{"id":10074,"date":"2011-12-23T19:07:57","date_gmt":"2011-12-23T23:07:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nakedpastor.com\/?p=10074"},"modified":"2011-12-23T19:07:57","modified_gmt":"2011-12-23T23:07:57","slug":"how-to-be-spiritual-in-the-universe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/nakedpastor\/2011\/12\/how-to-be-spiritual-in-the-universe\/","title":{"rendered":"how to be spiritual in the universe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I\u2019m working on a list of discernments<\/strong> that one needs to embrace in order to be spiritual in the universe. I am a Christian, so my idea obviously emerges out of a Christian perspective. But it is inclusive of all walks, including religious, agnostic and atheist.<\/p>\n

My concern is that as we are being dragged into a more universal understanding of our religions and spiritualities, the adverse reaction is to particularize, polarize and propagandize.<\/p>\n

Here are the first three discernments<\/strong> that we must embrace:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. A literalist-historical interpretation of the bible undermines its value.<\/strong> The bible is a sign pointing to a sign. We can understand when children believe that the biblical stories are literal. But at some point these beliefs are inappropriate and even damaging to spiritual health.<\/li>\n
  2. Christianity is a manifestation of Truth.<\/strong> If you have read anything of my z theory<\/a>, you will know that I claim that Christianity is the Timeless revealed in Time. It is the unhistorical substantiated in history. The humble condescension of the All-Powerful to weakness and flesh.<\/li>\n
  3. We are the Spirit.<\/strong> The Spirit isn\u2019t \u201cout there\u201d separate from us. It is not only about us or within us or moving us. It IS<\/strong> us. It is the incarnational condescension of the All into the all, manifesting itself in unity and harmony, love and compassion, forgiveness and reconciliation, which is in actuality the Spirit. It is really the Spirit. Love in action is the manifestation of the Spirit.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Without these discernments<\/strong> we would remain ghettoized and sink further into self destruction.<\/p>\n

    This is important to me and I plan to write more.<\/p>\n

    my books<\/a>
    \n    my art<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I\u2019m working on a list of discernments that one needs to embrace in order to be spiritual in the universe. I am a Christian, so my idea obviously emerges out of a Christian perspective. But it is inclusive of all walks, including religious, agnostic and atheist. My concern is that as we are being dragged […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":349,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1111,2390,722,1123],"class_list":["post-10074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-thought","tag-david-hayward","tag-discernments","tag-nakedpastor","tag-z-theory"],"yoast_head":"\nhow to be spiritual in the universe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I'm working on a list of discernments that one needs to embrace in order to be spiritual in the universe. 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