Spiritual Discernment Research Articles

The Orthodox Religious Publications in Romania from the Classical Printing to Online Editions

"Abstract A research on the rise and decline of the Romanian Orthodox religious media in the last 30 years cannot ignore the paradigm shifts caused by the emergence of new information and communication technologies and the global Internet network. The theological and spiritual contents do not instantly adapt to technological innovations and, therefore, the printing press remains a space for reflection in religious communication, between the opportunities and risks of rapid change. The transition of religious publications from print editions to online editions is necessary. However, by virtue of spiritual discernment, it requires a balance between tradition and renewal. This balance is kept due to three elements: the respect for the heritage of the printed sacred culture, the pastoral care for the older generations and the awareness of the responsibility for the unaltered transmission of the spiritual content of faith to the generation of digital natives. Keywords: Internet, newspapers, online edition, print edition, religious media"

SPIRITUAL DETERMINANTS AND SITUATIONAL CONTINGENCIES OF TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP

There is a strong evidence that transformational leadership gives rise to loftier motivation among the teaching staff, creative school innovation, enhanced learning results among students and critical openness to diversity in society. Little is known how school leaders can become better transformational leaders. Our research among school leaders of the Salesian schools in India seeks to verify if higher performance of transformational leadership is influenced by spiritual determinants (spiritual discernment, spiritual traits, spiritual capital, and spiritual experience), besides situational contingencies pertaining to personal profile and institutional features. The findings reveal that the prevalent leadership style in Salesian schools is transformational, and that it is strongly predicted by a combined spiritual trait of self-directed-cooperativeness and spiritual discernment, and moderately predicted by the situational contingencies of schools being private and having lesser student strength.

Dreams and Visions

This article develops a narrative framework toward a methodology for my research exploring the call and practice of pioneer ministers in the Church of England. I argue for a critical realist perspective as a means of affirming and valuing spiritual experience as a locus for knowledge. Drawing on the work of Alasdair MacIntyre and NT Wright a narrative framework of “intelligibility” is developed in which to place such testimonies of experience. This framework is then shaped by a biblical pneumatology whereby the work of salvation is driven forward toward the telos of the Kingdom by the mediation of the Holy Spirit. The value of this framework is explored in light of my future research into the experiences of pioneer ministers for whom discerning the missio Dei is a key part of their call and ongoing ministry in innovative mission and ecclesial reimagination. Attention is therefore given to the implications of this for practical theology and for spiritual discernment as a part of a methodology of empirical research.

Rozeznawanie duchowe w kontekście Katolickiej Odnowy Charyzmatycznej

Bóg od chwili stworzenia prowadzi dialog z człowiekiem. Przez grzech został on bardzo utrudniony. Dlatego słowa wypowiedziane przez ludzi w imieniu Boga podlegają duchowemu rozeznawaniu. Kościół jest zbudowany na fundamencie apostołów i proroków. Słowa wypływające z autentycznego natchnienia Bożego budują Kościół i przyczyniają się do pomnożenia pokoju oraz wzrostu w miłości. Istnieją jednak również fałszywe proroctwa. Rozeznawaniu duchowemu podlega nie tylko treść proroctw, lecz również osoba proroka. Liczy się zarówno ich zgodność z nauką Kościoła, jak również owoce, jakie rodzą one we wspólnocie, do której są skierowane. W sercu Katolickiej Odnowy Charyzmatycznej jest wsłuchiwanie się w słowa Boże, rozeznawanie ich i przekazywanie innym. Pierwszymi odpowiedzialnymi za ich duchowe rozeznawanie są odpowiedzialni za wspólnotę, a w sposób szczególny prezbiterzy i biskupi.

