraculous existence, will help you focus on the God whose love reaches into the farthest regions of our hearts.
The Tradition of the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation
Common Life in the Early 1550’s (Late Medieval Period)
If you were born in one of the Christian countries (Italy, France, Germany, England), you were a Catholic Christian by birth. The fact that you were born in a Western European country meant that you were a member of the Roman Catholic Church. The Church (the Pope) and the State (the Kings and Princes) were the two major political powers of the day. And the two were inextricably related. Both were able to dictate many aspects of life, including taxes.
A child was born into the faith and was baptized as an infant (with a high rate of infant mortality, to assure that the child would go to heaven). Later, there would be some sort of confirmation process in which the child would memorize and recite a catechism (a document which distilled the essence of doctrine into a question and answer format).
Religious practice in medieval Europe would have included daily services at the local church (small town) or cathedral (city), mass on Sunday, and special festivals built around religious holidays.
The society was oral and visual. Very few people could read and even fewer had access to a copy of the Bible. Since both the worship services and the scriptures were in Latin, most religious instruction came in the form of visual symbols--icons, relics, stained glass windows, art, music, and pageants.
Into this stable environment came several developments that would radically change the nature of life in general and religion in particular.
· Work of the translation of the Bible into vernacular languages (Wycliffe)
· The invention of the moveable type printing press (Gutenberg)
· A rising independence in the Germany states.
· The Reign of Henry VIII in England
· The construction of St. Peter’s in Rome
· In general, the beginning of the Modern Era
These events simulated the rise of three unlikely characters who would lead the process of change and reformation.
MARTIN LUTHER (1483-1546)
Martin Luther is best known as the father of the Protestant Reformation. Born into a peasant family in Eisleben, Germany, Luther (at the urging of his father) sought to better himself by becoming a scholar and then a lawyer. After attending the university in law, he had a crisis of faith (a deep anxiety about his own salvation) and a unique experience in a rain storm. He entered an Augustinian monastery and determined to work out his salvation. “If ever a monk got to heaven with his monkery, I should certainly have gotten there.” He then felt a call to the priesthood and was ordained in 1507. After his studies, he was appointed Professor of Theology at the University of Wittenberg, a position he held until his death. At the university, he lectured on Paul’s letter to the Romans, an exercise that shaped this theological thought (especially concerning salvation.
In 1517, he composed and posted the famous 95 theses on the door of the castle church at Wittenberg--calling attention to a number of “unbiblical” practices in the Roman Catholic Church. He called for reform--not separation. One of his complaints dealt with the selling of indulgences--a “get out of jail free card” that you could purchase in advance of a sin. The extra money was used to build St Peter’s. He was excommunicated in 1520, but was protected by the German princes who wished to split from Roman any way.
Luther was a both a brilliant theologian and a deeply pious (almost mystic) man. He was also very complex and complicated man--on one hand, the identified leader of a major redirection of life and on the other hand, a man who was haunted self-doubt. He believed in demons and devils. He spent a great amount of time in the bathroom.
Three Cardinal Principles of the Protestant Reformation
1. Justification by faith. Luther and the other reformers highlighted the connection between personal faith and Christian commitment. Rather than accepting a nominal form of Christianity simply because one was born in a Christian country, Luther emphasized the fact that “by grace are you saved through faith.” He also understood salvation to be a gift from God, not something that could be achieved by working at it (he had tried that when he became a monk). It was a personal decision with personal consequences. This insight came from his study of the book of Romans (examples 1:16-17, 5:1-5)
2. Supremacy of the Scriptures. Luther believed that the Bible was the supreme authority in Christian living and guidance, not the pope. This belief would later lead to his translation of the entire Bible into the German language and strong efforts in compulsory education so that each person could read the Scriptures for him/herself. He and the other reformers wanted to highlight the role of scripture in the formation of faith. They believed that each person should be able to read, to own or have access to a copy of the scripture in their native language, and to interpret the scripture for themselves.
