Pocket Dictionary of Christian Spirituality

DON THORSEN

To my daughter

Dana Thorsen

who is an inspiration and

encouragement to me

as well as to others.

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Biblical References and Abbreviations

Dictionary

Pocket Reference Collection from IVP Academic

About the Author

More Titles from InterVarsity Press

Copyright

Preface

Spirituality has to do with the human spirit, and Christian spirituality has to do with our relationship with the divine Spirit—with God. In particular, Christian spirituality has to do with our relationship with God, who in Scripture is revealed as our heavenly Father, as Abba—a term of personal intimacy—by Jesus Christ. Jesus atoned for people’s salvation from sin and judgment through his life, death, and resurrection. Through him people are saved and are reconciled to God by grace through faith. However, the story of salvation does not end with conversion and the hope of eternal life. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would continue to work in and through the lives of believers—of Christians—in healing, restoring, and transforming them spiritually and holistically. Salvation is as much for this life as for life hereafter as God’s Spirit works sanctifying grace in the lives of believers. In Scripture as well as church history, many activities, exercises, and disciplines of spiritual import have been practiced. God graciously intends for them to serve as a means by which believers may grow in faith, hope, and love; in intimacy in their personal relationship with God; and in their obedient maturation into Christlikeness.

One should beware of having an exclusively spiritualistic understanding of Christian spirituality. On the contrary, Christian spirituality ought to be thought of as something that is holistic, embracing all aspects of life: spiritual and physical, supernatural and natural, individual and social, gift and task, justification and sanctification, love and justice, scriptural and traditional, rational and experiential, sacramental and symbolic, extemporaneous and disciplined, and so on. The study of Christian spirituality is not intended to limit but to expand on its holistic relevance to people here and now.

The Pocket Dictionary of Christian Spirituality is my contribution to the InterVarsity Press reference series of pocket dictionaries. Certainly these topics are just as important to Christians as the information found in the other pocket dictionaries. Because this book is a part of a reference series, it will be more descriptive than prescriptive with regard to defining spiritual formation and Christian living.

Because of the varieties of Christian spirituality, it is difficult to present evenhandedly all the beliefs, values, and practices of each church tradition—east and west; north and south; liturgical and evangelical; Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant. Because of the genre of the Pocket Dictionary of Christian Spirituality, terms have been defined simply, but not simplistically. If you want to learn more about specific beliefs, values, and practices related to Christian spirituality, then investigate them further as a spiritual study for yourself.

Let me give one example of differences among Christians with regard to spirituality. It has to do with the degree to which Christian spirituality (including its growth and formation) is considered a divine gift, and the degree to which it is considered a human responsibility or task. For example, in 1 Corinthians 3:6, the apostle Paul says, I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. Christians believe that God alone provides the salvation and spiritual growth people experience. However, they disagree with regard to the degree to which people have the responsibility or task of abiding in Jesus Christ, cooperating with God’s Holy Spirit for their salvation and spiritual growth (see John 15:1-11). What does it mean for Paul to plant and for Apollos to water? What do these words of Scripture mean for us today for our role in salvation and for our spiritual growth?

In answering these questions, some Christians emphasize how God sovereignly decrees all matters related to salvation and spiritual growth. At most, people are thought to act compatibly with God’s grace, but in no way do they work for or merit their salvation and spiritual growth. Other Christians, while they agree that they cannot work for or merit their salvation and spiritual growth, emphasize that God self-limits divine power over people, and preveniently gives them grace to decide—accepting or rejecting—God’s salvation and aid for spiritual growth.

On the one hand, those who emphasize God’s sovereign decrees may understand the definitions in this Pocket Dictionary of Christian Spirituality as descriptions of the effectual outworkings of God’s plan for their lives. On the other hand, those who emphasize God’s prevenient grace may understand the definitions as imperatives for synergistically cooperating with the Holy Spirit for their spiritual formation.

