Masthead Logo Digital Commons @ George Fox University Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations 2-1-2019 Renewing the Jesus Movement in the Episcopal Church: Weaving Good News Into Spiritual Formation Robert Swope [email protected] This research is a product of the Doctor of Ministry (DMin) program at George Fox University. Find out more about the program. Recommended Citation Swope, Robert, "Renewing the Jesus Movement in the Episcopal Church: Weaving Good News Into Spiritual Formation" (2019). Doctor of Ministry. 301. https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/dmin/301 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Digital Commons @ George Fox University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctor of Ministry by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ George Fox University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. GEORGE FOX UNIVERSITY RENEWING THE JESUS MOVEMENT IN THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH: WEAVING GOOD NEWS INTO SPIRITUAL FORMATION A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF PORTLAND SEMINARY IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY ROBERT SWOPE PORTLAND, OREGON FEBRUARY 2019 Portland Seminary George Fox University Portland, Oregon CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL ________________________________ DMin Dissertation ________________________________ This is to certify that the DMin Dissertation of Robert Swope has been approved by the Dissertation Committee on February 14, 2019 for the degree of Doctor of Ministry in Leadership and Spiritual Formation Dissertation Committee: Primary Advisor: David Robinson, DMin Secondary Advisor: Mary Pandiani, DMin Lead Mentor: MaryKate Morse, PhD Copyright © 2019 by Robert Swope All rights reserved ii DEDICATION To my beloved Anam Cara, Sharon, whose tender wisdom, compassion, and brilliance have encouraged and transformed me during our life together and beyond. To our beloved children, Jill, Jason, and Jennifer, whose loving support and patience have inspired Dad to write what is in his heart iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Since it is true that no person is an island, I am blessed with an archipelago of professional personal friends who have inspired and challenged me during this whole process of academic and spiritual formation. To all the special caregivers in our cohort who listen, support, and pray with me; the Portland Seminary team—MaryKate, Cliff, Loren, Heather, and David—whose encouragement and guidance have kept me on the right path by running alongside me all the way: Thanks be to God! iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ...............................................................................................................iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................. iv LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... vii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................. viii SECTION 1: THE PROBLEM ........................................................................................ 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 Anglican Comprehensiveness .................................................................................. 1 The Metaphor of the Oregon Trail............................................................................ 2 Decline of the Mainline Churches in the United States ............................................... 4 Continuum for Spiritual Growth in the Episcopal Church .......................................... 7 The Shaping of the Episcopal Church Today ........................................................... 11 Concluding Thoughts on the Problem .................................................................... 14 SECTION 2: OTHER PROPOSED SOLUTIONS ........................................................ 15 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 15 Centering Prayer: Recovering a Contemplative Path for Union with God ................. 16 Levels of Awareness .............................................................................................. 18 Guidelines for Centering Prayer ............................................................................. 21 The Cloud, Lectio and Centering Prayer ................................................................ 23 Bourgeault’s Non-Duality and Pure Consciousness ................................................ 25 Basil Pennington's Contribution to Centering Prayer .............................................. 26 Conclusions ........................................................................................................... 27 Becoming Part of the Episcopal Branch of the Jesus Movement .............................. 29 The Jesus Movement in Eight Points ...................................................................... 30 The Influence of Verna Josephine Dozier ............................................................... 31 The Way of Love: Practices for a Jesus-Centered Life ........................................... 33 Critique of the Alternative Solutions ........................................................................ 34 SECTION 3: THESIS ................................................................................................... 39 A Vision for Renewing Congregations and Adults in the Episcopal Church ............. 39 Reclaiming an Evangelical Vision for Renewal ....................................................... 41 The Impact of an Evangelical Anglican Catechism ................................................ 41 The Evangelical Option ......................................................................................... 44 Practical Disciplines for Spiritual Formation ............................................................ 48 Disciplines from the Way of St. Benedict ............................................................... 49 The Discipline of Practicing the Presence of God ................................................... 57 The Orthodox Tradition of Theosis and the Jesus Prayer, or Prayer of the Heart .... 65 Seeing with a Celtic Christian Heart....................................................................... 73 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 77 SECTION 4: ARTIFACT DESCRIPTION ................................................................... 79 SECTION 5: ARTIFACT SPECIFICATION ............................................................... 81 Goals ....................................................................................................................... 81 v The Target Audience ............................................................................................... 82 Project Scope and Content ....................................................................................... 83 Artifact Promotion ................................................................................................... 84 Artifact Budget ........................................................................................................ 84 Calendar for Action Plan ......................................................................................... 85 SECTION 6: POSTSCRIPT ......................................................................................... 86 What Contributed to the Dissertation's Format? ....................................................... 86 How Effective is the Application of the Research? ................................................... 87 What Are the Specific Gains Made and Future Ways to Implement the Dissertation?88 APPENDIX A: ARTIFACT ......................................................................................... 90 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................... 158 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Where Are We Spiritually? The Four Stages of Spiritual Growth ..................... 8 Figure 2. Key Catalysts for Spiritual Growth ................................................................. 10 Figure 3: Levels of Awareness....................................................................................... 18 Figure 4: Guidelines for Centering Prayer ...................................................................... 21 Figure 5: The Jesus Movement in Eight Points .............................................................. 30 Figure 6: The Way of Love—Practices for a Jesus-Centered Life .................................. 33 vii ABSTRACT The Episcopal Church today experiences continuing decline in membership and new challenges to making Christ Jesus fully known. Research1 reveals a significant number of members desire to understand scripture better, experience the mystery of the Eucharist, learn how to deepen their spiritual journey, and encourage clergy to deepen their journey as well. With the departure of many Evangelicals, the Church has lost its comprehensiveness.2 This affects how leadership sees spiritual formation. At the same time, laity have expressed a desire for how to engage in a deeper prayer life. Two solutions address these issues. Centering prayer explores silent, imageless contemplation to engender an ever-deepening self-awareness