Rozeznawanie woli Bożej według św. Ignacego Loyoli

Rozeznawanie woli Bożej i jej wypełnianie stanowią jedne z najważniejszych zadań, jakie stają przed każdym chrześcijaninem. Bóg wzywa ludzi wierzących, aby rozeznawali wszystko, co jest miłe Panu (por. Ef 5, 10). „Dzisiaj szczególnie potrzebna stała się postawa rozeznawania” (Papież Franciszek, Gaudete et exsultate, nr 167). Szczególną pomocą w odpowiedzi na to wezwanie Pana Boga są pisma św. Ignacego Loyoli, zwłaszcza jego Ćwiczenia duchowe.W niniejszym artykule podejmuję analizę ignacjańskich Reguł rozeznawania duchów oraz Reguł dokonywania wyboru, umieszczając je w kontekście potrzeby rozeznawania duchowego oraz niezbędnych warunków, jakie należy spełniać, aby było ono możliwe. Głęboko duchowe, uniwersalne, ponadczasowe, a jednocześnie precyzyjne i pragmatyczne wskazówki św. Ignacego są niezwykłą pomocą, także dla współczesnych chrześcijan, w procesie właściwego rozeznania konkretnej woli Bożej i wypełniania jej w codziennym życiu mocą Ducha Świętego.

Obecność i działanie Ducha Świętego w Eucharystii a postawy duchowe kapłana i wiernych

Posoborowa odnowa liturgiczna coraz bardziej podkreśla obecność i działanie Ducha Świętego w Eucharystii i przez to uzupełnia wielowiekowe braki w teologii Eucharystii i w jej celebracji. Artykuł ukazuje najpierw brak wyraźnych odniesień do Ducha Świętego w przedsoborowej liturgii i w encyklice Mediator Dei Piusa XII (1947). Doceniając odnowę liturgiczną, rozpatruje Konstytucję Sacrosanctum Concilium i wskazuje na pneumatologiczne granice owej konstytucji. W zasadniczej części autor dokonuje rozeznania natury działania Ducha Świętego w poszczególnych częściach Eucharystii, podejmując zarazem moralne i duchowe rozeznanie postaw kapłana i wiernych, jakiego domaga się udział w Eucharystii przeżywany w Duchu Świętym.

Ignatian Spirituality and Career Development: New Evidence for Age-Old Practices

Given the importance of career discernment in emerging adulthood, we evaluated an understudied career development approach for higher education students. Specifically, we tested the relationship between spiritual discernment exercises and sense of purpose and calling through the indirect effects of self-concept clarity, career decision self-efficacy, and knowledge of occupational information. Participants ( N = 127) were randomly assigned to one of the three conditions and were surveyed at a 10-week interval. Results indicated significantly higher posttest scores for purpose ( B = .169, p = .026) and calling ( B = .134, p = .013) in the spiritual discernment condition compared to the general adjustment (i.e., control) and traditional career development conditions. Mediation analyses also revealed a significant indirect effect of self-concept clarity on sense of purpose ( Bab = .059, p = .033). These findings suggest that spiritual discernment practices can significantly enhance the effectiveness of career development interventions for discerning purpose and calling.

세심에서 영적 자유로의 길: 영적 식별의 관점에서 살펴본 『영신수련』의 세심에 관한 해석학적 고찰

세심에서 영적 자유로의 길: 영적 식별의 관점에서 살펴본 『영신수련』의 세심에 관한 해석학적 고찰

Helpful Models of Theological, Moral, and Spiritual Discernment in Catholicism, Protestantism, and Orthodoxy

This article deals with the theme of the discernment of good and evil from the perspective of three Christian traditions. It is written in a form of a dialogue between three authors, where each represents the voice of one Christian tradition. Dialogue is not just an important part of theological discourse but also an essential element of every kind of discernment since it creates space for a non-fundamentalist approach to truth about God, oneself, and the world. For a better understanding of the conversational flow, which sometimes leads us to associated themes, the article is divided into five parts. Firstly, it speaks about the difference between theological, moral, and spiritual discernment. Secondly, it concentrates on discernment in connection with the different concepts of redemption. Consequently, the article deals with the discernment of good and evil in relationship with the origin of evil. Lastly, it elaborates the present and eschatological aspects of discernment and the role of individuals and community in the process of how Christians discern.

