Spiritual Formation

I've been catching out of the corner of my eye lately the term "spiritual formation"...hadn't a clue what everyone was getting excited about so I did a search using my trusty Dogpile search engine and found about 7 or 8 sites down the site of Morton Kelsey. Morton is the orginator of S.F. and is very candid about it. Here is his indroduction.An Invitation to Spiritual Formation Do you long for a greater sense of Divine Presence in your life?Would you like to make spirituality a deeply relevant, important part of your life -- a sustained source of meaning, rather than a marginal pursuit limited to Sunday mornings (or whenever it is that you make your religious observance)?At the same time -- are you wary of the excessive rigidity and intolerance that seems to characterize some groups of "spiritual" people? For that matter, do you shy away from many of the ideas popular in current spiritual bestsellers, because they seem to lack substance or historical groundedness?Are you fascinated by history, perhaps drawn to the middle ages (or earlier)? Might you be curious about ways to blend Christian theology with some of the meditative practices that have been developed by other religious traditions, like Buddhism? Do you believe that spirituality should involve both inner enlightenment, and outer work for justice and peace?Do you want your spirituality to be both joyful and compassionate, community-oriented and deeply liberating, mystical and intellectually honest, mentally stimulating and body-positive, creative and respectful of tradition?If so, then you may find meaning and purpose by exploring Christian spiritual formation. Author's note: this essay, originally written in the mid 1990s, represents a brief introduction to mystical spirituality from a specifically Christian perspective. In the years since I wrote this material, both my personal spiritual journey, as well as my writing ministry, have moved toward a more inclusive, interfaith model of mysticism. However, I am pleased to keep this work available on the web, not only for Christians but also for anyone who wishes to learn more about this particular form of mystical practice.Might you be curious about ways to blend Christian theology with some of the meditative practices that have been developed by other religious traditions, like Buddhism?

This certainly would be an attractive invitation for the countless many who are searching, and know that they lack something within them. However this kind of spiritual formation sounds like an appeal to the flesh, ie our sinful nature (as opposed to Christ's new nature in a true believer). Christ's invitation is the opposite of this. He calls us to surrender our entire lives - at a cost. Christ's way is narrow, unappealing, and few find it. Christ's way requires that we first acknowledge our rebellion against God's laws and our rebellion against his solution for our sin. So, it would seem like spiritual formation can mean anything. It can either turn us towards Christ, or in the opposite way (which I suspect is the case here) Does that make sense to you? Would you agree or disagree?Diane

There is a great book out there written back in the 20's after the original core group that started the 1904 Revival in Wales saw what they percieved as non - holy Spirit activities that derailed the revival. It's called "War on the Saints"...it's an astonishingly lucid critique on decerning the spirits. One of their warnings was the "emptying of our minds" without scriptue or conscious prayers running through our minds. They didn't use the term "Buddism" but that is it's essence in practice...Never, no matter how well meaning you are empty your mind for extended periods.