3. The priesthood of the believer. His belief in the priesthood of the believer meant that each Christian as a member of Christ’s body had no authority over the conscience of other Christians. Having equal access, each person could approach God directly without a priest. Each person could act as his or her own priest. In Addition, belief in the priesthood of the believer denied the superiority of the clergy over the laity.
In many ways against his own wishes, many of the reformers affirmed these basic principles and broke away from the Catholic Church to form a whole new army of Protestant churches and denominations.
JOHN CALVIN (1509-1564)
Born at Noyn, France, and educated at the University of Paris, John Calvin grew up in an atmosphere of wealth and nobility. His father wanted him to study theology, but John felt a yearning to study the law. However, he had keen insight as a theologian and the heart of a pastor. Although he was never ordained, he became the curate of St. Martin de Marteville in 1527. In 1534, he was converted to Protestantism, which resulted in two short imprisonments.
In 1536, he wrote his famous work, Institutes of Christian Religion, at the age of 26. By 1541, he had gone to Geneva, Switzerland, and had influenced that city to the point that he had gained a large following. Under his influence and leadership, and in spite of opposition to him, Geneva became famous for its high moral standards, economic prosperity, and education system. Many consider him to have been the father and founder of both the Presbyterian and the Reformed Protestant Churches.
He was deeply influenced by the writings of Martin Luther and St. Augustine, especially Augustine’s strong predestinarian theology. It is safe to say that no theologian holds a higher or clearer understanding of the sovereignty of God than John Calvin. He was well known for his stern temperament and austere lifestyle. Self-denial is much a part of his theology. From his work in Geneva, we get the idea of the “Protestant work ethic,” austere deportment, abstention from dancing, card playing, gambling, obscenities, and drunkenness. Calvin stressed the importance of physical punishment in the education process--also thrift, sobriety, hard work, and responsible behavior.
FIVE POINT CALVINISM
Total Depravity
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement
Irresistible Grace
Perseverance of the Saints
The followers of Calvin were known by different names across Europe: French Huguenots, Dutch Reformed, English Puritans, and Scottish Presbyterians. Today, in modern Baptist life, we have a strong resurgence of classical Calvinism (within the new fundamentalist leadership of the SBC. Question: What does Unconditional Election do for missions?
Ignatius of Loyola and the Tradition of the Counter Reformation
With the Protestant Reformers establishing their new churches, it was left to groups within the Catholic Church to seek needed reforms in the Catholic system. Catholic renewal manifested itself in “Mystics, Missionaries, and Educators; in the religious communities which they founded; and the legislation of the Council of Trent, implemented by a series of reforming popes.”
CATHOLIC RENEWAL--THREE INTERLOCKING MOVEMENTS
1. Doctrinal Stimulation and Evaluation at the Council of Trent--to re-establish the official “party line.”
2. The Inquisition--Inquisitors were to discover and eradicate heretical beliefs by torture.
3. The Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits--A new religious order, founded by Ignatius of Loyola, would be commissioned to establish schools, educate priests, and send missionaries
Ignatius of Loyola
Ignatius was born in the family castle of Loyola in the Basque region of Spain. His family belonged to a long line of nobility (though they were not wealthy) and Ignatius reflected his refined upbringing throughout his early life. He participated in all the revelry of royalty at court--gambling, dueling, romance--and worldly attractions.
In 1517, he took service in the army and in May of 1521, received a leg wound in a border skirmish with the French. He returned to Loyola to recuperate and found himself able to do nothing but read. He happened upon a book called The Life of Christ and was converted as result. He also read The Imitation of Christ and the stories of St. Francis. He concluded by asking, “Could I not do what Francis did?” He then resolved to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, disposed of all his worldly goods, and clothed himself in sackcloth.
His ship was detained in Manresa, however, and he was forced to remain there for a year. During this time, he had several profound mystical experiences that led him to begin sharing faith with others. He also penned a large portion of The Spiritual Exercises during his stay in Manresa, and carried these notes with him as he continued the journey to Jerusalem. Ignatius would later become famous for these simple yet profound instructions on how to take a spiritual retreat. His “exercises” became the standard for Jesuit retreats and have remained so to this day.
