Spiritual Focus Research Articles

The Digital Desert: The Spiritual Struggle In Virtual Reality

This article explores the spiritual challenges faced by individuals in virtual reality, drawing parallels to the temptations experienced by Jesus in the desert. In Orthodox theology, the desert symbolizes a place of testing and spiritual purification, a notion that is transferred to the modern "desert" of virtual environments. The essay examines how humans today, much like Christ in the desert, face temptations in the digital world—temptations that promise immediate gratification, power, and control but ultimately divert them from their spiritual journey and union with God. Central to this struggle is the concept of prospatheia, the passionate attachment to the material and digital world, which is countered by the cultivation of aprospatheia, or spiritual freedom from such attachments. The article emphasizes the need for spiritual vigilance and highlights the dangers of becoming overly immersed in the illusory experiences of virtual reality, urging a return to spiritual focus and self-restraint

Love and Emotions in Pietist Hymnography—From the Past to Us: Musical Examples

This study aims to analyze, through religious hymns in the German-speaking area from the early 18th century, the influence that the Pietist theological movement, starting from Philipp Jacob Spener’s Pia Desideria, had on the centralization of the self in the Protestant religious world, through the introduction of personal feelings of love towards God. On the one hand, the origins of Pietism can already be traced back to the late 16th century in areas affected by the radical reforms of the Anabaptists. On the other hand, it is from the late 17th century and throughout the 18th century that this theological and spiritual movement destabilized orthodox Lutheranism in some symbolic cities of Protestant Germany, such as Frankfurt am Main, Halle, and the Duchy of Westphalia, up to Moravia. The extensive publication of hymnals and musical compendia for the use of individuals, lay groups (collegia pietatis), faith communities, and churches denotes a fervor and a desire to preach their way of “practicing” spirituality, which greatly contrasts with both orthodox Lutheranism and the prevailing rationalism in the religious and philosophical sphere in Germany of the mid-18th century. For the first time since the Reformation, Lutheranism saw the use, in the theology of the preached and sung Word, of personal feelings and emotions that connect the individual with God, who is made an object of individual as well as collective worship. This was one of the most significant accusations that came from the University of Wittenberg against Pietism, namely the shift of theological and spiritual focus from the centrality of God to the centrality of the self, which manifests its faith through the most intimate emotions and feelings. Through the analysis of some examples taken from hymnographic and theological production, centered on the individual feelings of the believer, this article focuses on how this influenced the religious revival movements that would pervade England and the United States of America for more than two centuries (from the First Great Awakening in the late 18th century to the Pentecostal movements of the 20th century), with a spotlight on Italian hymnody during the Risorgimento.

Evaluation of the Spirituality of Village Committees on Integrated Risk Governance of Agricultural Drought: A Case Study in Xindu District, Hebei Province, China

The spirituality of stakeholders in cases of drought has gained significant attention in the field of integrated risk governance of agricultural drought. In this paper, based on a field survey and 30 drought response actions in China, we established an indicator system and quantitative model based on concentration and willpower (spirituality, abbreviated as S), considering the aspects of responsibility (R), enterprise (E), and devotion (D) to evaluate the spirituality of the village committee of Xindu District, Hebei Province. We aimed to develop a new method for the quantitative research of multi-stakeholders’ concentration and willpower and to provide a more scientific reference for the formation of consilience in the process of improving risk governance capability. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) Condensed connotations of spirituality focus on expressing the spirit state of each stakeholder, which is the embodiment of the stakeholder’s concentration and willpower in the consilience system. (2) An evaluation framework of “deeds information excavating → stakeholder-oriented survey → grading and classification” is formed. Based on Chinese traditional cultural backgrounds and administrative system characteristics, the evaluation indicator system and model of spirituality are constructed and will further promote the visualization and quantification of spirituality research. (3) The spirituality index (S) of village committees on integrated risk governance of drought presents a trend of normal distribution, and the average value of all secondary indices is R > E > D. The mean value of R is 0.93 and the sample range is 0.49. D has the lowest mean value, with a range of 0.37. (4) There is a regional difference in the average values of spirituality index (S) as follows: “plain area > mountain area > hilly area”, from the perspective of geomorphic units, and “high-income area > middle-income area > low-income area”, from the perspective of the regional economy.

