Christian Spirituality

The Common Word: Reflections on Muslim-Christian Dialogue

by Khalil Andani

Originally published by KeepingitHalal.com

This article proposes a method of theological Muslim-Christian dialogue – which is in fact a da`wah based on knowledge... more This article proposes a method of theological Muslim-Christian dialogue – which is in fact a da`wah based on knowledge as opposed to adversarial debate or polemic – that seeks to fulfill the spirit of the Qur’anic emphasis on beautiful discourse:

“O mankind! We created you from male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (lita‘arafoo).” (Holy Qur’an 49:13)

This “recognition” (ma‘rifah) can only occur if all participants in the dialogue (as opposed to an adversarial debate) are permitted to clearly present the principles of their faith tradition whereby all parties are able to truly understand each others’ positions. The paper evokes one the most contentious issues which separate Christianity and Islam – the Christian doctrine of the Divine Sonship of Christ – which Muslims reject. However, the application of the above method to this specific Christian belief can actually allow a Christian to come to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Qur’an being the Word of God for Muslims and likewise, clear up Muslim misconceptions of Christian theology.

The Role of Christian Spirituality in 13th Century Interpretations of the Fall of Constantinople: Relics and Icons as Interpretive Lenses

by Donna Hawk-Reinhard

Engaging in the Debates from the Periphery: The Contributions of Neglected Oxford Movement Converts in the Infallibility Debates

by Donna Hawk-Reinhard

published in 'Authority, Dogma, and History:  the Role of the Oxford Movement Converts in the Infallibility Debates of the Nineteenth Century, 1835-1875,' edited by Kenneth Parker and Michael J Pahls (Academia Press, 2008)

From the Introduction:

"Donna Reinhard considers the contributions made by Oxford Movement converts... more From the Introduction:

"Donna Reinhard considers the contributions made by Oxford Movement converts who are typically neglected in the standard narratives of papal infallibility debates.  In this essay--a unique guide to little known converts--Reinhard not only considers the contributions of converts who wrote or were involved in publishing periodicals, but also those who influenced the infallibility debates through relationships, as confidants and correspondents.  Of the sixteen people highlighted in this essay, two Cambridge men and two women are included as members of the broader Oxford Movment who influenced the infallibility debates during their Catholic years."

Ephesians 6:10-18: A Call to Personal Piety or Another Way of Describing Union with Christ?

by Donna Hawk-Reinhard

The role of religion and spirituality on the quality of life of rare diseases patients

by Ioan Popoviciu

Salomea Popoviciu, Delia Birle, Serban Olah (2012). Review of Research and Social Intervention.

This study explored the relationship between religious beliefs and spiritual beliefs and the quality of life of... more This study explored the relationship between religious beliefs and spiritual beliefs and the quality of life of Romanian rare disease patients. Specifically, the study, firstly, analyzed the correlations between self-reported life satisfaction and
participants’ beliefs in heaven, afterlife and God. Secondly, correlations between self-reported optimism and participants’ belief in the role of spirituality and life meaning were studied. Thirdly, the relationship between self-reported health and
church attendance, importance of church and importance God for Romanian rare disease patients were examined. Implications for social workers, counselors and health providers were also discussed.

THEORIAS - Réseau international de chercheurs pour la théorisation transdisciplinaire de la spiritualité

by Jean Ehret

On February 18, 2012, an international network for the transdisciplinary theorization of spirituality was founded at... more On February 18, 2012, an international network for the transdisciplinary theorization of spirituality was founded at the Catholic University of Louvain. People interested may find the statutes in this document. For more information and for joining the group, please email me.

The Nature of Soul

by Author Sam Oliver

Soul

It is the nature of soul to grow, to heal, and to love. As we enter into the world, we emerge as a tiny child. We are... more It is the nature of soul to grow, to heal, and to love. As we enter into the world, we emerge as a tiny child. We are open. We do not have conditions placed on us by our parents or ourselves. We have not closed ourselves off from any possibility. It is though the world lay at our feet. We are a bundle of unconditioned purity.

As we age, conditions are placed on us to direct us along our paths intended to keep us from harm. Even if we manage to stay out of harms way, we move into a state of stimulus-response reactions toward life. This draws us further and further away from the natural state of pure being we came into the world with as an infant.

How can we return to our natural state of being? How can we call our soul back and gain a sense of spiritual well-being? The following are ways we can return to the wholeness and healing we seek as spiritual beings incarnated into the human race:

1. Do Something Creative.

Creativity engages our heart, our mind, and our imagination. These activities allow us to utilize our whole being. Our attention moves from outer expressions of the world and enters the inner dynamics of living giving rise to our heart and our imagination. When our heart and our imagination are given attention, we enter into the realm of insight. Insight is our ability to see from within just how sacred and magical our lives really are.

In the realm of soul, our humanity becomes sacred. Through creativity we are aware how life flows through us and not from us. The more we identify with these qualities of attention flowing through us, the more we are identifying with qualities residing in us that are whole and healing. It is our natural state.

2. Spend Time With A Child.

Children have a way of drawing our attention away from activities and responsibilities defining us as adults. All a child wants to do in this world is have fun. They seem to never tire of such activities. Children are constantly motivated by play.