Both views believe that some degree of divine gift and human task is at work for people’s salvation and for their spiritual growth, despite differences with regard to the extent of their respective roles for people’s spiritual well-being, discipleship, and formation. As you read the Pocket Dictionary of Christian Spirituality, some definitions may seem to place greater emphasis on the role of God in people’s salvation and spiritual growth. Others may seem to place greater emphasis on God’s expectation that people act responsibly—aided by divine grace—in planting and watering for their salvific and spiritual well-being. All definitions affirm that it is God alone who gives the growth.

Acknowledgments

I want to thank Steve Wilkens for advising me to write the Pocket Dictionary of Christian Spirituality and for his ongoing friendship and collegiality. I also want to thank Dan Reid for his editorial expertise and for patiently working with me on the dictionary. Special thanks go to Jini Kilgore Cockroft and Rebecca Russo for reading and commenting on my final manuscript. Jared Bjur provided invaluable help as my research assistant, and I am especially grateful to him. Others who gave input to the Pocket Dictionary of Christian Spirituality include Kyle Fraser, Brian Eager, Jake Evers, Dan Lane, and Dan Tkach.

As always, I am thankful to my daughters Liesl and Dana Thorsen, and to Heidi and her husband Will Oxford, for their ongoing love and support of my writing habit, which for me is a spiritual discipline. In particular, I want to honor my daughter Dana, to whom this book is dedicated. Dana, blessings!

Biblical References and Abbreviations

All references to Scripture come from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), unless otherwise stated. They are used to illustrate the scriptural roots of beliefs, values, and practices related to Christian spirituality, rather than act as proofs of them.

The Hebrew Scriptures, known by Christians as the Old Testament, will be abbreviated as OT. The Christian Scriptures, known by Christians as the New Testament, will be abbreviated as NT.

In talking about spiritual formation, some foreign phrases (ancient and modern) are commonly used. In these references, abbreviations to other languages are as follows:

Aram. = Aramaic

Ger. = German

Gk. = Greek

Heb. = Hebrew

Kor. = Korean

Lat. = Latin

Old Eng. = Old English

A

abandonment, spiritual. A *detachment from the anxieties of the world and entrusting oneself wholly to God for the sake of spiritual *contemplation. Related terms include the renunciation of self-centeredness and disinterested *love for God, advocated for example, by seventeenth- and eighteenth-century French *quietists.

Abba (Aram., father). The intimate term for one’s father that *Jesus Christ used for God. Although Jesus also used the Greek word pater to refer to his Father, the occasional appearance of this Aramaic word (transliterated into Greek) suggests it was his way of addressing God. The intimacy is thought to communicate a deeper, more filial relationship between ourselves and God. Later NT Christians also referred to God as Abba, showing that we may have the same kind of relationship with God as did Jesus (e.g., Romans 8:15). Spiritually, Abba helps Christians today to pursue God in a way that is filial, relational, and intimate.

abiding in Christ. Living in ways that acknowledge that *Jesus Christ is our source of spiritual power (John 15:4); Christians participate *in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), through the presence and power of the Holy *Spirit, and follow his teachings (1 John 2:27). Christians use the phrase to describe the proper place they should be spiritually in relationship with Jesus, both for their *salvation and spiritual growth.

absolution. The proclamation—for example, by a Roman Catholic or Orthodox priest—that the sins of a penitent have been forgiven by God after they have been *confessed and repented. Based on Matthew 18:18, a priest may choose to withhold absolution until a *penance (discipline) is completed, especially in cases of grave sin.

activist spirituality. A type of spirituality that emphasizes compassion and advocacy on behalf of those who are impoverished or unjustly treated, spiritually as in other ways— culturally, financially, and politically. Participation in compassion ministries and social activism is considered a heightened expression of Christian spirituality. Concerns of activist spirituality include advocacy for the poor, who have been ignored, marginalized, oppressed, and persecuted (see liberation).

