St. Ignatius’ mission was to touch souls. Drawing upon the innovation and imagination of Ignatian Spirituality, we can enrich the spiritual lives of others... and our own!
As a part of the Dean’s Lecture series, JST welcomed Dr. Erin Cline, Professor of Theology at Georgetown University, for a conversation about adapting the Spiritual Exercises for people of other faith traditions. Dr. Cline specializes in Chinese philosophy and comparative philosophy and religion, with a particular focus on early Chinese ethics, religious and political thought. Her new book, A World on Fire: Sharing the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises with Other Religions, was inspired by her own experience with the Spiritual Exercises. Dr. Cline made the 19th Annotation, an adaptation of the Spiritual Exercises for everyday life. Retreatants proceed through the four weeks of the Exercises over the course of a year. Throughout the experience, the retreatant gets to know Jesus more intimately as she or he journeys with Jesus. Dr. Cline was deeply moved by Jesus’ long, quiet walk. Throughout the 19th annotation, no area of her life was untouched. She said, “Even on a daily basis my responses were changed by the relationships that were built at the heart of the Exercises. I knew that a part of the call for me would involve my scholarly work.”
Parts of the Exercises have been adapted for other religions, but Dr. Cline’s work is unique in that she proposes an adaptation of the full four weeks. Her goal is not to change or replace Christian practices with those of other traditions. Ignatian Spirituality is rich in traditions that lend themselves to an adaptation for other religions, such as the use of imagination. Historically, contemplative traditions, such as Buddhism, have deepened Christian spiritual practices. Erin Cline asks if this sharing can go both ways. In addition to proposing an adaptation, her task is to “draw inspiration and innovate new Spiritual Exercises that represent a combination of Ignatian Spirituality and other religions. The most compelling reason for sharing them is to enrich the spiritual lives of others.”
Cline’s lecture spoke directly to our mission here at JST: to culturally contextualize theology, bringing theology into dialogue with communities. For Erin Cline, that means sharing the Spiritual Exercises. “I believe that the experience of walking with Jesus and having one’s perspective transformed is something that can be shared by people from other traditions. I believe that something that crosses those lines.”