How Do I Connect with God? Understanding Different Expressions of Christian Spirituality
This statement won't surprise you: we're all different. This is one of the greatest challenges of Christian community. Somehow, we're expected to love God, love each other and work together as God's people, the Church. That's easier said than done! On one hand, we are called to learn to love and see ourselves, our unique traits, as valuable (Gen 1), but on the other hand we are "[...] Buried with Christ through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life" (Rom 6:4). The word the Apostle Paul uses in Romans 6:4 translated here as "new" comes from the Greek word kainos which may be better translated as "a new quality(or state) of life". Paul isn't saying that baptism "freshens" us up, as the translation seems to say. Paul is literally saying that the Christian life is a transformative experience and we're not, in his mind, the same people after we are baptized and sanctified. So, this is a struggle in the Christian faith: we are called to recognize the unique ways we've been made and gifted, but, at the same time, called to yield ourselves to the transfiguring leading of God and change.
What I'd like to do in this blog is talk about this tension of both embracing ourselves and leaving room for God to change us. I'll do this through talking about the different spiritual "types", or expressions, based on Corinne Ware's Discovering Your Spiritual Type and by discussing a specific example from Jesus' teaching. *In the book, Ware discusses these types using Myers-Briggs terminology and it's a good read if you're into personality tests and such.
According to Ware, there are two different sources from which our individual spirituality flows. The first source is called the Kataphatic (Greek again). Without getting overly complicated, Kataphatic spirituality focuses on what can be known about God in words or images. It uses content and known information to connect with God and values competency with God. The person who is more kataphatic in their spirituality would enjoy reading Paul's letter to the Romans, descriptions of God in the Psalms and the theological lyrics of hymns.
On the other side of the spectrum is the Apothetic. Apothetic spirituality is more focused on mystery and action of God. It's more what we might think as "spiritual". Someone who is more Apothetic in their spirituality might really enjoy sitting silent in God's presence or volunteering at a food bank. In Apothetic spirituality, words or ideas aren't used as much when connecting with God, but instead a person finds content and meaning during an action or in meditative prayer. For them, God, or experience, becomes the content.
I hope you're still with me here...
Ware's types breakdown from the Kataphatic and Apothetic to four types of spirituality as seen in this image: (Image courtesy of Jaco J. Hamman)
By this point, you probably recognize what type(s) of spirituality you most connect with. In my experience, most people identify with at least two. Can you see what types best describe your personal spirituality? You may even be able to notice what types best describe others. For example, you can imagine that the great Martin Luther King Jr's spirituality falls into type 4.
It's important to know where you fall on this diagram because it's how you naturally connect with God. Knowing your type will help you nurture your spiritual life rather than let it slip away. It's also important, though, to see how other's express their spirituality. For example, I typically don't benefit from doing things like lifting my hands in worship (type 2 might), but that doesn't mean that it's not an important action for others. When it comes to personal spirituality, there's no right or wrong way, as long as it's genuine. Knowing the different types can help us respect others and be overly critical.
However, do you think there's a danger in only staying within the spiritual practices that you're most comfortable with? I think so, but we shouldn't ignore them either. It's a balance. Discipleship is no easy process. It takes discernment. It's about growing into the image of Christ. Becoming more like Christ implies stepping out of comforts and into the places where God is seeking to change us, bearing in mind that we're all wired certain ways.
Do you remember my fist blog about the rich young ruler? It's interesting to think through these spiritual types when reading of different characters in scripture. In the case of the rich young ruler (Mt 19:16-21), he probably would be a type 1. As much as following God's commands and focusing on what can be known through God's word is important, it led the man to a relationship with doctrine and not God's sacrificial heart. Sadly, it's possible. Jesus sees that the rich young ruler is unbalanced in his spirituality. Jesus wants our knowledge of him to influence our actions and permeate through all that we do.
As you pray this week, ask God to reveal the imbalances in your spiritual norms. Could volunteering or helping someone be a good step for you to take to re-ignite your spiritual life?
