Theology, Spirituality and Religious Experience Summer School 2020
Theology, Spirituality and Religious Experience
10 online lectures by Fr Pat Collins C.M.
It could be argued that in contemporary Christianity the centre of gravity has shifted from the experience of religious authority to the authority of religious experience, whether theistic or non-theistic. Writing about the tension that exists between subjective religious experience and objective Christian truth, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (subsequently Pope Benedict XVI) wrote: “What is the relation between personal experience and the common faith of the Church? Both factors are important: a dogmatic faith unsupported by personal experience remains empty; mere personal experience unrelated to the faith of the Church remains blind.”[1] This course will not only look at the tension that necessarily exists between religious experience and Christian dogma, ritual, and spirituality, but also the danger it poses when one element prevails at the expense of the other. It will do so in an interdisciplinary way by having recourse to such topics as theology, Church history, anthropology, psychology, neuroscience and empirical research. The course will aim to demonstrate that when religious experience and Christian truth are kept in balance, the Christian life is animated by meaning and relevance. While each talk will be a standalone topic, the series will be interconnected.
Fr Pat Collins C.M., has lectured in All Hallows College, St Patrick’s College Drumcondra and the Milltown Institute, on spirituality, theology and the psychology of religion. In recent years he has published a trilogy of books which are about the interface between subjective religious experience and objective Christian truth, Guided by God: Ordinary and Charismatic Ways of Discovering God’s Will; Prophecy: Truth for Today Light for Tomorrow; and Countdown to Doomsday: How Our World will End, which is about apocalyptic prophecy. He helped to introduce the Alpha Course into the Republic of Ireland and is a founder member of the New Springtime Community in Dublin.
Related Video Resources
1 - "Religious Experience, Theology & Spirituality"
Lecture: 1
Title: "Religious Experience, Theology & Spirituality"
Pat Collins C.M.
2 - "Protestant & Catholic Emphasis on Religious Experience"
Lecture: 2
Title: "Protestant & Catholic Emphasis on Religious Experience"
Pat Collins C.M.
3 - "Religious Experience and Empirical Research"
Lecture: 3
Title: "Religious Experience and Empirical Research"
Pat Collins C.M.
4 - "Religious Experience and Spiritual Direction"
Lecture: 4
Title: "Religious Experience and Spiritual Direction"
Pat Collins C.M.
5 - "A Typology of Religious Experience"
Lecture: 5
Title: "A Typology of Religious Experience"
Pat Collins C.M.
6 - "Theistic & Non-theistic Religious Experience"
Lecture: 6
Title: "Theistic & Non-theistic Religious Experience"
Pat Collins C.M.
7 - "Evangelisation and The Gifts of Revelation"
Lecture: 7
Title: "Evangelisation and The Gifts of Revelation"
Pat Collins C.M.
8 - "Religious Experience & Models of Evangelisation"
Lecture: 8
Title: "Religious Experience & Models of Evangelisation"
Pat Collins C.M.
9 - "Religious Experience & Psychosomatic Health"
Lecture: 9
Title: "Religious Experience & Psychosomatic Health"
Pat Collins C.M.
10 - "Dangers Implicit in the Experiential Approach"
Lecture: 10
Title: "Dangers Implicit in the Experiential Approach"
Pat Collins C.M.
Related PDF Resources
Religious Experience
Notes to accompany films
