Yes, the 'spiritual but not religious" is a statement that I hear constantly in my practice. Paganism, witchcraft, and other assorted metaphysical beliefs are much more common than people think. I do believe that much of the "spirituality" that is practiced does not involve how one should act in the world, the idea of community participation, common good... the social aspects of what I would claim is a big part of the gospel. The other "spirituality" is individualist, does not seem have the weight of community responsibility towards others, but I suppose provides an answer to the arbitrariness of modernity, and does provide people with the thought that they are special for metaphysical reasons (something that traditional religion has also provided) and that is missing from so many lives.
I very much agree. In my personal life, most non-believers are easily taken in by charlatans. They declare they are too intelligent to be taken in by organized religion. But independent yoga instructors, and financial gurus of all flavors don't receive the same scrutiny.
"The church needs to think less about atheism than about paganism, witchcraft, and other assorted metaphysical beliefs from karma to astrology to Tarot to crystals. "
I just want to offer a slight correction to your statement...the PROTESTANT church in America needs to think about these things. The Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican and some Methodists church already have mysticism/spirituality of various sorts already a part of their religious experience.
I often say that the Reformation went to the other extreme in response to Catholicism. With the total purge of all adjacent forms of spirituality within Christianity, we actually have created a vacuum that leads to all sorts of alternate/pagan spiritual practices to flourish. People naturally look for ways to transcend suffering, misery and misfortune...in their own way they are looking for the grace of the gods or at least trying to find ways to manipulate the forces of nature to bring favor upon their lives. The American Protestant churches ignore this at their own peril.
I am a Christian health and wellness coach working to be lay ordained and I actually use stones/crystals, Anglican rosary, Angel oracle cards, essential oils, herbs tuning forks, meditation bodywork and a wand/staff in my practice as well as using a Bible and rites of healing from the UCC and PCUSA Book of Worship and the Book of Common prayer. What gets used depends on the comfort level of the person. If used correctly, it actually helps people to connect with God and grow deeper in faith because they do more than just hear/learn/study about God they can actually participate in the Divine life.
In my lay ministry school one of the books we had to read was The Celtic Way of Evangelism, Tenth Anniversary Edition: How Christianity Can Reach the West . . .Again by George G. Hunter III. He mentions exactly what you are talking about....that most people will seek spiritual guidance from outside the church, that we have a split level Christianity due to the outright rejection of folk spirituality that could be compatible with Christian beliefs. I am not advocating the acceptance of any and all spiritual movements or practices, however, with proper discernment, some practices could be allowed even if they are not officially endorsed by the church.
"I just want to offer a slight correction to your statement...the PROTESTANT church in America needs to think about these things. The Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican and some Methodists church already have mysticism/spirituality of various sorts already a part of their religious experience."
While I agree with your broader point, I feel it's important to point out that Anglicanism and Methodism are, in fact, both part of the broader Protestant stream.
Yes, I know...however, I would say those traditions are still part of Old World Christianity that was imported to America. Once you start to see the New World versions of Protestantism and its radical and often really strange offshoots that often advocate the total rejection of supernaturalism its easy to see why secularism and paganism continue to overwhelm the American churches.
The Anglican tradition is deeply connected to the seasonal cycles and the agricultural year. Lots of old rituals like the blessing of the animals, Rogation days, beating the bounds, and All Souls have been mostly forgotten, or in the case of All Souls, briefly mentioned with maybe a prayer for the departed. The Catholic church was wise in its tradition of observing the feasts of the various saints and in not abandoning the idea of patron saints...some Episcopal congregations are more comfortable with those than others, but it gives meaning and form to people's longing for connection to God.
Jesus said “Where 2 or more are gathered IN MY NAME, there I will be”. It’s the IN MY NAME part that seems to get missed. That’s also where church begins, when we gather because of Him, because of the desire or celebration of transformation.
