How is it With Your Soul? by Denise L. Stringer

Author:Denise L. Stringer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Knowledge of God
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Published: 2011-01-10T00:00:00+00:00

The Theology of Prayer and Spiritual Formation:

Thinking About God

The understanding of God that seekers and disciples take to the work of prayer and spiritual formation deeply influences both our approach and the results we obtain. Even though our concept of God does not alter God, it alters what we perceive and what we pursue. It both limits and enhances our spiritual life. It shapes every aspect of who we become and what we do over the course of the life span.

Theology matters. While it is an ancient discipline, its work is never finished. Because circumstances change, cultures shift, and the slow, painful evolutionary process evident in the physical world also occurs in the history of ideas, humanity's understanding of God is a dynamic process. John and Charles Wesley made significant contributions to the theology of their Anglican heritage. While their work adopted the Articles of Religion honored by the Church of England, their preaching, teaching, and hymnody addressed theological and practical religious issues of the day. It emphasized new birth, assurance, and Christian perfection in the context of an evangelical revival that swept all of Great Britain, the United States, and Canada. As the movement spread around the world and met people of differing cultures, Methodists coached and occasionally led the evolution of religion and the development of the international search for God.

The Theological Task Today

The theology of the traditional doctrine and prayers that the Wesley brothers used has been preserved and still shapes our devotional life today. The way we understand God, ourselves, and our relationship with God has shifted significantly over the three centuries that separate us from the beginning of their remarkable lives. In our effort to determine how we think about matters of faith, we consider the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments; the tradition or doctrines and teachings of the Christian church; the history of ideas; current knowledge; and our own thoughts, intuitions, information, and direct experiences of God. Moreover, we rely on the active presence of God with us by the Holy Spirit to illumine our souls and enlighten our understanding. (See Jeremiah 31:31-34; Mark 1:7-8; Luke 24:49; Acts 2:1-21; John 14:15-26.)

Theology is a process in which everyone participates, either consciously or unconsciously. The more actively we participate in this dynamic process of coming together to reflect and going out to serve, the more likely we are to experience personal progress and contribute to the wellbeing of others. In "doing" theology, we intentionally think and act with God, whether alone or with others.

Doing Theology Within the Class Meeting System

The daily changes that inevitably occur as people reflect on their lives in the context of good and evil, God and nature, religion and science, life and death, and increasing interaction between East and West have spawned theological openness and an appreciation for education among Methodists. The time devoted to applying the biblical message to contemporary concerns and circumstances in each Class Meeting will be one of the most important aspects of the spiritual formation process.

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