Towards Religious Identity: An Exercise in Spiritual Guidance (Studies in Theology and Religion)

STAR - Studies in Theology and Religion, 4

The spiritual dimension of existence has always been a part of people’s lives. Religion serves this dimension, in which people are confronted with the question of what is holy and what is ultimately important. In Towards Religious Identity Tjeu van Knippenberg concentrates on spiritual guidance in the context of the Christian faith.

A number of questions arise here.
What is the spiritual?
Can what we call spiritual, be compared with what has been said about it in the course of the centuries?
Is there a relationship between personal experiences that go beyond direct experiences and what is taught in the Christian church about the spiritual?
Can this be distinguished within the complex psychological processes that take place within a person?
Just how personal and private is it?
Where can it be found?
What is its connection with the daily course of life?
Is it of importance in one’s own development and in the development of society?
Where can one learn about it?
How does one deal with it?
Are there people equipped to guide others from this perspective?

Towards Religious Identity offers a framework that can contribute to people’s competence in discovering the meaning of the personal life story from a spiritual perspective.

M.P.J. van Knippenberg is professor of pastoral theology at Tilburg University, The Netherlands

From the Contents

Part 1 Identification
1 Development and Characteristics
2 Ecclesiastical and Poimenic Position
3 Path of Life and Perspective

Part 2 Progress and Content
4 Process and Guidance
5 Question as to Meaning and Christian Faith
6 Theology and Identity

Part 3 In Practice
7 Guidance Model
8 Competence and Applications