Australian Seventh‐day Adventism and World War One: A Different Path

The Seventh‐day Adventist (SDA) church in Australia differed from most Christian churches in its response to World War One, openly condemning the war as an evil to be avoided while attempting to remain focused on its evangelistic mission. This article explores the philosophy of the SDAs that allowed them to stand apart from the bulk of the churches, and the evolving nuanced path forward negotiated between the ideals of the church and the needs of the government. The success of the SDA church in maintaining its spiritual focus broadens our understanding of the relationship between churches and state in Australia in World War One, and adds a level of subtlety in understanding the government's response to a church that had an ambivalent response to the state's war goals.

An Integrative Review of Critical Spirituality

As spirituality provides people with meaning in life and informs their sense of values and ethics, there is increasing interest among management scholars concerning this research field. People are characterised by an innate need to find meaning in their lives and work. Consequently, management theory and practice are challenged to address such topics. One controversy is the discussion of what kind of spirituality is debated in management theory and practice. The majority of publications emphasise the positive consequences of spirituality, thereby considering it as a management tool for improving the performance of employees and organisations. By contrast, critical approaches to spirituality focus on a serious debate about the meaning of life and work, including a critical analysis of organisations and managerial practices. Although research on critical spirituality spans a range of diverse disciplines, an interdisciplinary systematic analysis is still missing. This systematic review aims to present an overview of critical spirituality by integrating knowledge from diverse disciplines. It contributes to the management discourse by providing an understanding of spirituality beyond traditional management perspectives with a synthesised overview of the most influential theoretical foundations and key themes of critical spirituality as well as a framework of implications for management theory and practice.

Spiritual needs and their associated psychosocial factors among women with breast cancer: A cross-sectional study.

Guided by the biopsychosocial-spiritual model, this study aimed to evaluate the spiritual needs of Chinese women with breast cancer and explored factors associated with those spiritual needs. This study has a cross-sectional design. This cross-sectional study involved 228 breast cancer patients in China, between May 2019 and July 2019. Data were collected using the general information form, the Spiritual Needs Scale, the Perceived Social Support Scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Data were analysed by Spearman correlation analysis, univariate analysis and multiple linear regression, and a structural equation model (SEM) was constructed by maximum likelihood estimation. There was a slightly higher average score for spiritual needs. Of the five dimensions of spiritual needs, those with the highest and lowest levels were 'meaning and purpose' and 'relationship with transcendence' respectively. Religion, time since confirmed diagnosis and education level were related to spiritual needs. The proposed model linking spiritual needs perceived social support, anxiety, and depression revealed a satisfactory fit to the data. Specifically, a higher level of social support predicted lower levels of anxiety and depression, which in turn predicted stronger spiritual needs. The spiritual needs of breast cancer patients were associated with individual characteristics and psychosocial elements. Patients' spiritual needs should therefore be effectively evaluated, especially the needs of those who are not religious. Furthermore, comprehensive, needs-tailored interventions that incorporate spiritual, biological, psychological and social support should be formulated. Nurses should become more aware of the spiritual needs of breast cancer patients, incorporate a spiritual focus into their care and develop comprehensive needs tailored to their characteristics as well as interventions based on biopsychosocial factors.

Sisterhood in 5D

Sisterhood in 5D

Augustine’s Liturgical Spirituality

The majority of contemporary presentations of Augustine’s spirituality focus on the interior, personal dimensions of prayer and contemplation. This article argues that Augustine also has a rich but underappreciated liturgical spirituality, wherein regular participation in the liturgy, with its external and ecclesial elements, is important for Christian spiritual formation and expression. Examining a variety of texts from the Augustinian corpus, this article outlines major themes in Augustine’s liturgical spirituality and encourages further scholarly engagement with this theme.

Into the Desert: Demons, Spiritual Focus, and the Eremitic Ideal in Morgan MS M.626

At the turn of the fourteenth century, eremitic life—typified by the third- and fourth-century saints known as the Desert Fathers—was presented as a spiritual ideal not only for mendicant friars who struggled to balance the vita activa with the vita contemplativa, but also for the laity, who were encouraged to withdraw to their own “desert” or to any space where they could connect with God. Art historians have traditionally explored the significance of the Desert Fathers during this period by examining wall and panel paintings, while illustrated copies of the tradition’s fundamental text have gone largely unremarked. This article addresses New York, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.626, a richly illuminated manuscript of the Vitae patrum, focusing on its abundant illustrations depicting the Desert Fathers’ battles with demons, which is an unusual feature among the illuminated manuscripts of the Vitae patrum from the period. By showing how the Desert Fathers struggled with demons, the Morgan manuscript teaches its viewers to value and exercise the skill of spiritual focus. Its illustrations, which train the viewers in the habits of the mind that make meditation, contemplation, and prayer possible, broaden our understanding of how images participated in the rise of the eremitic ideal, reinforcing and instructing the faithful in the modes of piety exemplified by the Desert Fathers.

