3. Why Spirituality?

In this podcast episode, hosts Dr. David Pocta and Hannah Desouza introduce listeners to Christian spirituality, comparing it to a spectrum much like sports, with varying players, rules, and complexities. The duo takes a deep dive into the concept of hermeneutics, shedding light on the significance of love as a lens through which the Bible is interpreted. 

The episode delves into the history of Christianity, highlighting moments of deviation, and discusses how personal context, culture, and identity shape our spiritual lives. The hosts also discuss challenging spiritual experiences, like the 'dark nights of the soul', and inspire listeners to immerse deeper into the kingdom of God.

Topics Discussed:

• Exploration of the concept of spirituality, its various definitions, and its role in our lives
• Comparison of spirituality to sports to gain a better understanding of the concept
• The importance of love as the hermeneutical lens through which we interpret the Bible
• Examination of moments when Christianity has strayed such as during slavery, colonialism, and fundamentalism
• Exploration of the concept of repentance as described in Matthew 3
• Discussion on how our context, culture, and identity shape our spiritual life
• Examination of the transformative power of spiritual practices and the concept of spiritual postures
• Discussion on the 'dark nights of the soul' and the challenges in our spiritual journey
• Understanding of what it means to be more spiritual than we currently are
• Encouragement to immerse ourselves deeper into the kingdom of God
• Understanding how spirituality can be used to better understand ourselves and our relationship with the divine
• Discussion on how spirituality can deepen our connection with others and find meaning and purpose in our lives
• Importance of engaging in spiritual practices in order to transform ourselves
• Closing remarks on the enlightening journey through the complexities of spirituality.

Quotes:

“I think when you say spiritual but not religious, it can also lose some of the value of what spirituality is, and so I think it will be good for us to really process this.” – Dr. David Pocta

“So this could be seen all over scripture then, whether it's our life in Christ, life in the spirit, life in the kingdom, or the church discipleship, I guess all those relationships show our spirituality.” – Hannah Desouza

“Now when we talk about Christian spirituality again, we have to begin with where the most important commands, the most important entry points, what matters more than anything else.” – Dr. David Pocta

“To hear that idea of, yes, the power be taken away and given to someone, well, the kingdom of God will be taken away and given to someone that produces its fruit. That's a really radical statement.” – Hannah Desouza

Links:

David Pocta

Hannah Desouza

Powerpoint Presentation