The module helps the learner understand the meaning of biblical Christianity and its relationship to faith and practice within contemporary cultural contexts. Special attention is given to the corporate dimensions of spirituality and spiritual formation as defined in the New Testament. Those historical and cultural factors that have led to the privatization of Christianity are analysed and discussed. A paradigm of spiritual growth and maturity that focuses on the assembly rather than the individual is developed. In this study spiritual direction is identified as a spiritual discipline utilised from the early Christian church to the present. Consideration is given to its relationship to culture, its expression in religious communities, and insights from psychology and for pastoral care.
On completion of the module a learner will be able to:
- Describe the biblical and theological foundations for the practice of Paideia in the local church.
- Articulate how individuals and congregations shape their spirituality and participate in spiritual disciplines today.
- Discern when, where, how and for whom spiritual direction may be helpful.
- Evaluate the basic concepts and streams of thought that form the Christian tradition of spirituality.
- Articulate an understanding of the role of spiritual disciplines in the process of spiritual formation.
- Appreciate the importance of a regular, disciplined approach to spiritual formation in his or her own life.
- Propose a personal theology of spiritual formation.
- Employ practical theological research methodology to identify a specific pastoral concern.
- Design and implement a practical theological intervention to address a particular pastoral concern.
Module Content
This module helps learners develop a proficiency in their understanding of spiritual formation and the role of spiritual direction in the life of the believer and the community of faith (Pedagogy).
The primary allegiance of their lives should be to Christ as He is revealed in Scripture. The Christian life is a personal response to the personal activity of God in His redemptive self-disclosure. This means that one's commitment to Christ affects the full range of one's values and decisions.
Loyalty to Christ in a personal relationship is set within the framework of the community of the redeemed. The common allegiance of this community is to its head, Christ, who ministers His grace for the spiritual development of His people through the interdependent functions of His body by means of Word and Spirit. Initial reading introduces the learner to issues related to spiritual formation and education and looks at how it edifies. This function of the church is traced back to the Old and New Testaments. We begin by looking at the Hebrew education model and how learning and teaching took place. Learners are guided through a history of Christian education, including the influence of Augustine as well as the Middle Ages, scholasticism, the Reformation and Protestant humanism.
Faith is lived out in every facet of life. Spirituality is the description of the quality of the believer's life whereby the new disposition is expressed in spontaneous reconstructions of God's preceptive will. It includes the character traits that result from the swift and sure use of one's will to will God's will. Spirituality is that quality in the believer which causes him or her to have a greater desire for and joy in prayer, Bible study, worship, and Christian service than a desire for and joy in wealth, power, sex, fame, or success. The learner will consider the role and function of spiritual disciplines in the formation of the believer.
This module explores the ministry and dynamics of spiritual direction. Topics include the history and scope of spiritual direction, especially within the Christian tradition, theological foundations, and the variety of expressions of spiritual direction within the personal, interpersonal, and social contexts.