This course, taught by Michael Birkel at Bethany Theological Seminary, explores the expanding frontiers of contemporary spirituality beyond conventional religious boundaries, including the phenomenon of spiritual independence or “spiritual but not religious.” The course looks at spiritual practices such as kabbalah and mindfulness, both within their historical communities of origin and outside them, as a dimension of a universalist spirituality. The course also examines the ethics of borrowing from traditions not one’s own, at the rise of multiple religious identities, and at new efforts at interspiritual dialogue and cooperation.

Seminary: Bethany Theological Seminary
Keywords: neuroscience, spirituality, pastoral theology