Does Christian Spirituality Enhance Psychological Interventions on Forgiveness, Gratitude, and the Meaning of Life? A Quasi-Experimental Intervention with the Elderly and Youth.

Scientific research has provided theoretical evidence on the implementation of religious/spiritual interventions (RSI) as a complementary health therapy, where spiritual improvements are also a factor to consider. Despite the above, there are few studies that have evaluated the clinical applicability of these findings. This study was an intervention with older and younger adults divided into two treatment groups and one control group. What is expected is that the two treatment groups will score better than the control group; however, the group with a Christian spiritual focus is expected to perform better than the group without a spiritual focus. Measures of gratitude, meaning of life, forgiveness, spirituality, religiosity, and expected prejudice were recorded. The hypothesis is fulfilled that Christian spirituality enhances psychological interventions on factors associated with personal well-being, mainly in older adults: spirituality (M = 26.00, SE = 2.127/M = 29.38, SE = 1.953, t (12) = −2.436, p < 0.05, r = 0.58), goals (M = 22.92, SE = 1.022/M = 24.54, SE = 0.739, t (12) = −2.298, p < 0.05, r = 0.55), and benevolence (M = 17.31, SE = 1.554/M = 21.08, SE = 1.603, t (12) = −3.310, p < 0.05, r = 0.69). The most powerful results of the study are those associated with religiosity/spirituality.

Beyond Spiritual Focus: Climate Change Awareness, Role Perception, and Action among Church Leaders in Nigeria

AbstractThis study explored the role of church leaders in addressing climate change with a focus on Catholic, Anglican, and Pentecostal churches in Nigeria. The study adopted a semistructured face-to-face interview with 30 church leaders drawn from the selected denominations (i.e., 10 church leaders from each denomination). These participants were spread across five states in five geopolitical zones in Nigeria. A descriptive narrative approach was employed in the thematic organization and analysis of data. Findings showed that while all the participants across the three denominations—Catholic, Anglican, and Pentecostal churches—agreed to have heard of climate change, their perceptions of the causes of the phenomenon were narrow and varied along religious denominational lines. More Catholic participants expressed belief in anthropogenic climate change than did Anglicans and Pentecostals. Awareness creation, charity for disaster victims, and prayer were identified by the participants as the roles churches can play in addressing climate change. Although climate change action was generally poor among participants, Catholics engaged more in organizational action than did Anglicans and Pentecostals. In contrast, climate change actions were more on a personal level than on the organizational/church level within Pentecostal churches. The implications of the findings for the Church/church leaders, policy, and future research are discussed.

De-capitalizing Mindfulness in Education

This paper aims to analyze mindfulness in education from a critical perspective. We first examine the historical underpinnings of human capital theory, which encourages educators to view students as efficient laborers in a neo-liberal society. Using the lens of Bourdieu’s capital theory, we further examine how mass media inadvertently distorts the definition of mindfulness by exploring the development of a specific mass media story and by identifying how mass media factors beyond headlines and titles reframe mindfulness. We argue that this type of reframing has created a public perception of students who practice mindfulness as not only successful in social relationships but also as valued laborers who expand economic growth. This analysis opens two doors of discourse. First, mindfulness in education should be de-capitalized and shifted toward a spiritual focus. Second, we ask educational writers and publishers to redirect mindfulness applications away from their original purpose.

Spirituality and Childbirth: Existential Meanings and Contemporary Practice Realities

Spirituality at the end of life is often explored in the literature and in research yet despite the shared experience of childbirth within society there has been little spirituality focus on the start of life. However, interest in this area is slowly gathering momentum. This article shows how childbirth is overflowing with spiritual and existential meaningfulness for all. The impact of this major event in human life and our shared natality warrants closer examination. Using the framework “ecology of birth” the significance of “how” we do things is shown to matter as much as what we do, or not do, in and round childbirth. Drawing on research and practice this article asks us to collectively think about childbirth in ways that honour childbirth’s spiritual and existential meaningfulness and significance. Further multidisciplinary research to inform an art of practice in and around childbirth is suggested. By moving from the prevalent calculative mode of thinking in contemporary maternity care systems to a more contemplative mode of thinking we can be enabled to think afresh about the ways we “do things” and how we “are there” around childbirth without adopting polemic positions.

