by Richard B. Gaffin Jr.
in ePub, .mobi & .pdf formats
What is spirituality, true spirituality? What is it that makes a person genuinely “spiritual”?
How do you recognize such a person? Are you, reader, spiritual? Ours is a time very much preoccupied with questions like these. At the time of writing this, Oprah Winfrey’s great popularity, at least in North America, is apparently explained in large part because she has convinced many that she has found true spirituality—by freeing herself, she believes, from her repressive Christian upbringing—and she is ready to share with you how you can find it for yourself.
The interest of screen star Richard Gere and many others in the Dalai Lama runs much deeper than a concern for the freedom and political rights of the Tibetan people. Large numbers of people are drawn to him as a religious leader because they believe he embodies and knows the way to authentic spirituality.
When we inquire into the specifics of contemporary claims like these, the answers forthcoming tend to be fairly vague. But along with much that’s nebulous, a couple of things come through quite clearly: spirituality is personal and it’s plural. I must find it within me and I must find it for myself. My spirituality is mine, a capacity I have that only I can discover and express, as is yours. I mustn’t try to impose mine on you, nor should you try to impose yours on me