A Side Note: Where I’m Coming From
As I’ve started writing, I realise that I am operating with convictions and assumptions that are important to acknowledge explicitly — particularly in a blog about spirituality and spiritual growth.
I’ve been blessed by friendships and coaching relationships with people from many different spiritual traditions and cultural backgrounds, and I’m convinced we always have something to offer each other when we interact with respect and curiosity.
As such, I’m confident this blog will provide useful nuggets for anybody who desires to grow personally and develop their spiritual life, even if we view some things differently. In particular, it will offer an approach to Biblical spirituality that is rarely articulated but I think can be profoundly life-giving.
So, in the interests of helping you, the reader, “chew the meat and spit out the bones” regarding what is helpful for you in this season of life, I thought it would be helpful to highlight some key starting points for me.
This list may get longer over time, but right now, I should probably mention two things:
- The Bible
- Gender & Language
The Bible
It’s important for me to acknowledge that the Bible has profoundly shaped my perspective on spirituality. I’ve personally found the Bible extremely powerful in my spiritual growth, and I’ve grown to trust it as a reliable guide on my journey.
However, I recognise that many people have different starting points and respect that their journeys differ to mine.
I also understand that many people have painful negative experiences with groups and individuals who claim to ‘believe’ in the Bible. If that’s your journey, I want to acknowledge your pain. It’s a legitimate thing.
Personally, I have also had negative experiences with people calling themselves “Christian”, but many positive experiences of God as I understand Him from the Bible.
So I want to encourage you to push through the human and religious mess and let God speak to you on His own terms before you ‘lock in’ any conclusions.
Gender & Gendered Language
I also want to acknowledge that there is a range of perspectives on gender and gendered language, and many people carry pain as a result of misused masculinity and/or bias towards masculine language. I also want to state clearly that the Bible is clear that God transcends gender — male and female both reflect “His” image.
Having said that, I will follow the historical convention on this one and speak about God using the male personal pronoun.
In addition to providing continuity to the conversation, I do this because as I have experienced Him more, it has brought healing and transformation to my experience of fatherhood, specifically, and authority generally.
Masculinity has often been abused and distorted. I believe a relationship with God opens the way to a healed and restored masculinity, which is just as life-giving as healthy and restored femininity.