In Good Company

When I first walked into the living quarters of Begum Noor Jahan ZareefThanawi (1931-2017) in Karachi, I was fatigued from jetlag and notexpecting much to come of the meeting except polite verbal exchanges.But as I absorbed the functionality of every item in the sparsely furnishedroom, and the immense level of spiritual focus she carried within her frail(though still somehow strong!) physical frame, I realized I was sitting in thecompany of no ordinary woman. It was about Begum Zareef that Dr. ‘Abdal-Hayy ‘Arifi—one-time nāẓim of Dar al-‘Ulum Karachi and spiritual successorto Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi—had remarked, “If we gave khilāfat (spiritualsuccessorship) to women, we would have given it to her.” Though not givenpermission to take spiritual disciples, her sheikh had given her a generalallowance to teach the religious sciences to women. She taught Qur’anicexegesis (tafsīr) for decades out of her home; wrote numerous pamphletson spirituality and religious practice; and published a volume on the legalrulings of Hajj, with a special focus on related women’s issues.If Begum Zareef were asked what was the secret that persuaded hersheikh to give her such a wide allowance to teach, I know her answer wouldbe the pious company (of her sheikh and others) that she kept throughouther life. As Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi clarifies in Fawāʾid al-ṣuḥba, his famouslecture cited by Darakhshan Khan, it was the ṣuḥba (company) they’d keptthat made the Companions (Ṣaḥāba) who they were. Were it not for thefact that they had sat with the Messenger of God, they would not have attainedtheir otherwise unattainable spiritual and religious rank, and theywould not be seen as a necessary source of religious knowledge for all Muslimswho came after them. In my own book,1 I argue that ṣuḥba, in fact,lies at the spiritual center of Sunni Islam. For one to be a “real Sunni,” onedoes not merely have to accept the probity of every one of the Ṣaḥāba; onemust also accept that the preservation and continuation of true religious ...

The progressive Pentecostal conception of development within an African context of poverty

This article, as literary study, is placed within the framework of a qualitative content analysis and deductive approach. It seeks to explore the progressive Pentecostal conception of development in a sub-Saharan African context of poverty. This investigation is based on ethnographic studies conducted in different parts of Africa. The study also aims to analyse the notion of evil spirits’ work in relation to poverty and underdevelopment. These notions are raised by the new conception of development. It is argued that Western development theories implemented in Africa failed miserably to clarify the problem of poverty and underdevelopment. In the midst of crises and despair, a new trend of Pentecostalism emerged that promotes a completely new conception of development, which has a spiritual focus. The latter resonates strongly with the African worldview, reflects the biblical truth, and demonstrates that the ultimate cause of poverty is fundamentally spiritual, which implies the solution should be similar. Therefore, recent studies reveal that the movement has had more success in addressing poverty than the strategies of NGOs. However, this success is limited to an individual level. This means the structural problem responsible for the impoverishment of the masses in Africa is not dealt with directly. In this regard, an all-inclusive focus is needed that could pave the way to sustainable social and economic change in Africa.

The intersection between mindfulness and human rights:The case of Falun Gong and its implications for social work

ABSTRACTThe author reports on a qualitative study conducted with Falun Gong practitioners in Canada, and explores how a mindful meditative practice can facilitate peaceful resistance to global human rights violations. Falun Gong is a Chinese traditional meditative practice rooted in Buddhist and Daoist philosophies. The Falun Gong experience illuminates a global peace praxis that harmonizes an inward spiritual focus with an outward social action that integrates ethics, morality, and inner transformation in a collective manner through mindful meditative practice. Articulating a few lessons learned from the research, the author discusses how the mindful meditative practice of Falun Gong and practitioners’ peaceful resistance can help to expand social work’s engagement in the protection of human rights of people of faith on a global scale. The Chinese traditional mindful meditative practice of Falun Gong can help integrate personal, collective, and social transformation to uphold justice and to protect the human rights of all people of faith, which has implications for social work.

