 |
  |
|
|
 |
 |
Jane
Vennard Jane
Vennard is an astute scholar of Christianity, and is a former practitioner
of Buddhism. She is an adjunct professor at the Iliff School of Theology
located in Denver, Colorado. Jane has a rare blend of being able
to see clearly the similarities and differences in traditional perspectives,
and adeptly leads us through an examination of a variety of spiritual perspectives.
Below is a short segment of an extensive dialogue we conducted with Jane, which appears in its entirety in our book "Dialogues With Emerging Spiritual Teachers." Q. There are so many spiritual teachers and teachings coming about; some legitimate, some not. If someone were sincerely interested in a genuine spiritual teaching, minister or teacher, what are the most important aspects to consider? A. I would say first off, congruence. Are person's living what they're teaching? Are their lives congruent with their words? - which is another way of asking, "Do they have integrity?" I would also look very carefully for humility. The humility of a teacher would be of utmost importance. I believe humility guards against the "guru" kind of mentality which can be so seductive to spiritual teachers. Humility tends to counter that danger. Another aspect would be to ask, "Are they out in the world or are they isolating themselves?" I am not equating isolation with people who are cloistered in prayer because their prayers are ultimately for the goodness of the world. They are deeply involved "prayerfully" in the world. But I would be wary of people who build walls around themselves, to protect themselves from the world, and remove themselves from any involvement with issues of justice and peace. To contact Jane, write to:
To order "Dialogues With Emerging Spiritual Teachers" Click here To go back to the list of participants click here |
|
|
Home New Book Ordering Sagewood Future Events Connections Contact |
 |