The characterisation of the Spiritual Christian: In conversation with God according to 1 Corinthians 2

Dirk Van Der Merwe

doi:10.4102/hts.v74i3.4968

Abstract

Irrespective of the short academic history of Christian spirituality, a vast number of academic and popular publications ensued and is still dynamically growing. Many definitions have been proposed to define (Christian) spirituality. Spirituality is also no longer connected only to religion, although in this research the focus will fall on Christian spirituality. This research intends to partake in the continuing academic dialogue to define Christian spirituality. Christian spirituality is interpreted from the perspective of the divine-human conversation. This research consists of three sections. In the first section, a working definition of Christian spirituality is formulated. In the second section, various aspects that constitute spiritualities are distinguished and discussed. In the last section, the constituents of Christian spirituality are pointed out and are reviewed from a conversational perspective. The focus will be on ‘the experience of the divine’ when living a life that resonates with the Christian life.

Highlights

The emergence of Postmodernism, with its consciousness of ‘relativism, subjectivism, seeing language as imprecise and ambiguous’ (Kysar 2007:158), constituted a religious paradigm shift in Western culture
One of the good things that emerged from postmodernity is that it prepared the way for this interest, in Christian spirituality
This research began with the formulation of a definition of Christian spirituality that provided the stepping stone in the search for understanding what is meant by ‘Christian spirituality’

Summary

Introduction

The emergence of Postmodernism, with its consciousness of ‘relativism, subjectivism, seeing language as imprecise and ambiguous’ (Kysar 2007:158), constituted a religious paradigm shift in Western culture. Is Christian spirituality in particular mounted on or outlined in terms of an experience (see Hurtado and Johnson) with the risen Jesus Christ (or God) through his Spirit or from the imitation of Jesus’ life (see 1 Cor 11:1; cf Phlp 2:5; 1 Thess 1:6; 1 Jn 2:6)?15

Results

Conclusion