Teresa of Avila and Jonathan Edwards on Prayer and Spirituality

Contemplative prayer has been a major source of contention in evangelical spirituality. Contemplative prayer is frequently mentioned as one apparent spiritual activity that is foreign to the scripture and Christian worldview and more resembling the New Age Movement and pantheistic Eastern religion by people who are skeptical of the mystical Christian tradition. This article will examine Teresa of Avila’s thought on mystical prayer, which is sometimes misinterpreted as a notion incompatible with evangelical theology of prayer. Hence, Teresa’s ideas of mystical prayer will be examined and compared with Jonathan Edwards’ concepts of prayer, which is considered to reflect evangelical theology of prayer. The comparison suggests that the contemplative, mystical prayer of Teresa is compatible with evangelical theology of prayer in its progress and purpose. Teresa and Edwards both understood prayer as an experience and progress that leads to the complete union with God, mediated by Christ and his words in scripture. This spiritual union with God will transform the devoted one with tremendous passion and strength to love and help others in their struggle and suffering. This study of Teresa’s thought of mystical prayer is expected to reinvigorate evangelical theology and praxis of prayer by learning from the rich spirituality of the Christian mystical tradition.

For the Life of the World: Appreciation and Critique

There are many things in For the Life of the World ( FLOW) 1 that deserve mention, gratitude, and praise from a Protestant theological ethicist, many things that the Protestant churches might learn, emulate, and modify in light of their own commitments about salvation, sacrament, and union with God. I mention three. I conclude by considering the view of moral tragedy that FLOW assumes. In recent years, several Protestant ethicists have been tempted to endorse a similar view. I offer reasons for Christians of all kinds to resist this temptation.

Literatur Yoga dan Āyurveda Sumber Komprehensif Ilmu Pengetahuan Kesehatan Holistik

<p><em>The holy book of Hinduism, namely the Vedas, is a source of spiritual knowledge and scientific knowledge. Yoga and Āyurveda are part of Hindu science. Both are sources of holistic health science, where yoga is part of Sad Darsana and Āyurveda as a derivation of Caturveda, especially </em><em>Ṛ</em><em>gveda. Yoga and Āyurveda will show their integrative relationship when viewed from the derivations or branches of the sacred Caturveda literature. If Caturveda is directly related to the ways of carrying out the union of the self with God using the ritual path, then Yoga Darsana is related to the discipline of self-unification using the path of physical, mental and spiritual health. In short, to attain union with God throughout life requires knowledge of yoga and Āyurveda, both theoretically and practically. One of the goals of health science is to provide a better life for humans. This health science provides knowledge about how to prevent and treat disease disorders. So the knowledge of yoga and Āyurveda is also learned to balance health conditions. If the science of Āyurveda can treat the human body, then the science of yoga can perfect this knowledge by being able to realize the balance of body, mind and spirit. That's moksartham Jagadhita ya ca iti dharma. If this information is conveyed communicatively by Hindus and readers of Hindu teachings, then misunderstanding of a knowledge can be avoided and then physical, mental and spiritual health will be achieved.</em></p>

Hinduism: A Perspective on the World and Life Education

Once religion was ruling the world as science is doing today. The rule is possible through power and knowledge. This indicates that religious philosophy can also regarded as an important source of power and knowledge. Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and so on as forms of religious faith have different philosophy become basis of knowledge. This paper, based on review of articles relevant on the theme, Hinduism, argues that Hinduism is an important perspective on knowledge which explains what world is and how it is operating. The ultimate goal of life is to get liberation which is possible through Hinduism. Hinduism has four basic paths that lead to union with God. These paths are for persons of different temperaments and natures. Some may prefer contemplation, some may be rational, some may be emotional and some may believe in action. Each path is called Yoga (Yoking of mind to God. These yoga are: (i) Raj-yoga, (ii) Jnana-yoga, (iii) Bhakti-yoga, (iv) Karma-yoga, through which human beings liberates himself/herself. Thus Hinduism is a perspective of knowledge which guides human beings understanding the nature of the world and the way through which liberation is possible.

Misi Ekologis: Memaknai Ulang Misi Gereja Kristen Muria Indonesia di Tengah Bencana Alam dan Krisis Ekologi