A Response Article to ‘Helpful Models of Theological, Moral, and Spiritual Discernment in Catholicism, Protestantism, and Orthodoxy by Katerina Bauer, František Štěch, and Michaela Kušnieriková’

A Response Article to ‘Helpful Models of Theological, Moral, and Spiritual Discernment in Catholicism, Protestantism, and Orthodoxy by Katerina Bauer, František Štěch, and Michaela Kušnieriková’

Beyond Logic and Intuition: Development and Validation of a Career Discernment Scale

Past research on career decision-making has focused on two distinct modes of decision-making: logic and intuition. In this study, we extend that two-system model of career decision-making and examine the role of two additional decision-making modalities: advice seeking and spiritual discernment. We conducted two independent studies through which we develop and validate a Career Discernment Scale by examining its dimensions and internal reliability (Study 1), followed by research to establish discriminant and convergent validity (Study 2). Results provide initial support for the dimensionality and reliability of four distinct career decision-making factors, demonstrated by a clear factor structure and internal consistency. In addition, our results show evidence of convergent and discriminant validity through expected correlations across a nomological network of individual differences. Overall, this article highlights the unique role of spirituality and advice seeking in career decision-making with implications for career development and practice.

Experiments in Buddhist-Christian Encounter: From Buddha-Nature to the Divine Nature by Peter Feldmeier

Reviewed by: Experiments in Buddhist-Christian Encounter: From Buddha-Nature to the Divine Nature by Peter Feldmeier Duane R. Bidwell (bio) Experiments in Buddhist-Christian Encounter: From Buddha-Nature to the Divine Nature. By Peter Feldmeier. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2019. 261pp. $40.00 Reading and re-reading this complex work by Peter Feldmeier served as my accidental Advent discipline in the last days of 2019—a fortuitous if not providential coincidence. As comparative theology, it is both accessible and immensely learned; as devotional reading, it journeys toward a profoundly Christological destination. The book’s final sentence echoes the Heart Sutra, a key Buddhist text, to proclaim “the great mantra of life, the mantra that eliminates all suffering, all fear, all greed, all separation: alleluia hoti ebasileusen kurios ho theos ho pankrator” (231)—that is: Alleluia! For God, sovereign of the universe, reigns! (Rev. 19.6, my translation) If that’s not Advent material, I need another vocation. Although the final chapter allows “the philosophical presuppositions . . . in the prajnaparamita [ultimate wisdom] of Buddhism to ground the mystery of Christ” (230), this book does not try to synthesize the traditions or search for “the hidden Christian message in Buddhism” (6). It also does not provide a theology of religions or a broad spiritual vision. It is a Christian text that seeks “to help the reader enlarge her own soul” (10–11), shedding light on a Christian spirituality of practice through dialogue with Buddhist wisdom. Feldmeier, professor of Catholic studies at the University of Toledo (Ohio), wants to discern whether dialogue with “Buddhism enlarges our very sense of the sacred, of the cosmos, of ultimate things” (10). The answer, of course, is “yes.” Feldmeier refuses to flatten religious differences while presuming “that different religions, and in this case Buddhism and Christianity, are not so different, so incommensurable, that they cannot understand each other or learn from each other” (6). This search for mutual understanding and enrichment leads to compelling insights: Feldmeier understands Mahayana Buddhism as a theistic tradition; argues that Christians can have satori-like experiences akin to the “initial taste” of enlightenment in Zen Buddhism; and suggests that spiritual depth in both traditions does not necessarily lead to responsible ethics or uses of power. Chapter 1 introduces Feldmeier’s purpose and method, positioning the work as an effort to deepen mutual understanding and enrich Christian perspectives. Chapter 2 summarizes the Buddha’s teachings, especially those central to the text. The four middle chapters compare key concepts and thinkers. Chapter 3 looks at purification and the Dark Night by engaging Buddhaghosa and John of the Cross. Here, Feldmeier acknowledges different doctrinal and metaphysical commitments but affirms a shared agenda at the level of practice: “deconstruction of what and who you think you are” (57). Chapter 4 considers the via negativa of Christianity in light of the Madhyamika understanding of emptiness. Chapter 5 extends this reflection by placing Buddha-nature and the bodhisattva ideal into conversation with the mysticism of Meister Eckhart. Chapter 6 considers spiritual discernment in light of Shantideva and the spiritual exercises of Ignatius of Loyola. The book takes an implicit turn toward devotion in Chapter 7, “Zen Mind / Christian Mind.” Through rich developmental and ethical reflection, including attention to his own Christian satori, Feldmeier concludes that Zen overestimates the transformative power of enlightenment experiences. “I am convinced,” he writes, [End Page 115] “that conversion or radical realization, like all things human, has to be integrated, and the spiritual life has to continue to be cultivated in every aspect of one’s life for one to be fully holy or enlightened” (162). Attending sufficiently to the complexity of the human mind and the realities of finitude leads Feldmeier to a less idealistic vision of transformation. Chapter 8 offers a Christian commentary on the Zen ox-herding pictures as an account of spiritual development. Chapter 9 examines Buddhist experience and Christian grace, highlighting the Pure Land practice of nembutsu, the recitation of Amida Buddha’s name, and the Christian practice of the Jesus Prayer. Chapter 10 provides both a Christian commentary on the Heart Sutra and Feldmeier’s own “Christian Heart Sutra.” The book makes a distinct contribution to comparative theology...

