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Using the Bible in Spiritual Direction
Spiritual direction is as old as the Christian faith. Today there is an ever growing demand for this ministry, despite the decline in membership of the institutional Church.
The Bible has always had a privileged place in the director’s toolkit and has been mined as a resource in different ways. It has been a source of wisdom; it has provided material for prayer and reflection; it has encouraged those just beginning in prayer and those for whom prayer has run dry; it has challenged belief and behaviour in the struggle to discern God’s will and set boundaries for orthodoxy in Christian experience.
With that all this in mind, the author suggests that spiritual direction is not just for individuals but for the flourishing of the Church as a whole. There is evidence of a loosening of the links between Christian orthodoxy and the practice of spiritual direction. It is also often perceived as a private and individualistic pursuit. The author therefore asks how the Bible challenges this interpretation of a key but often unacknowledged ministry in the Church, and how it may help the whole Church to own spiritual direction and thereby benefit the wider world.
The Bible has always had a privileged place in the director’s toolkit and has been mined as a resource in different ways. It has been a source of wisdom; it has provided material for prayer and reflection; it has encouraged those just beginning in prayer and those for whom prayer has run dry; it has challenged belief and behaviour in the struggle to discern God’s will and set boundaries for orthodoxy in Christian experience.
With that all this in mind, the author suggests that spiritual direction is not just for individuals but for the flourishing of the Church as a whole. There is evidence of a loosening of the links between Christian orthodoxy and the practice of spiritual direction. It is also often perceived as a private and individualistic pursuit. The author therefore asks how the Bible challenges this interpretation of a key but often unacknowledged ministry in the Church, and how it may help the whole Church to own spiritual direction and thereby benefit the wider world.
160 pages, Paperback
First published May 21, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 10, 2022
I discovered this book because one day I was sitting back and thinking, "I wonder if anyone has written a book about the use of Scripture in spiritual direction." Voila, here it is. Liz Hoare (tutor in spiritual formation and dean of women at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford) has given a winsome introduction to spiritual direction itself as well as the role of Scripture in it.
Hoare demonstrates that not only should the Scriptures sustain spiritual directors as they train, refresh, and nurture their own spiritual lives, but the Scriptures can and should be used in the task of direction. Biblical metaphors and characters can validate directees' experiences and give them the necessary language and images to express themselves; Psalms and inspirational verses can be effective catalysts for spiritual growth; and any passage can be the vehicle through which the Holy Spirit moves, inspires, and creates.
Hoare argues (contrary to very many books on spiritual direction) that the Bible is not simply "useful" or "optional" in direction; besides the Spirit and two people talking with each other, it's the only other indispensable thing. Direction cannot happen without the Word of God, as read, contemplated, or remembered in the Scriptures, going forth between God and the director and directee and then back to God. It is the necessary "grammar" of direction, whether or not a Bible is cracked open during a session or if the Bible (as such) is even brought up. The Scriptures record the experiences of people as God moves among them; it is written that we may believe in Christ and become His disciples. If even the "plot" or major features of God's Word are kept in mind during direction, then the space is open for God to continue to create or strengthen faith and to lead us into deeper discipleship.
As I note above, very few books on spiritual direction examine the elevated place the Scriptures hold in spiritual direction. In addition, many contemporary spiritual direction books even avoid overtly Christian language, references to Christian creeds or doctrines, and orthodox Faith communities. Hoare is an evangelical, Bible-loving pastor who is unafraid to state up front her Christian beliefs and the necessity of rooting all of direction in the community of the Triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Unless direction is Christ-like and Christ-rooted, then it is something else, and not actually spiritual direction. This is not to say that direction must take place between Anglicans only or Catholics only; indeed, it is broad enough to welcome people of all backgrounds. But the director must be in the business of Kingdom-building, she or he must be cognizant of the origin and committed to the mission that direction holds alongside all the other activities in the worldwide Christian Church. It holds one place among many; but it is a very important place.
Hoare demonstrates that not only should the Scriptures sustain spiritual directors as they train, refresh, and nurture their own spiritual lives, but the Scriptures can and should be used in the task of direction. Biblical metaphors and characters can validate directees' experiences and give them the necessary language and images to express themselves; Psalms and inspirational verses can be effective catalysts for spiritual growth; and any passage can be the vehicle through which the Holy Spirit moves, inspires, and creates.
Hoare argues (contrary to very many books on spiritual direction) that the Bible is not simply "useful" or "optional" in direction; besides the Spirit and two people talking with each other, it's the only other indispensable thing. Direction cannot happen without the Word of God, as read, contemplated, or remembered in the Scriptures, going forth between God and the director and directee and then back to God. It is the necessary "grammar" of direction, whether or not a Bible is cracked open during a session or if the Bible (as such) is even brought up. The Scriptures record the experiences of people as God moves among them; it is written that we may believe in Christ and become His disciples. If even the "plot" or major features of God's Word are kept in mind during direction, then the space is open for God to continue to create or strengthen faith and to lead us into deeper discipleship.
As I note above, very few books on spiritual direction examine the elevated place the Scriptures hold in spiritual direction. In addition, many contemporary spiritual direction books even avoid overtly Christian language, references to Christian creeds or doctrines, and orthodox Faith communities. Hoare is an evangelical, Bible-loving pastor who is unafraid to state up front her Christian beliefs and the necessity of rooting all of direction in the community of the Triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Unless direction is Christ-like and Christ-rooted, then it is something else, and not actually spiritual direction. This is not to say that direction must take place between Anglicans only or Catholics only; indeed, it is broad enough to welcome people of all backgrounds. But the director must be in the business of Kingdom-building, she or he must be cognizant of the origin and committed to the mission that direction holds alongside all the other activities in the worldwide Christian Church. It holds one place among many; but it is a very important place.
August 15, 2020
In a growing field of Spiritual Direction, Liz Hoare writes to those desiring to use the Holy Scriptures of the Christian tradition in their practice.
As one studying to become a Spiritual Director, I found this book informative, instructive, inspirational and one I will refer to again and again in my practice.
As one studying to become a Spiritual Director, I found this book informative, instructive, inspirational and one I will refer to again and again in my practice.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews