Spirituality is a very general term that can mean many different things. I like to think of a basic distinction between Christian spirituality (or perhaps religious spirituality) and the more general experience of spirituality people have in common regardless of religious belief or non-belief. The latter includes moments of awe and wonder involving a shift of consciousness that can be transformative for a person's life. There can also be a relationsal component. David Hay and Rebecca Nye combine these two ideas and thus describe the heart of spirituality as "relational consciousness." While James Loder affirms a transformative component to such moments, he also believes there is a distinctive aspect to Christian spiritual transformation. Similarly, Rudolph Otto examined at length the unusual spirituality found in obscure passages of the Bible, yet believed that such "numinous experiences" were not unique to Christianity, but a common legacy across religious perspectives. He did, however, affirm that Christianity was the purest expression of the numinous.

I anticipate further exploration in this area, particularly possible connections between spirituality and qualitative research. Several resources are available by clicking on the tabs at the top of this page. If you would like to know more about my personal spirituality, click on "Don" in the left column. To visit my church web site, click "wheatonchurch" in the left column. Below you will find a video I made about my church.

You may watch the video full screen by clicking on the four arrows in the lower left corner of the screen.