요한 카시아누스와 로욜라 데 이냐시오의 영적 식별 비교 연구

본고는 요한 카시아누스와 로욜라 데 이냐시오 문헌의 비교를 통해서 영적 식별에 관한 이해를 순수한 마음과 지향 그리고 분별의 개념으로 전망했다. 그동안 영적 식별에 관한 선행 연구는 두 가지 방향에서 수행되었는데, 하나는 영적 식별을 주로 방법이나 선택과 관련하여 연구하였고 다른 하나는 카시아누스를 베네딕토 영성의 전통에서, 이냐시오를 신심 운동의 전통에서 개별적으로 진행하였다. 결국 양자의 비교 연구가 거의 수행되지 않았다. 반면에, 저자는 두 영성가의 영적 식별의 비교 연구를 통해 영적 식별을 마음과 지향의 순수성과 분별의 맥락에서 고찰했다. 그리고 나서, 오늘날 영적식별의 더 깊은 이해의 가능성을 제시했다.BR 필자가 본고를 통해서 새롭게 기여하고자 하는 중요한 점은 다음 세 가지다. 첫째, 영적 식별에서 순수한 마음과 지향의 가치를 재발견하고자 했다. 이를 통해 인간은 자신의 뜻과 의지를 내려놓고 순수한 마음과 지향을 통해서 영적 식별의 진정한 목적인 하느님의 뜻을 발견하고 실천할 수 있다. 둘째, 영적 식별에서 하느님의 자비와 겸손함이 갖는 중요성이다. 영적식별은 판단이나 결정이라기보다 사랑의 식별이어야 하고 하느님의 자비에서 출발하는 식별임을 밝히고자 했다. 셋째, 영적 식별은 풍부한 그리스도교 전통의 유산이며 동시에 오늘날 끊임없이 재해석되며 현시대가 마주한 상황을 이해하고 도전을 직면하는 수단임을 밝히고자 했다.BR 카시아누스에게 ‘순수한 마음’이란 분별로 얻어진 열매로 하느님 나라에 들어가고 살기 위한 전제 조건이다. 이냐시오에게 ‘순수한 지향’이란 하느님께 더 큰 영광을 드리는 ‘마지스’(magis)다. 그러므로 이냐시오에게 식별이란 곧 지향의 순수성이 전제되어 기도와 일을 온전히 하느님께 봉헌하기 위한 삶의 태도다. 이러한 연구 결과를 통해서 필자는 우리 시대의 영적 식별의 가르침으로 세 가지를 제시한다. 첫 번째는 끊임없이 성찰하며 하느님께 내맡기는 내적 태도다. 두 번째는 연약함과 부서지기 쉬운 인간의 아픔을 공감하고 경청하는 내적 자세이다. 마지막 세 번째는 무엇보다도 하느님의 사랑과 자비에 의탁하는 식별을 제언하고자 한다.

