This document discusses contemporary approaches to spirituality and prayer. It covers the author's Christian tradition of Disciples of Christ and their emphasis on Bible study, community, and the Lord's Table. It also explores meditative prayer, contemplative prayer, yoga, and other related prayer practices like Lectio Divina and the Jesus Creed. Challenges with new spiritual practices like syncretism and appropriation are mentioned. The conclusion emphasizes that various prayer forms can deepen one's prayer life when grounded in scripture and Christian traditions of silence, presence, and accountability.
2. Contemporary Context
My Tradition, Disciples of Christ (SCM)
Word Based
Bible reading and study
Extemporaneous prayer
Community Characteristics
Congregational, local and democratic
Importance of Lord’s Table
Aversion to creeds and theological language
Unity of all followers of Jesus
5. Yoga
Buddhist and Hindu Christian
Variety of underlying
theologies and techniques
Technique not always related
to a particular theology
Mantras, breathing, posture
Divine in all of us – body as
micro/macrocosm
Inculturation
Interreligious dialogue
Ecumenism
Migration and immigration
Hesychasm – Symeon the
New Theologian
Trinitarian
10. Marks of Spirituality
New Millenium Prayers of the Body
Tradition – Bible,
Benedictine, Heyschasm
Contemplative/Mysticism
Interfaith
Biblical basis
Mantra/touchstone
Habit forming
13. New Directions
Develop a Biblical basis
Focus on building community, including leadership
and need for accountability
Integration and education
My challenge - draw on tradition of respecting
intellectual authorities
14. Conclusion
Many prayer forms – no highest form
Listening, silence, and being present can be nurtured
Biblical basis, and ecumenical tradition can contribute
to new prayer forms and a deeper prayer life
Hinweis der Redaktion
Conversational – use words.
Mystical – experience, intuition, sudden inbreaking of Spirit.
Photo from Lisadelay.com
Photo from St. John’ Bible
Recovering past practices, and also addressing contemporary needs with new techniques. May also be “baptizing” or inculturating cultural phenemonea. There is a backlash in some Protestant communities over the Emerging church because of some of these practices. Labyrinth photo taken by Niall Batson, Grace Cathedral, San Francisco.
There is a need to address the whole person, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Prayer can address issues of mental and physical health, though the focus of these prayer practices is spiritual health.