The Diverse Perspectives On Adjustment to Aging Among the Old and the Oldest Old

Introduction Older adults experience varying challenges that occur from late adulthood to extreme old age. Objectives This study aims at exploring the indicators of adjustment to aging (AtA) reported by old and oldest old adults and at examining the potential explanatory mechanisms of a model for AtA for these two age groups. Methods This qualitative study comprised demographics and semi-structured interviews. Complete information on 152 older adults aged between 76-102 years (M=83.76; SD = 6.458) Data was subjected to content analysis. The correlational structure and latent constructs of indicators of AtA were analyzed by a Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA). Results ‘Occupation and achievement’ was the most mentioned indicator of AtA by the old participants (17.7%), whilst, ‘existential meaning and spirituality’ was the most verbalized indicator of AtA for the oldest old participants (16.9%). AtA was explained by a three-factor model for each age group. For the old participants, the largest factor ‘occupational and social focus’ accounted for 33.6% of total variance, whereas for the oldest old participants, ‘spirituality and health focus’ represented 33.5% of total variance. Conclusions The outcomes presented in this paper stressed the varied perspectives concerning AtA, contoured in two different models, for the old and the oldest old, and the need of considering these when designing and implementing programs in health care for these two age groups.

Examining sexual assault survival of adult women: responses, mediators, and current theories.

The purpose of this article is to examine the state of the science of sexual assault research to direct future research in three key areas: responses, mediators, and current theory with a religious or spiritual focus addressing recovery. Three research questions guided the investigation of literature and the formation of this article: (a) What are common survivor responses to, and long-term effects of, sexual assault?; (b) What are mediators for recovery after sexual assault?; and (c) What theory with a religious or spiritual focus exists to address recovery from sexual assault? This research identifies significant gaps in the literature underscoring the importance of future research that examines responses to and long-term effects of sexual assault, need for mediators during recovery, and need to develop theory using religious and spiritual tenets aiding in recovery from sexual assault. Further research is necessary to develop this science, expand understanding, and support sexual assault survivors on their recovery journey.

Face to Face and Side by Side: Printing Cross-Confessional Poetry in Late xvith and Early xviith century France1

The early modern anthology allowed editors to assemble new products quickly without waiting for fresh work to be written, something which proved to be particularly fruitful for poetry collections. However, it is often hard to discern how such collections were developed and assembled. The popular Cantiques du Sieur de Maisonfleur appeared in eight variations between 1580 and 1613. What makes this particular collection all the more intriguing is the cross-confessional background of the poets involved, especially as the collected works had a spiritual focus. This study explores both the changing editorial aims and textual presentation of the Cantiques. It considers the evolving layout and ordering of the works and the different reading apparatus introduced into the volumes so as to discern how readers were meant to approach the collection. It argues that the editorial decisions behind this collection reflected the cross-confessional trends of the later Reformation, particularly how they manifested themselves in a France dealing with the realities and legacies of religious civil war.

Perspectives of Indian Traditional and Allopathic Professionals on Religion/Spirituality and its Role in Medicine: Basis for Developing an Integrative Medicine Program

Allopathic medical professionals in developed nations have started to collaborate with traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine (TCAM) to enquire on the role of religion/spirituality (r/s) in patient care. There is scant evidence of such movement in the Indian medical community. We aim to understand the perspectives of Indian TCAM and allopathic professionals on the influence of r/s in health. Using RSMPP (Religion, Spirituality and Medicine, Physician Perspectives) questionnaire, a cross-sectional survey was conducted at seven (five TCAM and two allopathic) pre-selected tertiary care medical institutes in India. Findings of TCAM and allopathic groups were compared. Majority in both groups (75% of TCAM and 84.6% of allopathic practitioners) believed that patients' spiritual focus increases with illness. Up to 58% of TCAM and allopathic respondents report patients receiving support from their religious communities; 87% of TCAM and 73% of allopaths believed spiritual healing to be beneficial and complementary to allopathic medical care. Only 11% of allopaths, as against 40% of TCAM, had reportedly received 'formal' training in r/s. Both TCAM (81.8%) and allopathic (63.7%) professionals agree that spirituality as an academic subject merits inclusion in health education programs (p = 0.0003). Inclusion of spirituality in the health care system is a need for Indian medical professionals as well as their patients, and it could form the basis for integrating TCAM and allopathic medical systems in India.