Mysticism and Prophecy in Early Eighteenth-Century Scotland

In 1709 a group of prophets arrived in Edinburgh proclaiming that Christ had appeared to redeem the nations. They attracted the interest of a community of self-described mystics. The mystics maintained that Christians had a duty to turn inwards and follow the holy spirit in all that they did and believed that Christ would soon appear in spirit to convert the world to their beliefs. Some, therefore, accepted the prophets as harbingers of the millennium. But other mystics remained unconvinced and maintained that spiritual reformation would not appear by outward signs and wonders. The paper introduces the development of mysticism in Scotland. It then examines the debate which emerged after a group of mystics became converts to the prophets’ cause. It shows how mystical prophets successfully converted both mystics and prophets to their cause. In order to grasp the importance of the divisions within the movement, it recovers the discourse of spiritual discernment, which has been obscured by debates about reason and superstition. The prophets needed to prove to their mystical brethren that they were inspired by God and not by the devil.

The numinosity of soul: Andre Delbecq’s legacy for MSR

The purpose of this piece is to offer a sense of Andre Delbecq as the pioneering founder of management, spirituality, and religion (MSR) as a field of scholarly inquiry. In his unique way, André, informed by his solid knowledge of organizational processes and his Christian faith, integrated spirituality into his teaching and scholarship. First I offer an overview of his early career roots which laid the foundation for this work and the impetus for his work on MSR, which defined the later years of his long and distinguished career. Then I review the context and motivations that led to his offering a seminar on Spirituality for Organizational Leadership, from which evolved what he saw as successful strategies for MSR scholarship and teaching. Next, comes an overview of his view of the fundamental role MSR should play in organizational design and culture, with an emphasis on teamwork and decision-making. Following this is an exploration of his groundbreaking work on leadership formation with a focus on the spiritual journey, discernment, and humility as an offset to hubris. Finally his thoughts concerning “Where do we go from here’ are offered.

Spiritual Discernment, the Incorporated Organization, and Corporate Law: The Case of Quaker Business Method

The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which practices from the spiritual traditions—in our case, spiritual discernment—may offer opportunities for management innovation in non-religious organizations in designing collaborative and participative decision-making processes. We examine the case of a spiritual discernment practice associated with the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in the UK—known as the Quaker Business Method (QBM)—to help illuminate the opportunities of spiritual discernment in private limited companies. Given that the majority of non-religious, trading organizations are structured as private limited companies, our paper addresses the extent to which QBM can be utilized by such entities. Thus, we bring religion and corporate law into conversation to address this under-explored terrain. We find that embedding many elements of Quaker spiritual discernment in private limited companies pose non-trivial challenges. However, many of these challenges can be overcome so long as those involved in managing and owning organizations actively engage with corporate law, and specifically consider the benefits of adopting bespoke articles of association or entering into a separate shareholder agreement to reflect the practice of spiritual discernment. We necessarily adopt a practice-orientated perspective, and conclude by proposing new pathways for future research.