ACTS (prayer). An acrostic guide to prayer used as a mnemonic device for adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication.

administration, gift of. A special enabling of the Holy *Spirit that empowers believers for spiritual or church leadership, such as for vision casting and managing others.

adoration. Expression of affection, admiration, and love, especially toward God. Adoration is an important part of *praising God in *prayer and other aspects of one’s relationship with God.

Advent. The coming (Lat., adventus; cf. Gk., parousia) of *Jesus Christ, especially in reference to his birth. Nowadays Advent primarily refers to the beginning of the Christian church year (see calendar, Christian), and the four Sundays preceding it (see Christmas). The Advent may also refer to Jesus’ second coming.

affection. A human emotion or desire; it may have to do with a liking for someone or something. The spiritual dimension of human experience has sometimes been described as the religious affections. Historically, Christians have been wary of religious affections, considering them to be secondary—even disrupting—to Christian faith, hope, and love (see virtues, theological). Be that as it may, there is thought to be an interconnectedness between human and religious affections. According to Jonathan Edwards, proper religious affections, as typified by the *fruit of the Spirit, moderate the extremes of Christian intellectualism and emotionalism.

agapē. A Greek word for *love, thought to be the highest form of unconditional, self-giving love. Although various Greek words are translated in Scripture as love, agapē was used most often to describe God’s love for people, and the kind of love people are to have for God and for others. Throughout church history, agapē has been the goal of perfect love for which Christians have aspired in their spiritual pursuit of *holiness.

amen. A Hebrew word of acclamation, meaning so be it or let it be. Both Jews and Christians use amen in *prayer and *liturgy as a response to religious affirmations, *thanksgivings, and *benedictions (e.g., 2 Corinthians 1:20). In some translations of *Scripture, amen is translated as verily or truly (e.g., John 5:24). Spiritually, amen is used as a solemn and fervent conclusion to people’s prayers, individually or collectively.

amulet. An item of religious significance, often worn around the neck or on other parts of the body. The Jews wore phylacteries, which were receptacles that usually contained scriptural texts. Later, Christians wore religious jewelry as simple as a *cross or crucifix, or as complex as a locket containing a holy relic. Amulets serve to remind people of God and matters related to God, or serve as a witness to others.

angels. Heavenly beings, created by God, who serve as celestial messengers and servants of God. Angels aid people for salvation and also for their *spiritual formation, sometimes described as ministering angels (see Hebrews 1:14). Some Christians consider angels to be guardians of individuals, or of entire groups, cities, and regions, and believe they engage in *spiritual warfare with *demons.

antinomianism. The belief that Christians are not bound by *laws, but are morally free due to *grace. The term antinomianism combines Greek words that mean against (anti) and law (nomos). This belief asserts that Christians are exempt from the moral teachings of *Scripture, including those of *Jesus Christ. Most Christians have been as critical of antinomianism as its opposite: works righteousness. Although Christians are saved by grace through *faith, they are not exempt from God’s *holiness and justice, and Christlike living.

apologetic spirituality. See studious spirituality.

apostleship, gift of. A special enabling of the Holy *Spirit that empowers believers for spreading the *gospel, especially in new ways or areas. The original disciples were called apostles. So also was Paul and some others (e.g., Andronicus, Junia). Some Christians believe in a limited and authoritative view of apostolicity that ceased in biblical times, whereas other Christians believe that God continues to enable apostles today. See also gifts of the Holy Spirit.

arts. Various arts, *music, and *dance used for promoting spirituality and worship. Historically, *icons have been important artistic expressions of Christianity. Spirituality and *worship take many forms, and the arts can creatively contribute to their development through engaging multiple senses in celebration of and meditation on God.

asceticism. The practice of self-denial. Asceticism consists of extreme self-discipline for the sake of spiritual *purification, insight, and pursuit of other practices that enable Christians to abstain from physical and earthly concerns. Ascetics practice physical ascesis (i.e., self-denial) in aid of mental and spiritual ascesis, leading to tranquility as well as to *union (or communion) with God. Asceticism may be individual or collective. In the ancient church, there were various ways that Christians took flight from the world (Lat., fuga mundi). For