In this age of technology, globalization, and rapid change, we are faced with new situations that... more In this age of technology, globalization, and rapid change, we are faced with new situations that raise the universal question of what it means to be human in the face of our existential anxiety - anxiety that is rooted in our being and cannot be removed. Theologian Paul Tillich surmised that the anxiety of meaninglessness and emptiness is most pressing in our current situation as exemplified by the earlier illustrations of searches for meaning and the unsatisfactory nature of traditional pathways. He concluded that a new courage-to-be arising from an absolute faith that includes and transcends a mystical and personal encounter with God is needed to address this new context.
This paper intends to explore how mystical, non-Christian spiritual practices embedded within a personal, Christian framework could impact the spiritual formation of a contemporary courage-to-be from Tillich’s concept of absolute faith. To do this, this project will explore the phenomenological and theological aspects of the narratives of two people who integrated non-Christian, mystical spiritual practices into their original Christian spiritual formation amid their own manifestations of existential anxiety: Dr. Ruben Habito and the practice of Zen Buddhist sitting meditation and John Coltrane’s Jazz improvisation. Both narratives contain each person’s formation through these spiritual practices along with a revelatory event - Buddhism’s kensho and Jazz’ Ultimate Flow state. Each narrative will be explored as conversation with theologian Paul Tillich’s theological concept of the courage-to-be arising from revelation in addressing existential anxiety. The implications of this conversation will be applied toward a theological construct of spiritual formation for United Theological Seminary and its students in the exploration of their own existential anxiety as it relates to their formation.
In light of these considerations, I will argue that a trans-religious engagement between each mystical spiritual practice and a Christian background is one effective way for an absolute faith to meet the existential anxiety of emptiness and meaninglessness. This will have implications on the formation of seminary students.
In this age of technology, globalization, and rapid change, we are faced with new situations that... more In this age of technology, globalization, and rapid change, we are faced with new situations that raise the universal question of what it means to be human in the face of our existential anxiety - anxiety that is rooted in our being and cannot be removed. Theologian Paul Tillich surmised that the anxiety of meaninglessness and emptiness is most pressing in our current situation as exemplified by the earlier illustrations of searches for meaning and the unsatisfactory nature of traditional pathways. He concluded that a new courage-to-be arising from an absolute faith that includes and transcends a mystical and personal encounter with God is needed to address this new context.
This paper intends to explore how mystical, non-Christian spiritual practices embedded within a personal, Christian framework could impact the spiritual formation of a contemporary courage-to-be from Tillich’s concept of absolute faith. To do this, this project will explore the phenomenological and theological aspects of the narratives of two people who integrated non-Christian, mystical spiritual practices into their original Christian spiritual formation amid their own manifestations of existential anxiety: Dr. Ruben Habito and the practice of Zen Buddhist sitting meditation and John Coltrane’s Jazz improvisation. Both narratives contain each person’s formation through these spiritual practices along with a revelatory event - Buddhism’s kensho and Jazz’ Ultimate Flow state. Each narrative will be explored as conversation with theologian Paul Tillich’s theological concept of the courage-to-be arising from revelation in addressing existential anxiety. The implications of this conversation will be applied toward a theological construct of spiritual formation for United Theological Seminary and its students in the exploration of their own existential anxiety as it relates to their formation.
In light of these considerations, I will argue that a trans-religious engagement between each mystical spiritual practice and a Christian background is one effective way for an absolute faith to meet the existential anxiety of emptiness and meaninglessness. This will have implications on the formation of seminary students.
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This paper intends to explore how mystical, non-Christian spiritual practices embedded within a personal, Christian framework could impact the spiritual formation of a contemporary courage-to-be from Tillich’s concept of absolute faith. To do this, this project will explore the phenomenological and theological aspects of the narratives of two people who integrated non-Christian, mystical spiritual practices into their original Christian spiritual formation amid their own manifestations of existential anxiety: Dr. Ruben Habito and the practice of Zen Buddhist sitting meditation and John Coltrane’s Jazz improvisation. Both narratives contain each person’s formation through these spiritual practices along with a revelatory event - Buddhism’s kensho and Jazz’ Ultimate Flow state. Each narrative will be explored as conversation with theologian Paul Tillich’s theological concept of the courage-to-be arising from revelation in addressing existential anxiety. The implications of this conversation will be applied toward a theological construct of spiritual formation for United Theological Seminary and its students in the exploration of their own existential anxiety as it relates to their formation.
In light of these considerations, I will argue that a trans-religious engagement between each mystical spiritual practice and a Christian background is one effective way for an absolute faith to meet the existential anxiety of emptiness and meaninglessness. This will have implications on the formation of seminary students.
This paper intends to explore how mystical, non-Christian spiritual practices embedded within a personal, Christian framework could impact the spiritual formation of a contemporary courage-to-be from Tillich’s concept of absolute faith. To do this, this project will explore the phenomenological and theological aspects of the narratives of two people who integrated non-Christian, mystical spiritual practices into their original Christian spiritual formation amid their own manifestations of existential anxiety: Dr. Ruben Habito and the practice of Zen Buddhist sitting meditation and John Coltrane’s Jazz improvisation. Both narratives contain each person’s formation through these spiritual practices along with a revelatory event - Buddhism’s kensho and Jazz’ Ultimate Flow state. Each narrative will be explored as conversation with theologian Paul Tillich’s theological concept of the courage-to-be arising from revelation in addressing existential anxiety. The implications of this conversation will be applied toward a theological construct of spiritual formation for United Theological Seminary and its students in the exploration of their own existential anxiety as it relates to their formation.
In light of these considerations, I will argue that a trans-religious engagement between each mystical spiritual practice and a Christian background is one effective way for an absolute faith to meet the existential anxiety of emptiness and meaninglessness. This will have implications on the formation of seminary students.