The Psalms and Spirituality: A study of meditative engagement with selected psalms amongst Edinburgh students

摘要

This study is the account of an empirical research programme in practical theology exploringudthe potential of the Book of Psalms to facilitate the spiritual journey of a sample ofudUniversity of Edinburgh students aged between twenty and thirty who are on or beyond theudfringes of the churches. Drawing upon some insights of the Bible Society movementudregarding ‘scripture engagement,’ and in the wider context of increasing interest inudspirituality and decreasing confidence in the churches among many westernised youngudadults, the project seeks to answer two research questions. First, how far does creativeudengagement with specific psalm texts in the form of a semi-structured three-week meditativeudspiritual journey facilitate the quest of contemporary young adults for personal meaning andudspiritual enlightenment? Second, what does this study contribute to the current debateudamong the Bible Societies and other Bible agencies concerning the nature of Scriptureudengagement?udIn the first part of the thesis I review the debate on Scripture engagement, exploring theudcontemporary sacred landscape, and elucidating why the Book of Psalms was chosen for thisudexercise. Additionally, I develop the theological-cultural framework employed inudinterpreting the data. In the second part I describe respondents’ meditative engagement withudsix psalms and identify six main findings. These findings are: that ‘subjective-life’ and ‘likeas’udmodes of spirituality coexist in some respondents and that the subjectivism of the psalmsudprovides a bridge between them; that the cursing psalms, although considered by manyudrespondents to be unacceptable, have potential to foster non-violence in conflict situations;udthat a desire to resolve suffering is a feature of the self-identity of many respondents; thatudmeditating on the psalms fosters faith commonly as a generic process and particularly asudtheological trust; that interacting with psalmic texts helps to resolve the disorientation oftenudexperienced when facing confusing lifestyle choices; that meditating on the psalms providesudspace in which to reflect on the moral ambiguities of life.udIn the third part I evaluate the findings, concluding that the creative engagement betweenudrespondents and text results from respondents discovering that the psalms resonate with theirudidealism and basic human needs in ways that facilitate their ongoing spiritual quest forudmeaning and enlightenment, as well as providing an opportunity to confront God withudcomplaints and dilemmas. I question some of the prevailing thinking on Scriptureudengagement for being too exclusively outcomes oriented, and suggest that meditativeudengagement with psalms could become a gateway to interacting with other biblical texts.udMy subsidiary findings are: that respondents believe audio texts enhance their use of print,udappreciate the perspective psalm meditation provides on contemporary events and trends, areudfascinated by psalmic metaphor, and find some readers’ helps more useful than others. Iudindicate areas where further research would be useful and outline some future directions thatudthe Bible agencies might fruitfully follow in developing Scripture engagement resources forudthe churches.