As adults, we tend to think of play as wasted time. Adults who lose a sense of play and joy in their lives are in danger of losing self-motivation. The kind of self-motivation I am referring to involves the desire to have fun in life. This can lead to a depressive state lacking creativity, spontaneity, and the heart of a child.

Each of us has the heart of a child within us that never tires. It is the part of us fully participating in and with life. As our imagination and heart begin to guide us over the mind, we are in soul. In soul, our mind is in its proper perspective. This part of us is our inner awareness not bound by the pressures of the world. When we return to soul, the possibility of living whole and healed becomes a reality.

3. Become A Child.

The next time you look into a child's eyes try to feel their heart. Notice the difference and similarities of your heart and their heart. Is there a difference? Is this awareness a long or short distance from where you were as a child?

What happened to that little boy or little girl inside you? Since we cannot retrieve childhood physically, maybe we can from within. Remember your past as a child - the good times and the bad times. As you look at your life through the eyes of a child, recall how active your heart and imagination were. Embrace it. Let this inner vision penetrate your entire awareness. Let go of your adult interpretations of your childhood and view it with innocence and love.

Our true nature is to live in the world without being fully of it. Inside us are endless avenues that can move us toward the experience of joy. When we let go of our tendency to view the world as right or wrong, good or bad, we leave behind dualism and enter into Unity.

This Unity behind all appearances of diversity is a healing state of unconditional love. It is the part of us bringing all life into being, leading us through life, and what will lead us home. It is the force of nature giving us life. It is our soul.


Sam Oliver

The Cult of the Cross in the Order of the Temple

by Jochen Schenk

published in As Ordens Militares. Freires, Guerreiros, Cavaleiros. Actas do VI Encontro sobre Ordens Militares, Vol. 1, GEsOS / Município de Palmela (Palmela, 2012), 207–219

Archangel Michael: How Can We Know Him? Part I

by Bill Trusiewicz

On the one hand we might think it presumptuous to recommend a conscious relationship with such an exalted being as an... more On the one hand we might think it presumptuous to recommend a conscious relationship with such an exalted being as an Archangel as the title suggests. But on the other hand our own thoughts are something with which we are intimately familiar, and the fact that the being who has been called The Fiery Thought King of the Universe weaves in and out of our thought-world might make a relationship with him not quite so difficult to imagine. As is often the case, once we begin to explore something new and start to gather concepts or inner pictures connected to it, we discover facts with which we already have a certain familiarity, and are thus able to find a certain “foothold” on our new path of exploration. So the natural thing would be to investigate some of the facts that spiritual science presents us with concerning the being we usually call Archangel Michael in an effort to begin, or to further, our conscious connection with him. My intention in writing this article is not to be comprehensive, dealing in depth with the multitude of aspects that might be noted in connection with the being of Michael (that would take many books), but to explore just a few salient points, each in a series of articles on the subject, in a lively manner that may stimulate us to a fresh awareness and further exploration. I expect much of this to be familiar to those who are students of spiritual science, and I offer it simply as a reflection aimed to stimulate and enliven our thinking.

Daoist Spirituality

by Alexander Chow

In Dictionary of Christian Spirituality, ed. Glen G. Scorgie (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), 388-389.

Piercing the Veil of Language: How to Achieve Intuitive Knowledge in Meditative Reading

by Bill Trusiewicz

Part I of a two-part article published in "Starlight," the Sophia Foundation of North America newsletter, vol. 8, No 2, Fall 2008

Piercing the Veil of Language: How to Achieve Intuitive Knowledge in Meditative Reading, Part I, is the first of two... more Piercing the Veil of Language: How to Achieve Intuitive Knowledge in Meditative Reading, Part I, is the first of two articles, in which a groundwork is laid upon which intuitive knowledge may be achieved.

Two prerequisites are discussed: a courage to face ambiguity, paradoxes and the like; and the ability to make a distinction between merely abstract ideas, what often masquerades as higher perception, and the "real thing."

Following this, eight suggestions are offered towards understanding what meditative reading involves.

The Disciplines of Wonder: Thoughts on the Theological Calling in the Academy

by Kevin L Hughes

This is a paper I first wrote almost ten years ago. It was written in anger, and there may be traces still of that... more This is a paper I first wrote almost ten years ago. It was written in anger, and there may be traces still of that rage.  It emerges out of the frustrations that can come as we attempt to navigate the white-water of an academic career while still trying to hold onto our sense of vocation. I propose a kind of remedial re-orientation to the field and suggest certain practices or habits that may facilitate a wider and deeper sense of our theological vocation. I haven't published it, but it occurred to me that it might find good use here.

6. Il "Paradiso" dei sensi. Per una metaforologia sinestetica in Dante

by Valentina Atturo

published in "Critica del testo", XIV/2, 2011, "Dante, oggi"/2, pp. 425-264.
An expanded version in a new monographic book (forthcoming).