The Motto of the Jesuits: “All to the greater glory of God.”
The goal of the Jesuits was to “form the mind of Christ” in the members of their group and in the members of the Catholic Church. Through a very careful process of spiritual formation based on the book, The Spiritual Exercises, the members of the society worked with mentors (spiritual directors) to develop in themselves the mind of Christ.
This was a spirituality of the head. They used a very rational, cognitive, reasoned approach to faith formation. They also used very clear mental images as a part of their process of disciplined contemplation.
They sought to reform the Catholic Church and the states in which the Catholic Church thrived through education. They educated the children of the most politically powerful people in Europe, as well as the most promising and brightest of the lower classes. Through strict mental disciplines, these Jesuit students developed a powerful intellect and later served as the leaders of Europe.
They evangelized through education. “Give me a child until he is 7 years old and he will remain a Catholic for the rest of his life.” As a result, the cathedral schools developed into major universities, centers of learning, some of which are still around (ex. Notre Dame and Georgetown).
The Tradition of the Great Awakening
A Spirituality of the Heart--and a Spirituality of Evangelism.
JOHN WESLEY
John Wesley was one of nineteen children born to Samuel and Susanna Wesley. His father was an Anglican clergyman and his mother was devoted both to God and to her children. John attended Christi Church College at Oxford, was ordained an Anglican minister, and was made a Fellow of Lincoln College. While he was at Oxford, he and a group of friends banded together to encourage one another to live a holy life. Their methodical approach to holiness led others at the college referred to them as “Methodists.”
After his ordination, John and his brother Charles, accompanied James Oglethorpe to the North American colony of Georgia and busied themselves with mission efforts there. Charles returned to England due to poor health and John returned because of a failed romance.
Although Wesley grew up a deeply religious man, something was lacking in his heart. On Wednesday, May 24, the transforming experience came to John Wesley. That evening, he went unwillingly to an Anglican “society” in Aldersgate Street, London, and heard Luther’s preface to the Commentary of Galatians read. “About a quarter before nine, while he (Luther) was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me, that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”
Wesley embarked on an unusual preaching ministry, especially to the common folks in the English countryside. Historians have said that by evangelizing the common people of eighteenth century England, Wesley saved the country from a bloody revolution. His impact upon England was dramatic during his lifetime, and even more dramatic on America after his death as many Methodist preachers crisscrossed the frontier with his message.
Later Wesley and his “Methodists” would use a number of prescribed “methods” or spiritual disciplines in order to “seek purity of heart” (as the monks had done). Also a support of Robert Raikes and the Sunday School, and the religious instruction of children. The disciplined live was important to him.
Quote: “I was more convinced than ever that the preaching like an apostle, without joining together those that are awakened and training them up in the ways of God, is only begetting children for the murderer. How much preaching has there been for these twenty years all over Pembrokeshire! (A section of England). But no regular societies, no discipline, no order, or connection. And the consequence is that nine in ten of those once awakened are now faster asleep than ever.” (The Journal of John Wesley, Thursday, August 25, 1763).
The work of Wesley and others lead to the Great Awakening in England in the late 1700’s and in the American states in the early 1800’s. This preaching-centered approach was designed to stir the emotions toward public repentance (for guilt and remorse as primary motivators).
Spirituality in this context had to do with feelings--seeking religious highs. Sermons (such as the famous Sinners in the Hand of An Angry God) were designed to guilt people into the kingdom of Heaven.
In the Baptist Tradition, the Sandy Creek Tradition represents this model.
The Tradition of an “Active” Spirituality
The admonition is “to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” The goal of this type of spirituality is to embody Christ in the world. The Christian should not waste time in pursuit of the intellectual, or in pursuit of “feel good” religion. The goal is to minister to the needs of humanity in the name of Christ.
Implications
1. We can learn a lot from the history of Christian spirituality and from other faith traditions who have been more intentional in developing a broad-based spirituality (Catholics, Episcopalians, and Methodists).
