Reformed Spirituality
Network
Number One January 1998
Welcome!
Welcome to the first issue of the Reformed Spirituality Network newsletter. Some of you are familiar with the Network having attended one or more of our summer Gatherings. But for others this may be your first introduction.
The idea for the RSN was first conceived during a conversation with
John Ackerman, a Presbyterian pastor from Minneapolis. We were at a conference
in 1988 and during one of the breaks began a discussion around the renewed interest
in spirituality as it was emerging within the Presbyterian and Reformed tradition.
We wondered whether it would be helpful to invite people to explore the roots
of our heritage with the desire to uncover and recover the piety of our spiritual
heritage. After some years of pondering and discerning the nature and
direction of such a network I explored the idea with Dick Junkin. At this
time Dick headed up the division of spirituality for the PCUSA in Louisville.
While he was very supportive he did not have any resources to encourage our
development. But he urged me to extend an invitation and see what might
happen. That led to the first Gathering held in Grand Rapids in July 1993.
Dick Adams and Don Postema were the two presenters. We attracted representatives
from the CRC, RCA, PCUSA , and UCC. That led to follow-up events in 1994
(Don Postema and Howard Rice as presenters), 1995 (John Bell, Howard Rice, and
Marjorie Thompson as presenters).
The most recent Gathering was held last July on the campus of Western Theological
Seminary in Holland, MI. The speakers were Charles Marks, Marilyn Borst,
and John Bell. The trend has continued which consistently draws representatives
from the CRC, RCA, and PCUSA. Also the type of people who gather have
been consistent and fairly evenly distributed among pastors, laity, professors,
and denominational executives.
Key to our existence, is the desire to uncover and recover the Reformed piety
of our past. Our goal in this day of collapsing denominationalism is not
to become iconoclastic. Rather we seek to assist our members to better
know our own roots so that we might live more vibrant and faithful lives today.
Also we desire to claim the best of Reformed spirituality so that we might better
engage others in dialogue. Further, we fully recognize that while we normally
associate Reformed as reflective of the Presbyterian and Reformed churches the
term “Reformed” really crosses denominational boundaries to include those of
similar theological principles. Which is to say, there are Anglicans and
Baptists, etc. who hold Reformed positions on theology and spirituality.
— Tom Schwanda
What is Reformed Spirituality?
Most of us are quite aware of the current fascination with “spirituality.”
From Deepak Chopra to Tibetan Buddhism to New Age fascinations and multiple
variations of Christian piety and practice, it seems as though spirituality
is a lot like “love”: when it is construed to include just about everything,
it runs the risk of meaning nothing. Within Christendom itself we are blessed
with a vast array of perspectives, a bouquet of colors and scents, all of which
may enrich the capacities of one’s eyes to see and ears to hear what the Spirit
is doing and saying in his life and world.
It seems to me that it is well worth the effort to interact with and engage
the people and ideas that represent the varieties of spiritual experience in
our culture. We can learn from one another and, as Christ would surely have
it, we can witness from the standpoint of who we are uniquely, what we have
come to know and embody as bearers of the Spirit of Christ.
How are we who claim a Reformed heritage of Christian spirituality communicating to others what we believe and how we are led to understand and practice our walk of faith? For that matter, how well do we communicate with one another, within our own faith communities, what we have come to know and embody as bearers of the Spirit of Christ?
In a recent meeting of our Reformed Spirituality Network, our discussion flowed along these channels as we tried to describe a uniquely “Reformed” spirituality and found it to be difficult to do so. On the one hand we would refer to full-length books and scholarly detail, and on the other hand, we would use general rubrics such as the sovereignty of God.
I returned to my church study to reflect and write. I attempted to summarize what I thought to be the contours of a Reformed spirituality. The result was the following acrostic:
Reformed spirituality is
Well, that’s my attempt to summarize Reformed spirituality. So we pose the
question for you, our friends and readers: What is Reformed spirituality? How
would you communicate its foundations, themes and practices? Can you say it
briefly, simply and
clearly (we’re not looking for a dissertation or a successor to Barth!)? Please
send us your response!
— Robert James Funk
Exploring Reformed Spirituality
‘Come to the feast’ are the welcome words of invitation by which we are summoned to the Banqueting Table! Marchienne Rienstra has provided a wonderful table from which we are invited to partake, which lays before us a wide and wonderful variety of spiritual images and practices which will fill our spiritual hunger. Her book, Come to the Feast, Seeking God’s Bounty for Our Lives and Souls (Eerdmans, 1995) provides a full menu from which we can either personally or in community meet God. In part one of her menu she includes worship, the Word, silence, physical spirituality, dreams and visions, as ways we can encounter God. Providing ‘spiritual exercises’ for each section as well as a wide variety of further reading and study suggestions makes this a wonderful resource.
Who we are as individuals, who our ‘family’ is, and where we are in our own
particular stage of life, as well as our gender forms the basis of part two
in her book. The influences of our families, our culture, our religious
tradition all have a bearing on how we have learned to meet God, and understand
who God is. The exercises she provides will help each reader or group
reflect on the nourishment they have received in the past, and seek ways to
provide a ‘balanced diet’ in their quest for God.
Soul Feast, An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life, by Marjorie Thompson
(WJKP, 1995) like Come to the Feast provides us with an overflowing table of
spiritual exercises. It is a book to be used, not simply read. Thompson
looks as ‘spiritual reading’, prayer, worship, fasting, spiritual direction,
hospitality, the development of a rule of life as well as looking at self-examination,
confession and awareness as ways that we can meet God in our lives.