The study deals with the synaesthetic webs of sensorial metaphors, which, placed in a more articulated intratextual... more The study deals with the synaesthetic webs of sensorial metaphors, which, placed in a more articulated intratextual context, are most apt for transforming in experience Dante’s journey in «Paradiso». In the cognitive-perceptive system of the «Comedy», Dante depicts the most intense moments of paradisiacal ascent through a tactile, gustatory and olfactive perception leading to the point of mystical “conjunction” /SIGHT + TOUCH/ (Pd. 33, 80-81).
In conformity with the philosophical and theological reflection typical of Cisterciensian and Victorin authors, Dante prefers an approach grounded on the “affections” (affectiones) rather than one more focused on rationality, within the parameters of the Spiritual Senses doctrine. From this more affective standpoint, Dante pushes the viator’s will towards ever more profound mental dimensions.

Earthly Music, Interior Hearing, and Celestial Harmonies. Philippe de Monte’s First Book of Spiritual Madrigals (1581)

by Daniele V. Filippi

Published in «Journal of the Alamire Foundation», 3/2, 2011, 208-234.

This article examines Philippe de Monte’s first book of spiritual madrigals, underlining the pioneering character of... more This article examines Philippe de Monte’s first book of spiritual madrigals, underlining the pioneering character of this collection in the history of the genre and its relationships with the Jesuits. Two new text attributions, to Vittoria Colonna and Laura Battiferri, are discussed within an overall description of the book, its themes, and its structure. Three madrigals dealing with spiritual themes in terms of musical metaphors and imagery are analyzed in the context of sixteenth-century ideas on music and Christian spirituality, and as an open reflection by Monte on the real value of music beyond the ephemeral appreciation of human judgement.

The Spiritual Self: Toward a Conceptualization of Spiritual Identity Development.

by Timothy B. Smith

Boris Mouravieff et l'ésotérisme chrétien

by Olivier Santamaria

Slavica Bruxellensia, n°3, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Juin 2009

Boris Mouravieff (1890-1966) est l'auteur d'articles et d'ouvrages touchant à l'histoire politique de la Russie ainsi... more Boris Mouravieff (1890-1966) est l'auteur d'articles et d'ouvrages touchant à l'histoire politique de la Russie ainsi qu'à la tradition ésotérique chrétienne. A partir de son oeuvre principale dans le domaine ésotérique, Gnôsis (3 tomes), ainsi que quelques-uns de ses articles récemment réunis en volume, je tente de préciser ce que l'auteur entend par "ésotérisme". Je décris ses sources (hésychasme, etc) et présente aussi la société qu'il a fondé, le Centre d'Etudes Chrétiennes Esotériques (CECE, Genève).

(keywords : esotérisme chrétien ; christian esotericism ; Russie ; hésychasme ; philocalie ; gurdjieff)

"I'm a Human, Not a Statue": Saints and Saintliness in the Church of Punk Rock

by Michael Iafrate

Paper presented at the Catholic Theological Society of America annual convention, San Jose, California, June 10, 2011.

In agreement with theologians who are noting how popular music fulfills a religious function in people's lives, this... more In agreement with theologians who are noting how popular music fulfills a religious function in people's lives, this paper gives a brief overview of the emergence of punk rock communities in the 1970s and '80s and the various ways that punk functions “religiously” for its participants. It then analyzes the way punk rock lifts up exemplars or “saints” who embody the diverse and often conflicting ideals of this movement and the ways in which punk rock “saints” challenge mainstream rock's patterns of “rock star religiosity.” Finally, it argues that this internal debate about the meaning of “saintly” figures in rock music has much to teach the Roman Catholic Church in its current debates about the meaning of saints in postmodern culture and that it can also provide an important critique of the enthusiasm with which emerging theologies of popular music approach rock music as a “religion.”

Prayer as therapeutic process toward aliveness and compassion

by Karen Kuchan

Abstract This article underscores the potential benefit of a specific form of Christian prayer that creates space... more Abstract This article underscores the potential benefit of a specific form of Christian prayer that creates space within a spiritual direction relationship for the creation of inner images that reveal a person’s unconscious relational longings and co-created representations of God. In this specific type of prayer that can be facilitated by mental health professionals and pastoral counselors, imagery of God’s presence is created in the space between a Christian spiritual director and a Christian directee while they are open to inner experiences that reveal God’s presence interacting with infantile processes toward aliveness. Aliveness is understood using Winnicottian notions in dialog with theories proposed by Allan N. Schore, affective neuropsychologist and Clinical Faculty at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Ann Belford Ulanov, Jungian Analyst and Professor of Psychiatry and Religion at Union Theological Seminary and W.R.D., British psy- choanalyst in the Objects Relations School. Ideas of transitional space, good enough mother, holding environment, aggression, creativity, and play are set alongside theories of affect regulation, the developing brain, co-created objective God images, the relational nature of God and being received as good while illuminating three prayer experiences during one 30-year-old Asian American woman’s 16-month therapeutic process toward aliveness.

" Supradicta Tibi Franciscum Carmina Pingunt": The Icon of Saint Francis of Assisi in Henry of Avranches' Legenda Versificata

by Michael Della Penna

Faith in the Familiar

by Kim Knibbe

original of the PhD-thesis defended in 2007