2. Know thyself. Which is your primary path to spirituality?
3. Balance the head, the heart, and the hands in your understanding of spirituality. Also, there is a time to detach and there is a time to connect.
4. Spiritual disciplines are the keys. (An ordered day, prayer, journalizing, Bible study, devotional reading, fasting, etc.)
5. Learn to listen for God in the rhythms of life. Learn to recognize the “holy nudges.”
Guide Me into an Unclenched Moment
Gentle me, Holy One,
into an unclenched moment,
a deep breath,
a letting of heavy expectancies,
of shriveling anxieties, of dead certainties,
That, softened by the silence, surrounded by the light,
and open to the mystery,
I may be found by wholeness,
upheld by the unfathomable,
entranced by the simple,
and filled with the joy that is you.
The Jesus Prayer
Jesus Christ, God’s Son, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Traditionally, this prayer was continuously repeated throughout the course of the day. It is said that some ancient mystics conditioned their heart to beat in time with the repetition of The Jesus Prayer.
Centering Prayer
As developed by Abba Isaac and John Cassian
and as described in The Cloud of the Unknowing
- Be in faith and love to God who dwells in the center of your being.
- Take up a "love word" (or prayer word) and let it be gently present, supporting your being to God in faith-filled love.
- With your mind emptied and your spirit open, simply experience the presence of God as the center of your being.
- Whenever you become aware of anything, simply, gently return to God with the use of your prayer word.
- Be sensitive to the many ways that God may make God's presence known while you are centered.
- At the end of your prayer time, let the Lord's Prayer or some other prayer of your own choosing pray itself quietly within.
- For beginners, the practice is repeated twice a day, for twenty minutes each time.
LECTIO DIVINA
“Holy Reading” of the Scriptures
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Silencio
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Preparation for spiritual reading
Inner shift from control to receptivity, from information to formation, from observation to obedience
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Lectio
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Read the text, receiving from the text what it will give
Nurtures the “sensing” dynamic associated with the MBTI
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Meditatio
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Processing the Text, seeking to understand and comprehend the Text
Nurtures the “thinking” dynamic associated with the MBTI
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Oratio
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Response to God from the Heart
Nurtures the “feeling” dynamic associated with the MBTI
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Contemplatio
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Yielding and waiting upon God
Nurtures the “intuitive” dynamic associated with the MBTI
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Incarnatio
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Living out the Text
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The Examen
As Develop by Ignatius Loyola from the Jesuit Tradition
This process is designed as a way to review and bring closure to the day.
- Give Thanks to God Our Lord for the Benefits I Have Received. First, say a prayer of thanksgiving, acknowledging the all the experiences and gifts that God has given during the day.
- Ask for Grace to Know My Sins and Rid Myself of Them. Next, ask for the grace of God to be active in your life as you acknowledge sins and ask forgiveness.
- Ask for an Account of My Soul from the Hour of Rising to the Present Examen, Hour by Hour, or Period by Period. Use memory and imagination to repay the events of the day. This phase is like watching a movie of your day in your head. The goal of this activity is twofold: first, to identify the ways in which God was at work in the events of the day, and second, to identify your sins and shortcomings. This phase is not meant to lead a person to “beat up” on one’s self for sins and shortcomings. It is simply a way to acknowledge mistakes and begin to move beyond them.
- Ask for Pardon of God Our Lord for My Faults. Next, thank God for being present in the day and ask for God to pardon all sins. Above all, do not wallow in your sins! Trust that God is indeed faithful and just, that God will forgive sin, and that God will cleanse you from all unrighteousness.
- Resolve, with God’s Grace, to Amend Them. Finally, with God’s guidance and in God’s grace, decide on one or two specific ways in which you will make amends for past sins and/or change your future behavior.
Questions from John Wesley's Holy Club
- Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
- Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
- Do I confidentially pass on to another what was told to me in confidence?
- Can I be trusted?
- Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?
- Did the Bible live in me today?
- Do I give the Bible time to speak to me every day?
- Am I enjoying prayer?
- When did I last speak to someone else about my faith?
- Do I pray about the money I spend?
- Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
- Do I disobey God in anything?
- Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
- Am I defeated in any part of my life?
- Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy, or distrustful?
- How do I spend my spare time?
- Am I proud?
- Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?
- Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, criticize, hold a resentment toward, or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it?
- Do I grumble or complain constantly?
- Is Christ real to me?
Instructions for Walking the Labyrinth
A Sacred Path for Transformation
You are invited to enter and walk this sacred path at your leisure.
The labyrinth is an ancient pattern found throughout the world and used by persons of many faith traditions to experience a personal connection with the sacred. Walking the path becomes a metaphor for life’s journey.
In preparation for the walk, take a few moments to reflect upon where you are in your life. Gain perspective by considering relationships, difficulties, new directions or whatever things you bring to this moment.
I ask that you take off your shoes when walking the labyrinth. I do so for two reasons: one, to preserve the wear and tear on the canvas fabric; second, to symbolically represent the fact that you are walking on holy ground, both outwardly in the Chapel of the Divinity School and inwardly within the holy ground of your soul.
When you are ready, enter the sacred path.
- Between the blue borders is a white path that leads to the center without false turns or dead ends.
- Focus on releasing, cleansing, and letting go the details of everyday life as you begin to walk. Quiet your mind and prepare your heart and soul in openness to God.
- When reached, the center brings a new experience, a place of meditation and prayer, a place to receive what God has for you. Spend as much time there as you feel right for you.
- As you leave the center, retrace the path that brought you in. Your meditation will take on a grounded, energized feeling. New insights and discoveries of individual God-given gifts will empower, invite, and propel you into the world as a more authentic person, one who has encountered the Holy.
In brief, the pattern for walking the labyrinth is:
Purgation
(Letting Go of the Details of Your Life, Quieting Your Mind, Confessing Sin)
on the Way to the Center
Illumination
(With an Open Heart and Mind, Seeking a New Experience of God)
in the Center
Engagement
(Use the Grounding and Energy of the Experience
to Explore New Ways to “Be” in the World)
on the Way Out
Ignatian Reflection on Scripture
An Example Based on Luke 6:12-19, 27-31
- Read the story slowly, either silently or aloud.
- Close your eyes and breathe deeply, slowly, until you are relaxed and calm.
- Picture the scene. Begin with the details in the text. Let your imagination fill in the blanks. (We are outside…daylight. Jesus prayed on the mountain all night. He and his disciples come to a level place…far from town…an open field…dry, prickly grass…one tree…soft, warm air).
- Let the scene come alive. Who is there? What’s happening? What are the sounds? smells? actions? (Excitement…many people…young, old…many skin colors…noisy, many languages…lots of children…some very sick…Jesus sits beneath the tree. He speaks, “Come. Sit Down.”)
- Place yourself in the scene. Where are you? Why? What are you doing? feeling? (I am in the crowd but alone. I am not sick…curious…I sit on the prickly grass near a child who speaks Spanish. He smiles at me…sweet. I am happy, hopeful, and a little nervous.)
- Focus on Jesus. Watch him carefully. What is he doing? saying? How is he feeling? (Jesus is calm…he looks at the crowd…but not directly at me…he blesses us with his eyes. I feel welcomed…children crawl up on his lap…a soft breeze…he speaks, “Blessed are you.”)
- Choose a sentence to dwell on—something Jesus says or does. See him turn toward you. (“Love your enemies. Pray for those who abuse you.” Jesus comes to the little boy next to me…he is from El Salvador. “Bless her,” Jesus says to the boy. “Pray for her.” He means me! I am this child’s enemy! My nation has abused his people, harmed his family. I feel sick, sad. “I’m so sorry,” I say, but I can’t speak Spanish. The boy takes my hand. I am crying. Jesus holds me, rocks me.)
- Rest in the company of Jesus. Breathe slowly, deeply. Let this be your prayer.
- If you are with others, you may share your reflections with one another.[1]
[1] Bass, Dorothy C. and Don C. Richter, editors. Way to Live: Christian Practices for Teens. (Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2002), pp. 26-28.