Anglicans are often delighted to see others becoming interested in
"Celtic Spirituality." This is because Anglican Christianity is historically and culturally
rooted in the wild mix of Celtic Christianity, Eastern Orthodox, and Roman Christianity found
in ancient Britain.
There is, at present, a fascination with
(and marketing of) that culture: Celtic art, Celtic dance, Celtic story,
Celtic spirituality. If one were to believe the marketing displays, one might
assume that true "Celtic" culture is pagan -- finding its spiritual center in
goddess worship.
However, to pretend that genuine "Celtic" spirituality is essentially pagan
is to ignore the facts of history. Specifically Celtic Christianity
was a powerful spiritual force for centuries -- and continues to challenge us to
a more passionate, more creative approach to faith.
When God became a human being in the person of Jesus, the Jewish culture was reflected in the incarnate God. Yet, even though Jesus himself loved, appreciated, was both enriched and nourished by Jewish culture, he was not uncritical of the culture. So it has been throughout the the growth of Christianity. As Christianity spread (not just the teaching, but the life of God taking root in people) -- as Christianity became rooted in other cultures -- it was both enriched and nourished by that culture (although not in an uncritical way). For example, American Christianity has both strengths and weaknesses that are not found in other cultural expressions of Christianity. These strengths can be offered to the world, even while American Christians should be self-critical, and open to the loving criticism from Christians in other cultures. So it is with Celtic Christianity. Christianity took root in Celtic communities very early, was enriched and nourished in uniquely Celtic ways, and gained strengths and weaknesses not found in other cultural expressions of Christianity.
Christianity's growth among Celtic communities:
+ Gildas (an early British historian) said the Gospel came to Britain in the last year of Tiberias (AD 37 -- perhaps as a result of the scattering described in Acts 8:1-4).
+ Legends about Joseph of Arimathea's influence in Glastonbury (AD 63) may well have risen from certain actual events that appear to be more plausible than not.
+ Tertullian wrote (ca 200 AD) that parts of Britain, unconquered by the Romans, had been conquered by Christ.
+ Origen (ca 240 AD) makes mention of British Christianity.
+ British bishops participated in the Council of Arles (314 AD).
+ The Roman Conquest of Great Britain was never complete nor permanent. North and west of the Roman occupation, and in many pockets throughout Great Britain and the British isles, Celtic culture successfully resisted the Roman incursion. And within that culture, Christianity flourished in specifically Celtic ways, in contrast to Roman ways.
+ Celtic Christian missionaries (including Patrick, Brigid, Brendan, Kieran, Columba, Kevin and others) established Celtic Christian communities, not only the British isles, but in continental Europe.
+ In 596 Rome sent Augustine to Britain to bring Christianity to the Angles. When Augustine came ashore, he was greeted by Christians. Not Roman Christians, but Celtic Christians.
Features of Celtic Christianity:
+ theologically orthodox, with heavy emphasis on the Trinity
+ sense of God's personal, helpful presence
+ respect for God as creator
+ closeness between God and nature
+ awareness of thin spaces and thin times
+ love & respect for creation (nature) as God's gift
+ emphasis on the Incarnation of Christ
+ a passion for the wild
+ importance of soul friend
+ importance of kinship and community
+ a love and respect for Mary, the Incarnation of Christ, and Liturgy
+ sense of the Saints as continuing, helpful presences
+ religious practice characterized by a love for liturgy, tough penitential acts, vigils, self-exile, pilgrimages, and resorting to holy wells, mountains, caves, ancient monastic sites, and other sacred locations
+ love and respect for art and poetry
+ love and respect for the "old wisdom", the great stories, storytelling
+ centrality of monasticism
+ commitment to education (the Irish monks were the educators of Europe)
+ emphasis on mission (the white martyrdom)
+ powerful prayers for protection
+ respect for dreams
+ centrality of hospitality
+ spiritual friendship
Lessons for modern Christianity:
+ Churches must become communities rather than commissaries
+ Churches must continually create new communities
+ Churches must send off their best into the unknown to create new communities
+ Churches must believe that God is already present and alive and loving of the unknown cultures
+ Churches must befriend and accept unknown people and cultures as God's
+ Churches must be led by people focused on outreach rather than institutional control
+ Churches must be friendly to and friendly with the "new barbarians"
+ Churches must reject the idea of a Christian culture to conserve or protect
+ Churches must accept that there is no Christian culture for people to return to
+ Churches must rediscover pre-modern and post-modern ways of thinking and being
+ Churches must seek, expect, and welcome the inadequate and the dangerous
+ Churches must become the seekers rather than holding court for seekers
+ Churches must encourage the proliferation of spiritual peer groups rather than conceiving of discipleship primarily (or worse, soley!) through a Speaker/Audience model
Spiritual friendship:
Spiritual friendship is central both to the spiritual community and to one's own spiritual growth.
Often, those familiar with the concept of spiritual friendship or spiritual direction think of it in terms of a 'teacher-disciple' relationship (or 'vertical' friendship). As a result they pay little attention to a vital dimension of spiritual friendship that could be called 'horizontal' friendship: that is, friendship with one's peers. Those who are fortunate enough to enjoy a stimulating, challenging teacher may not feel they are missing anything. But a small circle of spiritual peers, enjoying intimate friendship and in close mutual association, can aid one another's progress greatly, provided they also have some contact with more mature friends.
The ideal situation is actually to live with spiritual friends, or to work with them, or both. This reality played a large part of the Celtic monastic/missionary movement that deeply influenced European Christianity so long ago. But one need not join or found a monastic community to create intentional spiritual friendship with one's peers. Our need for spiritual friendship is often the what drives us to create small groups, such as discipleship groups, Bible studies, covenant groups, cell groups, and ministry teams.
Our peer friends can help us in refining our spiritual and ethical awareness. In some regards they will be more sensitive than we are. Through frequent contact with us, they may be much more aware of our spiritual and ethical blind spots than our mature friends (with whom, in an unfeigned way, we tend to be 'at our best'). Peers can help us to overcome these blind spots, not by pointing accusing fingers, but through benevolence and intimacy. Sometimes we are unable (or unwilling) to recognise that something we have said or done is contrary to our spiritual aims, but a friend can help us to see this, without offending us.
True spiritual friends do not let us off the hook, but at the same time are gentle, sensitive and kindly in their speech, choosing their moment carefully. Friends also help us to eradicate the unwholesome in ourselves by receiving our confessions, by rejoicing in our merits, reinforcing the good in us, encouraging us, praying for us, and letting us "sort things out" by actively listening to us work out our stories. By seeing and loving the bestin us, they draw it out more fully, just as rain and sunlight nourish a plant.
Bibliography:
Davies, Oliver. Celtic Spirituality. Classics of Western Spirituality. New York: Paulist Press, 1999.
Earle, Mary C. and Maddox, Sylvia. Companions for the Journey. Praying with Celtic Saints. Winona, MN: Saint Mary's Press; Christian Brothers Publications, 2000.
Hunter, George G. III. The Celtic Way of Evangelism. Nashville: Abingdon, 2000.
Joyce, Timothy. Celtic Christianity. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1998.
Moorman, J R H. A History of the Church in England. Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 1980.
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