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Publication Date
11-2020
Abstract
The Dark Night of the Soul, a poetic phrase arising from the writings of St. John of the Cross, is a common but misunderstood part of the Christian journey. It is often a lonely season where a wider Christian community has greater difficulty connecting and supporting a person’s journey with God through deconstruction, loneliness, and doubt. Yet it is a necessary season in the human journey toward God and a season that brings a dynamic richness and deep wisdom to the wider community of faith.
Particularly in evangelical contexts that thrive on stories of conversion and celebration, seasons of sorrow, doubt, and loneliness are often distanced from the centrality of the church’s shared life together. Yet while these seasons of deconstruction and dark nights are often lonely, they need not be isolating. This project maps out a communal and generative vision of spirituality that is robust and dynamic enough to encompass all seasons of faith.
Part One of this project explores the theology, reality, and necessity of seasons of faith where God feels distant, communal life feels complex, and faith feels difficult. Part Two surveys resources for a generative and communal approach to spirituality across seasons of faith and the contextual realities facing emerging generations and the church in the ever-changing world. Part Three demonstrates how specific postures and practices of faith can create a generative environment for Christian formation across seasons of faith.
Degree Name
Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
First Advisor
DeGroat, Chuck
Document Type
Project
Language
English
Keywords
Spiritual formation; Spiritual life—Christianity; Faith development; Stages of faith; Millennials; Millennials (Generation Y); Generation Y; Dark Night of the Soul, the; Dark Night of the Soul
Disciplines
Christianity | Practical Theology | Sociology of Religion
Copyright
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Upload File
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Date Uploaded
12-1-2020
Collection Number
DMin125
File Name
DMin125-0447
Rights
Material is subject to copyright.
Recommended Citation
Kludt, David, "A Church for All Seasons: A Generative and Communal Spirituality Across Seasons of Faith" (2020). Doctor of Ministry Projects. 442.
https://digitalcommons.fuller.edu/dmin/442
Embargo Period
12-1-2020
Comments
This was uploaded by the David Allan Hubbard Library from the Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN). If there are any mistakes in this record, please contact archives@fuller.edu