Michel Henry and the Prospect of a Christian Spiritual Inactivism

Christian spirituality is often “activist.” It consists in the performance of various actions through which a faithful person attempts to secure the presence of God. The argument of the present essay is that spiritual “activism” cannot actually accomplish this goal. For this reason, it is necessary...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of spiritual formation & soul care
Main Author: Nemes, Steven ca. 20./21. Jh. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Sage Publishing 2022
In: Journal of spiritual formation & soul care
Year: 2022, Volume: 15, Issue: 1, Pages: 92-114
Further subjects:B Phenomenology
B Richard Kearney
B Michel Henry
B spiritual inactivism
B Joseph Rivera
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:Christian spirituality is often “activist.” It consists in the performance of various actions through which a faithful person attempts to secure the presence of God. The argument of the present essay is that spiritual “activism” cannot actually accomplish this goal. For this reason, it is necessary to seek a foundation for all spiritual activism in spiritual “inactivism.” This means that all Christian spiritual activity must be reconceived as a response to and celebration of a prior presence of God that comes before any performance. The phenomenological philosophy of Michel Henry makes it possible to appreciate how God is so present in the very fact of being alive. This can make the whole of Christian spiritual practice a Eucharist—a perpetual thanksgiving.
ISSN:2328-1030
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of spiritual formation & soul care
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/19397909211036144