littleho 那邊窗討論到分享屬靈經歷的主觀性,尤其是講到聖靈感召、見異象、機緣巧合的上天安排等,感到有時候人一句「我覺得…」,便立刻堵塞了跟其他人繼續有理性交流和討論的空間,別人也只有無奈地接受那擁有無上權威的「我覺得係咁就係咁」的詮釋。他也說在我們分享文化過盛的教會當中,若要分享,便很容易淪為這種主觀性的分享;若不分享,只將屬靈經歷存在心裏,又會跟主流文化對衝,被標籤成「不肯分享」的怪人。那怎麼辦呢?
我上個學期上了一個 Spiritual Discernment 的課程 (由 Dr. Gordon T. Smith 教)。從教會歷史的傳統裡面,尤其是天主教的靈修傳統,有很多先賢,例如 Ignatius of Loyola, Theresa of Ávila, St. John of the Cross,還有 evangelicals 如 John Wesley 跟 Jonathan Edwards 等,都提供了大量的方法和傳統,讓我們談論屬靈經歷時,能夠用準確的詞彙及文法 (“grammar”) 描述,以至於我們能夠彼此分享那些經歷,並且正確地印證那是否從神而來的。
“A discussion about discernment is a reflection on the nature of religious experience. Experience is inherently pliable and intangible and thus hard to define. We affirm that the Spirit of God communicates inwardly to the consciousness of those who are prepared to listen. Fine and good. But what form does this take? And how is it recognized? How can we talk about it meaningfully? ……
Therefore, we need a language to be able to speak about this experience, not only to make sense of our own encounters with Jesus but also as a way to be in conversation with others about our experience…… that we have a common understanding, with terms of reference, and a grammar that authenticates and strengthens that experience. To find this, we must turn to the Christian spiritual heritage so that our experience and our conversation are informed by the Christian tradition.”
Gordon T. Smith, The Voice of Jesus: Discernment, Prayer, and the Witness of the Spirit, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 34-35.
今日信徒不能夠有建設性地彼此分享屬靈經歷,部份原因是因為我們跟歷史、傳統脫節了,以至我們喪失了很多先賢所聚得的屬靈智慧,幫助我們理解我們的屬靈經歷。正如一間沒有圖書館的大學一樣,那般悲哀。
唯有我們珍重教會歷史,向先賢汲取經驗,齊齊學習怎樣談及和印証屬靈經歷,我們的團契小組聚會才不至於淪為那種「我覺得係咁就係咁」的情況。
讀上面介紹 Gordon Smith 的 The Voice of Jesus,也許是一個好的開始。


Recent Comments