Spirituality, Contemplation, and Transformation by Thomas Keating

Author:Thomas Keating [Keating, Thomas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781590562758
Publisher: Lantern Books
Published: 2007-10-31T23:00:00+00:00

A CHALLENGE FOR THE CHURCH AND ITS FORMATION OF LAY AND ORDAINED LEADERS

What were the theological students at Collegeville asking from theological education? Their voices are linked with many others in their call for a balance between cognitive learning and spiritual formation. They are telling the church and its theological educators that they want to be more than masters of knowledge and skills for ministry. Embedded in their questions and frustrations is a vision of the persons that they want to be as church leaders. The concerns of these students, and of clergy and lay professionals already in active ministries throughout the church, reflect more than frustration with heavy work expectations. They are telling the church how much it is neglecting prayer in the formation of its leaders and communicants. They are saying that theological education—with its emphasis on academic work and “practical” fieldwork—is not relating to the whole person. They are frustrated with the current way that readiness for ministry is defined by that kind of theological education. They are asking for more attention to the relationship between the formation of Christian leaders and the God in whom we believe.

The concerns expressed in Collegeville raise some fundamental questions about theological education and life in the church today. Who defines the shape of ministries in today's church? How should our lay and ordained leaders be educated, formed, and prepared for ministries? Why has our epistemology devalued spiritual formation and contemplative prayer as valid and necessary forms of knowledge? By whose authority is “readiness for ministry” determined? What does this passionate recognition of the fundamental need for personal prayer in theological education tell us about the life of the church?

Some schools of theology and seminaries are already addressing these issues with programs in spiritual formation, centers of spirituality, and courses on applied spirituality. This chapter is one response to this critical need and describes a project dedicated to facilitating conversations about the role of spiritual formation in theological education and the formation of a network to facilitate further sharing of experience, resources, and opportunities. All agree that more people should join the conversations.

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