Over the past few decades, many church-related individuals and groups have been talking more and more about “spirituality” or “spiritual direction” or “spiritual formation.” In contrast, some religious leaders have described themselves as religious but not very spiritual. Perhaps most surprisingly, or not, some US courts are inclined to classify atheism as a religion.
In all this confusion, seminaries and theological faculties of various denominations are increasingly requiring trainee pastors to undertake some sort of training in “spiritual” activities, and to accommodate this many groups and institutions offer courses and certificates in such activities or studies. Much of this “training” is assumed to be basically “Christian,” but if so, how?
The current attention to matters “spiritual” is nothing new. Throughout church history, such movements crop up when the church apparently becomes ossified through tradition or bureaucracy or some other stagnating phenomena. When people think that churches are not “going places,” they implement all manner of changes “led by the spirit” to make worship or congregational life more “spiritual” or “relevant” or “experiential.” In Lutheran history, German figures such as Philipp Jakob Spener (1635-1705) and August Hermann Francke (1663-1727) were very influential starting pietistic renewals. Hans Nielsen Hauge (1771-1824), a Norwegian, lead movements to revitalize the church which amounted to “church within the church.” Likewise, in the 18th century, Charles and John Wesley led similar movements in the Church of England which eventually gave rise to the Methodist churches. In one way or another, consciously or not, all these have influenced American Lutheranism.
Taken as a whole, these movements share notions of “spiritual formation” as a means to help people develop their relationship with God through various “disciplines” or “practices.” Admittedly, it is hard to find “fault” with many of these disciplines or practices, such as prayer or reading sacred texts or confession or fasting or … Predating Protestant manifestations, such activities were and are very prevalent in the “religious life” of nuns and monks both Christian and non-Christian alike. So, how does a Buddhist monk’s prayer, chanting, meditation, fasting and such differ from a Christian monk’s prayer, chanting, mediation, fasting and so forth? To take a non-religious example, if everyone is eating ice-cream, does it matter which flavour one chooses as long as one is eating ice-cream? Taking a religious example, if churches consume liquids during worship does it matter that some consume wine or grape juice or poisoned punch, like in Jonestown, Guyana? What credentials (from Latin credo = I believe) should “spiritual directors” possess, and what “possesses” them to become spiritual directors in the first place? Even if they have credentials from a religious organization or group, how do such people differ from “personal trainers” found at the local gym in terms of being part of a “team” or body of believers as are Christians in the body of Christ?
Well acquainted with the intricacies of the religious life, Martin Luther recalls his “tower experience” in the Preface to his Latin Writings,
“Though I lived as a monk without reproach, I felt that I was a sinner before God with an extremely disturbed conscience. I could not believe that he was placated by my satisfaction… At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the words, namely, “In it the righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, ‘He who through faith is righteous shall live.’” There I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith. And this is the meaning: the righteousness of God is revealed by the gospel, namely, the passive righteousness with which merciful God justifies us by faith, as it is written, “He who through faith is righteous shall live.” Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates. There a totally other face of the entire Scripture showed itself to me. Thereupon I ran through the Scriptures from memory. I also found in other terms an analogy, as, the work of God, that is, what God does in us, the power of God, with which he makes us strong, the wisdom of God, with which he makes us wise, the strength of God, the salvation of God, the glory of God” (LW 34:336-337).
Likewise in his explanation to the third article of the creed in his Small Catechism, Luther writes,
“I believe that by my own reason or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him. But the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, and sanctified and preserved me in true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth and preserves it in union with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church he daily and abundantly forgives all my sins, and the sins of all believers, and on the last day he will raise me and all the dead and will grant eternal life to me and to all who believe in Christ. This is most certainly true.”
As both scripture and our confessional writings show, nothing within our sinful human power or determination or effort, whether “spiritual” or “religious” or “religiously spiritual” or even “religiously atheistic” can foster, fabricate, or fix our broken relationship with God. In fact, such attempts to make our sinful flesh more religious are, in fact, not spiritual because they actually lead us away from the God who comes to us. To think or believe otherwise, sadly, disavows Christ’s incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection.
Viewed rightly then, “spiritual direction” in the Christian faith manifests itself as God’s word and sacraments coming “extra nos” (outside ourselves) to us to lead us lost sinners out of and away from the powers of sinful flesh and death to be “altogether born again to enter paradise itself through open gates,” as Luther states. This is the work of the Holy Spirit solely through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
So, take some time to stand or sit still for a sermon or for Sunday School or to read your Bible or to pray. In other words, stop moving the target so that God can come directly to you as directly as possible to you so that you will then be directed by his word to bear his word to others. That is what it means for us to be “called as a community of Christians saved by grace – through faith alone in Jesus Christ – to spread the Holy Gospel in word, sacrament and action soli deo gloria,” as St. Luke’s mission statement declares.
