The phrase 'I'm spiritual but not religious.' is something people often say as a reason they don't attend Church, in a false attempt to acknowledge some form of higher power.
But what does this much banded around term 'spirituality' actually mean? In Spiritual and Religious Tom Wright argues that, whether people choose to accept it or not, they are often practising a similar form of ancient paganism that has many similarities to that which confronted the early Church.
In his usual charismatic style, author Tom Wright traces the similarities between the worldviews of the first and twenty-first centuries, and shows how a clearer understanding of God as triune being can bring fresh insight into our understanding and preaching of the Gospel today.
He concludes this prophetic book with a call to todays Christians to make a clear choice:
‘Are we to compromise with paganism, to assimilate, to water down the distinctives of Christian faith in order to make it more palatable? Are we to retreat into dualism, into a private ‘spiritual’ religion which will assure us of an other-worldly salvation but which will leave the powers of the present world unchallenged. . . ? Or are we to worship the God who is Father, Son and Spirit, and to find in that worship a renewed courage, a renewed sense of direction, and a renewed hope for the future?’