It might be interesting for you to know that I'm not a type 4. How is that possible if I work an "Outreach job"? To be honest, taking action isn't as natural for me as I wish it was. I do, though, admire type 4's very much! I notice, though, that Jesus provides me with opportunities to take my faith into action everyday. Part of my daily discipleship process is asking God for guidance so I make sure I'm following his lead and not only my preferences. I often find in the midst of volunteering, for example, at Boys and Girls Club, God draws near to me and teaches me about him. Sometimes when it feels like we're stepping out, we're stepping into God's will.
What about you? How to do find this balance between embracing and caring for your spiritual type and at the same time being challenged to change into Christ's image?
What I'd like to do in this blog is talk about this tension of both embracing ourselves and leaving room for God to change us. I'll do this through talking about the different spiritual "types", or expressions, based on Corinne Ware's Discovering Your Spiritual Type and by discussing a specific example from Jesus' teaching. *In the book, Ware discusses these types using Myers-Briggs terminology and it's a good read if you're into personality tests and such.
According to Ware, there are two different sources from which our individual spirituality flows. The first source is called the Kataphatic (Greek again). Without getting overly complicated, Kataphatic spirituality focuses on what can be known about God in words or images. It uses content and known information to connect with God and values competency with God. The person who is more kataphatic in their spirituality would enjoy reading Paul's letter to the Romans, descriptions of God in the Psalms and the theological lyrics of hymns.
On the other side of the spectrum is the Apothetic. Apothetic spirituality is more focused on mystery and action of God. It's more what we might think as "spiritual". Someone who is more Apothetic in their spirituality might really enjoy sitting silent in God's presence or volunteering at a food bank. In Apothetic spirituality, words or ideas aren't used as much when connecting with God, but instead a person finds content and meaning during an action or in meditative prayer. For them, God, or experience, becomes the content.
I hope you're still with me here...
Ware's types breakdown from the Kataphatic and Apothetic to four types of spirituality as seen in this image: (Image courtesy of Jaco J. Hamman)
It's important to know where you fall on this diagram because it's how you naturally connect with God. Knowing your type will help you nurture your spiritual life rather than let it slip away. It's also important, though, to see how other's express their spirituality. For example, I typically don't benefit from doing things like lifting my hands in worship (type 2 might), but that doesn't mean that it's not an important action for others. When it comes to personal spirituality, there's no right or wrong way, as long as it's genuine. Knowing the different types can help us respect others and be overly critical.
However, do you think there's a danger in only staying within the spiritual practices that you're most comfortable with? I think so, but we shouldn't ignore them either. It's a balance. Discipleship is no easy process. It takes discernment. It's about growing into the image of Christ. Becoming more like Christ implies stepping out of comforts and into the places where God is seeking to change us, bearing in mind that we're all wired certain ways.
Do you remember my fist blog about the rich young ruler? It's interesting to think through these spiritual types when reading of different characters in scripture. In the case of the rich young ruler (Mt 19:16-21), he probably would be a type 1. As much as following God's commands and focusing on what can be known through God's word is important, it led the man to a relationship with doctrine and not God's sacrificial heart. Sadly, it's possible. Jesus sees that the rich young ruler is unbalanced in his spirituality. Jesus wants our knowledge of him to influence our actions and permeate through all that we do.
As you pray this week, ask God to reveal the imbalances in your spiritual norms. Could volunteering or helping someone be a good step for you to take to re-ignite your spiritual life?
It might be interesting for you to know that I'm not a type 4. How is that possible if I work an "Outreach job"? To be honest, taking action isn't as natural for me as I wish it was. I do, though, admire type 4's very much! I notice, though, that Jesus provides me with opportunities to take my faith into action everyday. Part of my daily discipleship process is asking God for guidance so I make sure I'm following his lead and not only my preferences. I often find in the midst of volunteering, for example, at Boys and Girls Club, God draws near to me and teaches me about him. Sometimes when it feels like we're stepping out, we're stepping into God's will.
What about you? How to do find this balance between embracing and caring for your spiritual type and at the same time being challenged to change into Christ's image?
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