The mission will always change. This change occurs because of a shift in the mission paradigm in line with the context. The mission is not anymore understood and defined in a traditional, exclusive, and singular way, otherwise the mission needs to be modified to be more open, inclusive, and have multiple meanings. In fact, the mission will always follow its context and locality. The mission of the ecological vocation of the church is needed by the world amid the global ecological crisis and various natural disasters that occured at this time. One of factors that causes ecology crises and natural disasters is natural damaged. It is caused by human who does exploitation to the nature massively. Theologically, the church is called to work on God’s kingdom mission as a work of salvation for the world. The mission of salvation is not only for humans but also for whole of creation as a universal union with God. In implementing this ecological mission, Gereja Kristen Muria Indonesia through the Mennonite Diakonia Service (MDS) have participated in carrying out various forms of the church’s mission, including ecological, as a church integral mission to overcome crisis and natural disasters in Indonesia. AbstrakMisi akan selalu mengalami perubahan. Perubahan ini terjadi karena adanya pergeseran paradigma misi seiring dengan konteksnya. Misi tidak lagi dipahami dan didefinisikan secara tradisional, eksklusif, dan tunggal. Sebaliknya, misi perlu dimodifikasi agar lebih terbuka, inklusif, dan memiliki banyak arti. Faktanya, misi itu akan selalu mengikuti konteks dan lokalitasnya. Misi panggilan ekologi gereja sangat dibutuhkan oleh dunia di tengah krisis ekologi global dan beragam bencana alam yang terjadi saat ini. Salah satu faktor yang menyebabkan krisis ekologi dan bencana alam adalah kerusakan alam yang terjadi berbagai tempat. Ini disebabkan oleh manusia yang melakukan eksploitasi terhadap alam secara besar-besaran. Secara teologis, gereja dipanggil untuk mengerjakan misi kerajaan Allah sebagai karya keselamatan bagi dunia. Maka, misi keselamatan itu bukan hanya bagi manusia tetapi juga bagi seluruh ciptaan sebagai kesatuan universal dengan Tuhan. Dalam menjalankan misi ekologis, Gereja Kristen Muria Indonesia melalui Mennonite Diakonia Service (MDS) turut serta menjalankan berbagai bentuk misi gereja, termasuk ekologis, sebagai misi integral gereja untuk mengatasi krisis ekologi dan bencana alam di Indonesia.

Penderitaan sebagai Jalan Mistik Menuju Kesatuan Hidup bersama Kristus: Belajar dari Perjalanan Paulus Ke Sorga (2 Korintus 12:1-10)

Suffering is the secret of human life. Generally, people view suffering as God's reaction to human sin. This view is corrected by Paul in 2 Corinthians 12: 1-10, which emphasizes that suffering is not God's punishment but God's way of maintaining human humility in facing life. By using the rhetorical critique method, which is a method that explores understanding by creating a single literary genre from many inter-textualities, both in biblical texts and extra-biblical texts, this researcher finds a message that suffering is actually a 'mystical path’ to experience encounter and union with God. In union with God, humans realize that they are part of life as a whole, so they must share and care for each other based on the understanding that all human beings are part of Divine life. Thus 2 Corinthians 12: 1-10 affirms that suffering is not a negative thing and needs to be complained about, but must be grateful for the understanding that this is the ‘mystical path’ of humans towards the unity of life with Christ and fellow humans.

Medytacja i doświadczenie mistyczne w okresie formatywnym sufizmu

Sufism, Muslim mysticism, is a phenomenon inherent in Islam, existing almost from the beginning of this religion. In the article the view of Islamic sacred texts: the Qur’an and the Hadith, to the basic principles of Sufi sm: asceticism and meditation is discussed. The most important concepts of Sufi sm arising during the period of singular mystics, i.e. the formative times of Sufi sm (9th-11th century) are underlined. Concepts such as love for God, self-accountability, piety, and Union with God were presented and interpreted. Attention was also paid to the biographies of the most important mystics from this period, as recorded in the works of their successors.

Examining Catherine of Siena’s controversial discernments about papal politics

Catherine of Siena (1347–1380) contributed important wisdom to Christian spirituality on discernment, yet her own discernment regarding her engagement in papal politics has not been studied. From the perspective of Christian spirituality studies, this article examines the critical text of her letters in relationship with historical events to offer a description of the instances where Catherine’s discernment differed from that of others committed to a spiritual journey and to seeking the good of the church. Catherine’s view of God’s will regarding the papal interdict of Florence controverted that of several ecclesial leaders more likely to be right. Catherine’s advocacy for the crusade differed from the advice Birgitta of Sweden gave Gregory XI, advice corroborated by history. Two of Catherine’s spiritual mentors made decisions they discerned to be right regarding missions on which they were sent by the pope, whereas Catherine reproached them for these choices. Furthermore, Catherine was certain that the election of Urban VI had been blessed by God, whereas another saint considered Clement VII to be the true pope. The above analysis is followed by an examination of influences on Catherine’s experience of seeking and implementing God’s will, seeking to account for the divergence between her discernment and that of others. In conclusion, while Catherine was confident in her union with God and, therefore, God’s guidance, she was also influenced by her unbending beliefs about truth and by the manner these beliefs were conditioned by her personality and sociocultural context.Contribution: This article contributes to scholarship in Christian spirituality on the spirituality of Catherine of Siena and on discernment, studying Catherine of Siena’s discernment regarding papal politics where she differed from others whose discernment can be interpreted as more likely to be congruent with God’s will. The reasons for her controversial discernment are explored.