Articles and Publications

Articles and Publications Patricia C. O'Donnell This document is available at the Friends Historical Association website: haverford.edu/library/fha The annual Recent Scholarship bibliographies are available at www.quakerhistory.org/ Abolition and Anti-Slavery Makovi, Kinga. "Structural Avenues for Mobilization—the Case of British Abolition." PhD diss., Columbia University, 2018. https://doi.org/10.7916/D81G1T2C Litogot, Lynda M. "Searching for their Voice: Nineteenth-Century White Women's Strategies to Become a Force in the Abolitionist Movement." PhD diss., Wayne State University, 2018. https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_diss.s/1941 Biography and Autobiography Allen, Richard C. "'An Indefatigable Philanthropist': Joseph Tregelles Price (1784–1854) of Neath, Wales." Quaker Studies 23, no. 2 (December 2018), 219–237. Google Scholar Chickering, Jo & Rachel Walker Cogbill. Sunlight & Shadow: Glimpses into the Life of Jo Chickering. Independently published, 2018. Google Scholar Gibbs, Cheryl. "The Quaker Farm Boy and the Wizard of Menlo Park: How C. Francis Jenkins Fought to Keep Thomas Edison from Claiming Credit for One of Jenkins' Most Significant Inventions." PhD diss., Miami University, 2019. https://etd.ohiolink.edu/ Hessayon, Ariel. "The Resurrection of John Lilburne, Quaker." The Journal of the Friends Historical Society 68 (2017), 30-62. Google Scholar New, Melvyn and Robert G. Walker. "Who Killed Tom Cumming the Quaker? Recovering the Life Story of an Eighteenth-Century Adventurer." Modern Philology 116, no. 3 (February 2019), 262-298. Google Scholar Pryce, Elaine. "'A New Order of Things': Benjamin Furly, Quakers and [End Page 49] Quietism in the Seventeenth Century." Quaker Studies 23, no. 2 (December 2018), 191–218. Google Scholar Spector, Jesse I., and Donald Tocher. "The Man Who Would Be the First United States Consul to Jerusalem." La Posta 50, no. 1 (First Quarter 2019), 34-40. On Warder Cresson. Google Scholar Stuttard, John. The Turbulent Quaker of Shaftesbury: John Rutter (1796–1851). Gloucester, UK: Hobnob Press, 2018. Google Scholar Collected Writings Erben, Patrick, Alfred Brophy, and Margo Lambert, eds. The Francis Daniel Pastorius Reader: Writings by an Early American Polymath. University Park, PA: State University Press, 2019. Google Scholar Cope, Rachel and Zachary McLeod Hutchins, eds. The Writings of Elizabeth Webb: A Quaker Missionary in America, 1697–1726. University Park, PA: State University Press, 2019. Google Scholar Ecclesiology Head, Jonathan. "Anne Conway and George Keith on the 'Christ Within.'" Quaker Studies 23, no. 2 (December 2018), 161–177. Google Scholar May, Isaac Barnes. "When History Substitutes for Theology: The Impact of Quaker Scholars' Religious Affiliations on the Study of Nineteenth Century American Quakerism." Religions 9, no. 12 (December 2018), 395. Google Scholar Pink Dandelion. The Cultivation of Conformity: Towards a General Theory of Internal Secularization. London: Routledge, 2019. Google Scholar Pink Dandelion. "Reimagining the 'Hedge': A Fresh Approach to the Question of Quakers and the World." The Journal of the Friends Historical Society 68 (2017), 3-29. Google Scholar Randazzo, Daniel. "The Interdependent Light: A Quaker Theology of Reconciliation." PhD diss., University of Birmingham, 2018. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/8382/ [End Page 50] Van Kuiken, Jerome. "Pelagian or Procrustean? Weighing Hugh Rock's Reading of George Fox and James Arminius." Quaker Studies 23, no. 2 (December 2018), 179–190. Google Scholar Economics, Business, Management Burton, Nicholas; and Jonathan Bainbridge. "Spiritual Discernment, the Incorporated Organization, and Corporate Law: The Case of Quaker Business Method." Religions 10, no. 1 (January 2019), 35. Google Scholar Burton, Nicholas and Richard Turnbull, eds. Quakers, Business and Corporate Responsibility: Lessons and Cases for Responsible Management. Springer International Publishing, 2019. Google Scholar Includes chapters by: Nicholas Burton and Richard Turnbull, "The Quakers: Pioneers of Responsible Management"; Georgeanne Lamont, "Transforming Contemporary Businesses: The Impact of Quaker Principles and Insights on Business in a Volatile World"; John Kimberley, "Towards a Set of Quaker Business Values"; Andrew Fincham, "Cad-bury's Ethics and the Spirit of Corporate Social Responsibility"; Karen Tibbals, "Quaker Employer Conference of 1918"; Mike King, "Honey I Shrunk the State"; Richard Turnbull, "Quakers, Free Trade and Social Responsibility"; Donncha Kavanagh (et al.), "The Quakers and the Joint Stock Company: Uneasy Bedfellows"; Sue Kozel, "Thomas Jefferson's Complicated Friends"; Paul N. Anderson, "John Bellers (1654–1725): 'A Veritable Phenomenon in the History of Political Economy'." Google Scholar Houpt-Varner, Lindsay. "Maintaining Moral Integrity...