In the text the author uses margins which feature quotations from writers from
a wide variety of Christian traditions through the ages, and also contain questions
and suggestions for contemplation and reflection to assist the reader in their
own personal experience. Space is also available in the margins to jot
down your own personal thoughts, ideas, inspirations and prayers.
Both of these books are excellent resources for personal growth, small group processes or adult formation classes. The material is well laid out, with a wide variety of ideas to make the disciplines approachable to enrich our spiritual lives. Excellent bibliographies, additional resources are available in each books, with Rienstra’s book also providing a list of retreat centers. Come, take and eat - be refreshed and nourished in your spiritual life.
— Mary Huisman
How can one discover some of the principles and practices of a Reformed piety? Amazingly, there is a wealth of literature available. Our home page lists a 12 page bibliography of primary and secondary sources. But where does one begin? What follows is a briefer sampling of suggestions that reflect, no doubt, my own biases, yet hopefully portrays a balanced picture of Reformed spirituality.
Primary sources:
Baxter, Richard. The Saints Everlasting Rest.
Calvin, John. The Institutes of the Christian Religion.
Edwards, Jonathan. The Religious Affections.
Flavel, John. The Mystery of Providence.
Kuyper, Abraham. To Be Near Unto God.
Scougal, Henry. The Life of God in the Soul of Man.
Whyte, Alexander. Bunyan Characters.
Most of the above are available in various editions. Some, unfortunately,
are out of print but could be found in libraries or used book stores.
Secondary sources:
Armstrong, Brian G., "Puritan Spirituality: The Tension of Bible and Experience." In The Roots of the Modern Christian Tradition, ed. E. Rozanne Elder. Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1984.
Hageman, Howard G., "Reformed Spirituality." In Protestant Spiritual Traditions, ed. Frank C. Senn. New York: Paulist, 1986.
Lovelace, Richard F., "The Anatomy of Puritan Piety: English Puritan Devotional Literature." In Christian Spirituality: Post-Reformation and Modern, ed. Louis Dupre and Don E. Saliers. New York: Crossroad, 1989.
Old, Hughes Oliphant. "What is Reformed Spirituality?" Perspectives 9, no. 1 (Jan 1994): 8-10.
Ramey, Robert H. and Ben C. Johnson. Living the Christian Life: A Guide to Reformed Spirituality. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1992.
Rice, Howard L., Reformed Spirituality. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1991.
Schwanda, Tom. "Closing the Gap: Recovering the Experiential Nature of Reformed Spirituality." Reformed Review 49, no. 2 (Winter 1995-96): 109-125.
Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli...now Samuel
did not yet know the Lord...And Samuel said, speak, for your servant is listening.
— 1 Samuel 3:1,7,10 NRSV
Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord; his appearing is as certain
as the dawn; he will come to us like the showers, like the spring rains that
water the earth.
— Hosea 6:3 NRSV
I am the Director of Field Education at Calvin Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
When people ask me what I do, my short answer is that I send students to practice
in the church what they have learned in the classroom, and when they return
I help them to discern what God is calling them to do. Seminary classes
are intensive. Church work is usually exciting. Discerning God’s
voice, God’s call— vocation— is sometimes difficult.
I spend a lot of time praying with students. We pray for all sorts of things: the Hebrew quiz later this morning, a problem in the youth group they’re leading, the strength to read all the books and write all the papers, and money. We pray for money because its hard to support four kids and go to school full time! But most of the time our prayers boil down to asking God to come along side to show the way. “Guide us! Show us! Let us know you’re there and care! ‘Speak , for your servant is listening!’”
As a Calvin Seminary student twenty years ago I noticed an irony which I still notice today: you can learn a lot about God and still not know God. You can memorize Bible texts and catechism answers and not know God. You can read the Bible in Hebrew and Greek and not know God. You can learn theologies both systematic and practical and yet have a shallow knowledge of God. You can even, like Samuel, be involved in ministry and not know God very well at all.
That doesn’t mean that religious education, as some have claimed, is bad for your spiritual health. It does mean that we should not leave students in Sunday school, Christian day school or seminary to their own devices. It does mean that those of us involved in Christian education or leadership at all levels ought to check frequently with our students, our parishioners, our interns and staff members to make sure that in their study or ministry they are getting to know God better.
“Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord...” The Hebrew yada means “to become acquainted with, to experience, to be intimate with.” It’s even used as a euphemism for sexual intercourse. God wants us to know about him. God wants our minds to learn life-long his Word and his creation. But God wants our minds connected with our hearts so that we know him in the core of our being. God wants us to experience his presence and activity as we study and as we minister, as we teach and as we lead.
That’s one of the benefits of praying with students. When you talk together to a mutual friend, you get an idea of how well the other person really knows your friend. And the prayer itself is a way to bring the presence of Christ immediately into the life situation of a Hebrew quiz, a youth group, personal time management or family finances. If you know God there, it’s easier to hear his voice in bigger issues like vocation.
Let’s listen for God’s voice. “Let us press on to know the Lord.” Let’s encourage our students to do the same. “He will come to us like the showers, like the spring rains that water the earth.”
— Keith
Tanis (Originally published in Calvin Seminary Forum, Spring 1996)
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