Exploring Urban Spirituality: Heritage and Identity

I have to teach into some slums and to some suffering violence. Meanwhile, in the night hours, I wonder about my family: a wife having her first sound sleep since I went traveling ten days ago; a daughter in the struggle against political corruption; another celebrating a new song written; and a son pouring this millionth cup of coffee while wishing he were writing poetry. How do these things connect?

Where did one get poetry in his spirit? And another art? And another, the desire to be an activist policy-maker?

When I ask my classes, “Where does spirituality begin?” they start answering that it began when they received the Holy Spirit at conversion, overwhelmed by his incoming presence and deep sense of his love. And this is true.  The entrance of God’s Spirit, brings our spirit alive.

But did you have a spirit prior to new birth?

The scriptures tell us of our human spirit, deadened by sin (either our sin or the sin of others).

And was that spirit impacted by your Ancestors?

Now that sparks a discussion!! In one class it was a discussion between a student of German descent, one of Mexican descent (who from this class figured he was actually from high level Spanish ancestry), one of Japanese, and one African-American.  So how does a Japanese heritage affect ones spirituality in contrast to African-American?  Why does one meditate and one dance when the Holy Spirit comes on them? And why does a German heritage mean one experiences the Holy Spirit alone in silence with a logical mind?

So spirituality is inherent in our family history? Scriptures tell us that before we were formed in the womb, he knew us.  The scriptures indicate that sin impacts families to the 3rd and 4th generation ( see https://bibleproject.com/articles/the-sins-of-our-fathers/ for an extended analysis) My grandmother’s prayers deeply impacted my life, Do my kids have our godly Da Nair, their grandmother, to blame for their protection in the midst of their spiritual struggles – should they meander from the way? In some cases, covenants impact us to the 10th generation (David was the 10th generation from Boaz and Ruth).  So my other grandmother was the secretary/organizer of the Women’s political movement of her day, while her husband was a quiet, gracious national educator, and his grandfather the great astronomer who started the orchestras of New Zealand, so at least one of my kids would likely organize across nations. And the grandfather on my wife’s side, Sr Lourival, could create humor and jokes wherever he went, so at least one kid would be the life of the party.

Spirituality before Recorded History?

Well, this month’s Scientific American has 12 articles that seek to analyze what differentiates the human spirit from animals.  Of course, it doesn’t use Biblical words. It is Scientific.  But science has traced back to the first Adam and first Eve a few hundred thousand years ago. 

So spirituality began then?

Well no!  Scripture tells us that he knew us before the beginning of time.  We were in his mind when he first spoke 13.8 billion years ago in the Big Bang (so science says). The waves of his voice echoed across the universe, and combined in so many ways and eventually evolved each of us in the way he foresaw.

So, before time, he planned one as a poet, and one as a spacial art specialist, and one as a broad-scale organizer with an eye on policy making, and one spouse as a lego designer cum creative nerd, and another partner as a seeker of inner beauty through his artwork, and somewhere a wife for my son who speaks also in poetry but who can help him be grounded while he creates – somewhere…

We are born in him, and our spirits find no rest unless, after receiving his Spirit at conversion, we daily dwell in him, beginning in those few minutes with him in the word and prayer before dawn. And in repentance at the cross with our better half before we sleep. And that requires desperation, seeking and finding – and in this, the Holy Spirit comes and overwhelms us with his presence.

Embracing our Heritage?

These are the beginnings of spirituality.  We can embrace them, and continue the generations of character refinement, moral development, intellectual growth, or ignore them – and end in chaos.