Praying with the Senses: Contemporary Orthodox Christian Spirituality in Practice ed. by Sonja Luehrmann†

Reviewed by: Praying with the Senses: Contemporary Orthodox Christian Spirituality in Practice ed. by Sonja Luehrmann† Irina Paert Sonja Luehrmann†, ed. Praying with the Senses: Contemporary Orthodox Christian Spirituality in Practice. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2018. 264 pp. (illustrated). Following the ground-breaking volume edited by Chris Hann on Eastern Christianities from an anthropological perspective, this book is a step forward in the process of breaking with the stereotypes that surround Orthodoxy. It continues the program initiated by Hann in studying Eastern Christianity through ethnographic studies and provides a mature response to the challenges presented in the earlier studies. Focusing on prayer, eight authors engage in a fascinating conversation about various aspects of Orthodox approaches to communication with the divine, emphasizing the material, the practical, and the sensory. The volume engages in a subtle way with the dichotomies that characterize Western Christianity—individual versus communal, logos versus icon, ritual versus theology, institution versus charisma, and so on—dichotomies that are not issues for Eastern Christianity. The volume is exemplary of scholarly collaboration, evident in the ways parts of the book intersect with and cross-reference each other, suggesting effective dialogue and reciprocal learning. Vlad Naumescu draws on examples from his research on Greek Catholics in Ukraine, Old Believers, and the Malabars in India, borrowing the metaphor "mystery and mastery" from an Indian priest and exploring an ethical tradition of Orthodox faith that is passed not through moral prescriptions, but through tradition embodied in holy figures. Drawing parallels between the Protestant born-again experience and the renewal of faith among Orthodox, Naumescu emphasizes that tradition is "the primary source to draw on in order to flourish in the present and [it] provides scope for creativity, expanded agency and virtuous conduct" (45). In his study of the role of media for Orthodox in Greece, Jeffers Engelhard makes a distinction between the marked and unmarked mediation: while the former (electronic, broadcast, and digital media) normally requires spiritual discernment, the latter ("natural" media for Orthodox sounds and messages, such as incense-laden air, human voices and bodies, and bells) does not. He explores how, in Greece, in the moment of post-crisis austerity in 2013, the marked media manifested the "push back to church" for many younger generation Greeks. Angie Heo's contribution on icons in Egypt explores the centrality of the icon in personal identity. Icons are the visual tools for identifying the unknown, an aggregate of various signs of personal identity. She employs Peter Brown's concept of a holy man as a living icon to characterize the popular saintly figures and points out that, while on earth, the holy men and women hide their divine attributes from others to avoid turning the living icon into an idol. Luehrmann's own essay on reading prayers straddles the familiar dichotomies between the individual and the communal by focusing on the anthropology of reading set prayers. Finding a surprising parallel with the evangelical practice of speaking in [End Page 244] tongues, she argues that praying by the book offers "a shift to automatic thinking, marking sacred time and the simultaneous possibility of communal experience and private withdrawal" (136). Yet, unlike the charismatic prayer in tongues, the repetition of the words of people who prayed before brings believers together in a transtemporal community, connecting the living and the dead. The parts of the essay on the role of baptismal names, the importance of paraliturgical akathisto, and the lack of prayers for stillborn infants or those who have committed suicide are brilliant insights enriching Orthodox studies from an anthropological point of view. Jeanne Kormina's essay on practices of prayer in the context of what she calls "religious nomadism" stands out in this volume as she employs a clearly spelled-out model rather than metaphors, distinguishing the fixed, stable form of belief (with the focus on a territorial parish) from the "nomadic," fluid one represented by the pilgrims who believe without belonging. The competition of these two models is illustrated by a case study in which the "fixed" is represented by a priest, while the "nomadic" by Nadiezhda, an active female pilgrim. The process of domestication of Nadiezhda, a "nomadic believer," Kormina argues, occurred as she...

