When Jesus prays to the Father in the garden of Gethsemane, he says: ‘My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it’ (John 17:15-16). As Christian academics serving in pluralistic universities, what are we to make of this ‘being in the world but not of it’ way of thinking and being? What are the implications for our spirituality? Does this approach advocate for an escape from, an indifference to, or perhaps even ignorance of this world?
On Thursday, 16 November 2023 at 1400 UTC, Dr Gary Selby, Professor of Ministerial Formation at Milligan University, will take up these concerns from the perspective of C. S. Lewis. His talk focuses on ways in which Lewis pushed back against what he called ‘negative spirituality’ which sees becoming ‘spiritual’ as moving farther and farther away from the body and from physical creation, from the ‘everyday stuff of life.’ We will explore Lewis’s alternative, noting how he drew upon deep traditions in the history of Christian thought to offer hopeful, practical wisdom for becoming awake to the joyful presence of God.
In preparation for the webinar, consider reading the introduction and chapter 1 of Selby’s Pursuing Earth Spirituality: C. S. Lewis and Incarnational Faith.
Don’t miss this intriguing webinar as Dr Selby pursues the thought that our ‘spiritual formation comes about not by retreating from the physical world but through deeper engagement with it.’
