The Spirit and the Rise of “New-Edge” Spiritualities

Paul writes – I was recently struck by the following quote:

“…There is increasing evidence that the locus of contemporary religion is not found in the churches or synagogues or mosques, which give little credence to it, or in the largely materialist culture in which we all find ourselves, but it is found in the lives of those who are fashioning vibrant, new permutations of religious belief and practice in our time, in spite of what seem to be tough obstacles to such a dynamic.

There are tremendous implications of all this on the future of Christian faith. Like other ancient faiths, Christianity has shown itself able to stand the test of time and has proven itself to be a viable contribution to the ongoing human search for God. While I am positive about Christianity’s ability to meet the changing cultural contexts of the past, I am concerned that at the present moment Christian faith is losing ground. The Church of England’s report issued in 2004, titled “The Mission-Shaped Church,” notes that people do not come to church because they consider it “peripheral, obscure, confusing or irrelevant.” If this perception is not changed, the gap between a burgeoning spiritual culture and the potential for missional engagement will continue to widen…” Barry Taylor

The emergence of “New Spiritualities” (or what some are calling “new-edge spirituality”) opens up new missiological and ecclesiological opportunities.

Where is the liberating and life-giving Spirit at work, blowing inside and outside of the lives of people who call Cambridge

home?

Comments

[Ant]

Paul - good question. I tend to think the way the church is presently instituted and engaged continues to be largely irrelevant to most people. Much non-linear, ad-hoc, seasonal, underground expressions of faith is taking place around missional engagement with justice. Justice movement - people being just where they are, is on the rise in this country, particularly among younger people, as 'more' is searched for and engaged with. That's largely where I see the Spirit moving and giving life. Not, largely, because of the established church, but in spite of it.

Perhaps, in reality, there simply isn't room for the solid and the liquid, and one will have to die or be sold off to make way for the other?

[Paul Fromont]

Interesting thoughts Ant. Thanks for dropping by. Hope all is well with you.