Hrišćansko razumevanje smrti i problem eutanazije - doprinos Međunarodne Komisije za anglikanskopravoslavni teološki dijalog (ICAOTD) - 2016-2019

The author presents the work of the International Commission for AnglicanOrthodox Theological Dialogue (ICAOTD) regarding its second, practical-applicative phase of engagement in the field of Christian anthropology. From the set of five main areas of questions, which are to be thematized in this phase, according to a Christian conceptualization of bioethics, based in agreed principles of Christian anthropology, the Commission first chose two: the question of euthanasia and the question of natural environment. The author offers a synoptic overview of basic results brought out so far, during the 2016-2019 process of discussions about the Christian understanding of death related to the problem of "euthanasia". During plenary discussions about the expert papers presented from both sides (especially in Malta 2017) the Commission also endorsed guiding principles for orientation and evaluation in regard to the complex and sensitive problem induced by the growing acceptability of the practice of euthanasia, and, also in regard to the not entirely predictable consequences of the advances of biotechnology and modern science. Amongst other things, the Commission holds the position that euthanasia, if colloquially interpreted as "assisted suicide", needs to be carefully distinguished from approaches such as assisted dying in general (viz. palliative and hospice care etc), and especially from the ethos of dying well in a re-actualized traditional Christian sense: based on spiritual discernment grounded through a comprehensive as much as holistic ecclesial understanding of dying, death and mortality. In due time, the Commission will endorse an Agreed statement on dying well, viz. euthanasia.

영적식별과 기독교 교육적 적용

영적식별(spiritual discernment)은 하나님의 뜻을 구하는 것이다. 그러나 하나님의 뜻을 아는 것은 결코 쉬운 일이 아니다. 그러기에 기독교 역사상 많은 신앙의 구도자 들이 성경의 말씀과 성령님의 인도하심에 따라 깊은 신학적 독서와 기도를 통해 이를 구해 왔다. 오늘날 우리가 살고 있는 이 시대는 그 어느 때보다 푯대를 찾기 힘든 시 대이다. 많은 현대인들이 그들 삶의 이정표를 발견하지 못해 세상의 흐름과 풍조에 자신의 삶을 맡기며 방황하고 있다. 신앙인들 또한 물질주의와 세속주의적 세계관 속 의 고도의 기술력으로 급변하는 세계에서 더더욱 하나님의 뜻을 구하며 살기 어려워 하고 있다. 이러한 물질로 바탕을 삼은 첨단화시대에, 현대인들이 영적인 것에 더욱 관심을 가지며, 신학계에서도 영성신학이 주목받고 있는 이유가 여기에 있을 것이다. 물질로는 영적인 갈급함이 채워 지지 않기 때문이다. 혼탁해지고 어두워져 가는 이 세상 속에서 우리는 무엇을 기준삼아, 살아가야 할까? 교회는 침묵하시는 하나님 앞 에서 어떻게 그분의 뜻을 구할 수 있을까? 성경과 교회전통에 자신의 삶을 비추어 참 인지를 검증하는 과정이 삶의 신학화(神學化)라면, 이러한 신학을 현장에서 구현하여, 이론을 삶으로 살아내는 것이 실천신학이다. 그러면 실천신학으로서 기독교 교육은 교회의 위대한 전통인 영적식별을 어떻게 교회현장과 신학교에서 담아내고 있는가? 영성과 기독교 교육사이에서 그 적용점을 낳아야 하는 영성교육은 과연 이러한 하나님의 뜻 분별이라는 과제 앞에 어떻게 응답하고 있는가? 본고는 이러한 질문에 답하 는 영적식별에 대한 기독교 교육적 적용에 관한 연구이다. 본고는 다음과 같은 구성을 가진다. 먼저 다음 장인 II장에서는 영적식별에 대한 용어적 정의와 성경에서 쓰인 용례를 통해 교회현장에 있어서의 영적식별의 필요를 살펴 볼 것이다. III장에서는 성서신학, 교회사, 실천신학에서의 영적식별의 신학적 흐 름들을 짚어볼 것이다. 이러한 신학적 기저를 바탕으로 IV장에서는 전제, 기준과 단 계, 규범 등의 영적식별의 실제를 알아볼 것이다. 결론격인 V장에서는 이러한 영적 식별의 기독교 교육적 적용점들을 모색해 보려고 한다.