malcolm chamberlain

Jonny Baker has posted ('here' and 'here') a helpful list of words which, he suggests, map the contours of contemporary spirituality. It's a list well worth looking at and spending time with.

As I reflected on it, I noticed that the list had a very positive gloss, as might be expected from someone such as Jonny who is contextually engaged with contemporary spirituality. Personally, I am drawn to pretty much everything in Jonny's list, and relate much more to the contours he paints than much of what passes for 'spirituality' in churches. I'm certainly not 'down' on contemporary spirituality and find exciting signs of life and the hand of God in much of what I contextually engage in.

However, missional engagement also requires us to be prophetically critical of our cultural context for the sake of the Kingdom, and I wonder if there are negative (or less positive) contours that we also need to identify if we are to have integrity. As a comment on Jonny's post, I suggested that one such 'negative' could be that much contemporary spirituality has a tendency to be consumerist - 'Mind Body Spirit' fairs, for example, can be intensely consumerist and focussed on paying (or charging) for spiritual experiences (which is why, incidentally, dekhomai offers everything free to highlight the place of gift in the midst of the marketplace.)

Last week I was speaking at a gathering of church-type people about contextual mission and contemporary spirituality, and one person levelled the charge that it all sounds very selfish! He may have a point, though I did challenge him to level the same charge at church people too, who can be just as precious and 'selfish' about their traditions and ways of expressing faith. Maybe consumerism isn't simply a contour in contemporary spirituality, but more a foundation of contemporary culture which we've all unwittingly been seduced by. But even so, we must be prepared to expose it and allow the challenge of Christ to speak to it, rather than pretending it isn't there.

I wonder if, as well as adding to Jonny's 'positive' list, whether there are other contours of contemporary spirituality that we might feel the gospel (in the fullest 'Kingdom' sense of that term) challenges?...

Labels: musings, spirituality