NAKED SPIRITUALITY

Brian McLaren was one of the speakers I appreciated at greenbelt this year.

In fact greenbelt was an amazing experience for me this year.

Back to one of Brian's talks:

Naked Spirituality, 4 stages.

Stage 1. Simplicity.

dualistic, you're either for us or against us.

Authority figures are godlike, life is war!

Committed but judgmental.

Stage 2. Complexity.

More than one way of doing things.

Pragmatic, success and winning is important.

God helps us to succeed.

Authority figures show us the way to success.

Enthusiastic but superficial and naive.

Stage 3. Perplexity.

Everybody has an opinion.

Relativism, pluralist, critical.

Motive: honest and authentic.

Suspicion of authority figures.

God is a mythic authority.

Depth, honesty, sensitivity to others but cynical, withdrawal, elitist, depressed and uncommitted.

Stage 4. Harmony.

Seek first God's kingdom and righteousness.

Love God, love your neighbor.

Focus: wisdom, integration.

Beliefs: mysteries.

Authorities: people like me, just 'ordinary' people.

Life is what you make it with God's help.

Life with expanding vision & understanding of God.

Give me depth/ manifeste awe & wonder.

Show me deep connections

Confident/humble.

Goal: love

Fulness of time for life - no hurry!

I think these stages are quite an accurate way of explaining 'spiritual journey' and where we should be heading...

stage 4

I guess it takes a whole life and a whole lot of grace...