Anyone else getting more and more uncomfortable with the word “spirituality”? It’s not that I don’t like the word but the way its used is so frothy. It’s become a nothing word, a cagey term you can make to mean almost anything you want. And it tends to encourage the sacred/secular divide, somehow supporting the notion that to be in touch with God, to be “spiritual,” you need to find yourself a retreat centre or ashram and generally avoid the everyday stuff of life. If that’s what spirituality is about, it’s got nothing to do with this life or the gospel.
Someone who’s taught me so much about spirituality (in the best sense of the word), about living the Jesus way is Eugene Peterson. A few years ago he was
interviewed in Christianity Today, called “Spirituality for all the wrong reasons.” A great interview and read.
Better yet, immerse yourself in any of Eugene’s books (you can check out a sampling here). They’re never quick reads but always rich and meaty, to be savoured and digested slowly.
Squinch 