The general theme in my writings, which are published on my substack, I write about being transformed by the guidance & love of Christ. The gospel starts with us, in our own transformed hearts, it’s personal. Then it’s shared personally with the one another’s Jesus died & was resurrected for. As I wrote in my comment to Part 3 of this blog, when the transformational power of Jesus effects us we are changed & that change makes the next natural response to share His love with others either in example of our transformed lives or actually sharing the Good News. “Out of you will flow rivers of living water”.
I can critique “the church” with the best of them & most of my critiques are right, at least for me. When I realize I’m “the church” then real change can begin in the corpus of the church. As in any relationship where there is conflict, “if I’m not part of the problem then there is NO solution”.
“The Nones are supernaturalists. Consequently, as I argue in Hunting Magic Eels, and even more so in the upcoming paperback edition with a new chapter entitled "Hexing the Taliban," the church needs to think less about atheism than about paganism, witchcraft, and other assorted metaphysical beliefs from karma to astrology to Tarot to crystals.”
I’m a licensed healthcare worker and liminal none who started attending church again due to my dismay/disappointment with promotion of new age religion in the healthcare setting and in healthcare professions. I so appreciated your insights on new age religion in Hunting Magic Eels. Further, if Christian churches and pastors want to better understand how Christian nationalism seeps into their church members, I strongly recommend they read the book ‘Conspirituality: How New Age Conspiracy Theories Became a Health Threat. I was encouraged when this book recently was recommended in a Seventh-Day Adventist publication.
I think finding overlap between faiths is going to be be big part of faith revival for Christians. I think it is legitimate and an opportunity to rethink some things. See David Bentley Hart--this is the theological issue he spends the most time thinking about.
"the church needs to think less about atheism than about paganism..."
For whose benefit? For the thinker, or the thought about? And what will this thinking do? What changes might result from this thinking? How will anyone be able to discern that the church has changed the focus of her thinking? And perhaps also relevant here: does God care what the church thinks about?
Yes, the 'spiritual but not religious" is a statement that I hear constantly in my practice. Paganism, witchcraft, and other assorted metaphysical beliefs are much more common than people think. I do believe that much of the "spirituality" that is practiced does not involve how one should act in the world, the idea of community participation, common good... the social aspects of what I would claim is a big part of the gospel. The other "spirituality" is individualist, does not seem have the weight of community responsibility towards others, but I suppose provides an answer to the arbitrariness of modernity, and does provide people with the thought that they are special for metaphysical reasons (something that traditional religion has also provided) and that is missing from so many lives.
I very much agree. In my personal life, most non-believers are easily taken in by charlatans. They declare they are too intelligent to be taken in by organized religion. But independent yoga instructors, and financial gurus of all flavors don't receive the same scrutiny.
"The church needs to think less about atheism than about paganism, witchcraft, and other assorted metaphysical beliefs from karma to astrology to Tarot to crystals. "
I just want to offer a slight correction to your statement...the PROTESTANT church in America needs to think about these things. The Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican and some Methodists church already have mysticism/spirituality of various sorts already a part of their religious experience.
I often say that the Reformation went to the other extreme in response to Catholicism. With the total purge of all adjacent forms of spirituality within Christianity, we actually have created a vacuum that leads to all sorts of alternate/pagan spiritual practices to flourish. People naturally look for ways to transcend suffering, misery and misfortune...in their own way they are looking for the grace of the gods or at least trying to find ways to manipulate the forces of nature to bring favor upon their lives. The American Protestant churches ignore this at their own peril.
I am a Christian health and wellness coach working to be lay ordained and I actually use stones/crystals, Anglican rosary, Angel oracle cards, essential oils, herbs tuning forks, meditation bodywork and a wand/staff in my practice as well as using a Bible and rites of healing from the UCC and PCUSA Book of Worship and the Book of Common prayer. What gets used depends on the comfort level of the person. If used correctly, it actually helps people to connect with God and grow deeper in faith because they do more than just hear/learn/study about God they can actually participate in the Divine life.
In my lay ministry school one of the books we had to read was The Celtic Way of Evangelism, Tenth Anniversary Edition: How Christianity Can Reach the West . . .Again by George G. Hunter III. He mentions exactly what you are talking about....that most people will seek spiritual guidance from outside the church, that we have a split level Christianity due to the outright rejection of folk spirituality that could be compatible with Christian beliefs. I am not advocating the acceptance of any and all spiritual movements or practices, however, with proper discernment, some practices could be allowed even if they are not officially endorsed by the church.
"I just want to offer a slight correction to your statement...the PROTESTANT church in America needs to think about these things. The Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican and some Methodists church already have mysticism/spirituality of various sorts already a part of their religious experience."
While I agree with your broader point, I feel it's important to point out that Anglicanism and Methodism are, in fact, both part of the broader Protestant stream.
Yes, I know...however, I would say those traditions are still part of Old World Christianity that was imported to America. Once you start to see the New World versions of Protestantism and its radical and often really strange offshoots that often advocate the total rejection of supernaturalism its easy to see why secularism and paganism continue to overwhelm the American churches.
The Anglican tradition is deeply connected to the seasonal cycles and the agricultural year. Lots of old rituals like the blessing of the animals, Rogation days, beating the bounds, and All Souls have been mostly forgotten, or in the case of All Souls, briefly mentioned with maybe a prayer for the departed. The Catholic church was wise in its tradition of observing the feasts of the various saints and in not abandoning the idea of patron saints...some Episcopal congregations are more comfortable with those than others, but it gives meaning and form to people's longing for connection to God.
This discourse is amazing & wonderful insights.
Jesus said “Where 2 or more are gathered IN MY NAME, there I will be”. It’s the IN MY NAME part that seems to get missed. That’s also where church begins, when we gather because of Him, because of the desire or celebration of transformation.
The general theme in my writings, which are published on my substack, I write about being transformed by the guidance & love of Christ. The gospel starts with us, in our own transformed hearts, it’s personal. Then it’s shared personally with the one another’s Jesus died & was resurrected for. As I wrote in my comment to Part 3 of this blog, when the transformational power of Jesus effects us we are changed & that change makes the next natural response to share His love with others either in example of our transformed lives or actually sharing the Good News. “Out of you will flow rivers of living water”.
I can critique “the church” with the best of them & most of my critiques are right, at least for me. When I realize I’m “the church” then real change can begin in the corpus of the church. As in any relationship where there is conflict, “if I’m not part of the problem then there is NO solution”.
“The Nones are supernaturalists. Consequently, as I argue in Hunting Magic Eels, and even more so in the upcoming paperback edition with a new chapter entitled "Hexing the Taliban," the church needs to think less about atheism than about paganism, witchcraft, and other assorted metaphysical beliefs from karma to astrology to Tarot to crystals.”
I’m a licensed healthcare worker and liminal none who started attending church again due to my dismay/disappointment with promotion of new age religion in the healthcare setting and in healthcare professions. I so appreciated your insights on new age religion in Hunting Magic Eels. Further, if Christian churches and pastors want to better understand how Christian nationalism seeps into their church members, I strongly recommend they read the book ‘Conspirituality: How New Age Conspiracy Theories Became a Health Threat. I was encouraged when this book recently was recommended in a Seventh-Day Adventist publication.
https://spectrummagazine.org/arts-essays/2023/how-health-scams-and-conspiracism-create-conspirituality
I think finding overlap between faiths is going to be be big part of faith revival for Christians. I think it is legitimate and an opportunity to rethink some things. See David Bentley Hart--this is the theological issue he spends the most time thinking about.
"the church needs to think less about atheism than about paganism..."
For whose benefit? For the thinker, or the thought about? And what will this thinking do? What changes might result from this thinking? How will anyone be able to discern that the church has changed the focus of her thinking? And perhaps also relevant here: does God care what the church thinks about?