Page 154 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 7

The Work and Thinking of David Benner

Werner May
On the Articles by David

G. Benner: Invitation to a

Journey

On his website, www.drdavidgbenner.ca, David be aligned with what God is doing in the world
G. Benner writes the following below the outli- to make all things new in Christ.”
ne of his professional career as a psychologist:
“This isn’t the person with whom I primarily This way of understanding a spiritual journey
identify. But it is certainly part of my story and reminds me of the description, attributed to the
may, therefore, be of interest.” Swiss Nikolaus von Flue (1417 - 1487), of three
What has happened when someone who has conversions. These three are a) the conversion
had responsible tasks and teaching posts at to Jesus Christ, b) the conversion to the congre-
many universities, who has set up a number of gation, church or Body of Christ, as one is also
counseling and therapeutic centers, who is listed accustomed to saying, and finally c) the conver-
in Who’s Who, not to mention his more than sion to the world. The latter means, above all,
20 books, of which many have been translated taking a responsible view of Creation and being
into numerous languages … what has happened in solidarity with all people, whether Christians
when someone expresses himself this way? or non-Christians, as creatures of God and as
potential redeemed persons.
A first answer can perhaps be found in this
statement about 20 years of his professional To prevent the very moving third conversion
activities: “I discovered the great advantage of pushing the other two conversions into the
reading not those with whom I was most likely background, I repeatedly discover that it is es-
to agree but rather those with whom I was most sential to have a second conversion that can
likely to be stimulated to think …” These mental bear substantial loads. For me, it was important
stimuli were the beginning of his own spiritual to understand this 2nd conversion under three
journey, as David G. Benner calls it today. And aspects and to learn to live it out.
he himself wonders if perhaps a midlife-crisis
at some point raised new questions: “I had lots First of all, what we usually understand under
of thoughts and opinions about God. But I had this term: firm ties to a local congregation and
very little experience of God. … And what I its superordinate network, the denomination.
longed for was authentic knowing of God, not Then also: Where two or three are gathered to-
simply construals about the ultimate mystery I gether, Jesus Christ is there amongst them; the-
had been so glibly naming as God.” re, too, we are church. And church goes even
“They led me into spiritual direction, and later beyond that and counts all Christians as part of
to my first experiences of contemplative still- the Body of Christ, of which Jesus Christ is the
ness and retreat.” head. We thus have ties to the Christians of the
whole world.
Today he takes the following position: These lesser and these comprehensive ties be-
“In that regard, church isn’t what is important. long to our life, because being human means
It is the world, and our life within it. When re- not only individuality, but always being linked
ligion and personal spirituality fail to support also to others.
our commitments to life within the world they
are, I believe, part of the problem, not part of I have profited richly from all the contributions
the solution. At this stage of my journey I want by David G. Benner to this e-journal, regardless
more than ever before to be part of the solution of the phase of his life from which they origi-
– or, in the language of Christian spirituality, to nate.

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