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Is Process Theology Relevant
to Gen Z Spirituality?
The purpose of this page is to raise a question, not provide an answer.
The question is: How, if at all, is process theology relevant to Generation Z?
And, to refine it a bit: How is the process understanding of "spirituality." as articulated by the Cobb Institute for Process and Practice (see below), relevant to Generation Z?
Many in Generation Z are spiritual explorers. They are known for their openness to different beliefs and practices, and their willingness to question traditional religious norms. They often seek out a personalized spiritual path that resonate with their individual values and experiences. This generation is more likely to identify as spiritual rather than religious, and they often incorporate elements from various faith traditions into their spiritual practices. They also tend to value authenticity, inclusivity, and social justice, which can influence their spiritual exploration. And they distrust organized religion as much as disorganized and deceptive politics.
My question is prompted by friendships with many in Generation Z but also the important work of Britt Hartley. She is a certified spiritual director and religious trauma and deconstruction coach who provides guidance for individuals on their spiritual journeys. She helps people of all ages explore spirituality without dogma, navigate existential crises, and heal from religious trauma. She has a special interest in Generation Z: roughly people ages twelve to twenty-four. Generation Z folks are navigating a rapidly changing world and seeking authentic spiritual experiences, but have an understandable distrust any form of organized religion and any hint that there is only one way to think about things. I heard Hartley give a response at the 2024 conference on Open and Relational Theology and was impressed with her advocacy for the many people who share the distrust but have the yearnings for something like "spirituality." You can learn more about her work on her website: No Nonsense Spirituality.
Gen Z is the first generation to grow up fully immersed in the internet and digital technology from birth. You can explore the spiritual aspects of their lives through the Almost Awakened Podcast by Bill Reel & Britt Hartley below. I hope this page prompts you to ponder the same question I am considering.
The question is: How, if at all, is process theology relevant to Generation Z?
And, to refine it a bit: How is the process understanding of "spirituality." as articulated by the Cobb Institute for Process and Practice (see below), relevant to Generation Z?
Many in Generation Z are spiritual explorers. They are known for their openness to different beliefs and practices, and their willingness to question traditional religious norms. They often seek out a personalized spiritual path that resonate with their individual values and experiences. This generation is more likely to identify as spiritual rather than religious, and they often incorporate elements from various faith traditions into their spiritual practices. They also tend to value authenticity, inclusivity, and social justice, which can influence their spiritual exploration. And they distrust organized religion as much as disorganized and deceptive politics.
My question is prompted by friendships with many in Generation Z but also the important work of Britt Hartley. She is a certified spiritual director and religious trauma and deconstruction coach who provides guidance for individuals on their spiritual journeys. She helps people of all ages explore spirituality without dogma, navigate existential crises, and heal from religious trauma. She has a special interest in Generation Z: roughly people ages twelve to twenty-four. Generation Z folks are navigating a rapidly changing world and seeking authentic spiritual experiences, but have an understandable distrust any form of organized religion and any hint that there is only one way to think about things. I heard Hartley give a response at the 2024 conference on Open and Relational Theology and was impressed with her advocacy for the many people who share the distrust but have the yearnings for something like "spirituality." You can learn more about her work on her website: No Nonsense Spirituality.
Gen Z is the first generation to grow up fully immersed in the internet and digital technology from birth. You can explore the spiritual aspects of their lives through the Almost Awakened Podcast by Bill Reel & Britt Hartley below. I hope this page prompts you to ponder the same question I am considering.
Gen Z Spirituality
almost awakened podcast
"This Week Britt & Bill take a look as various data including the Pew Research Data and try to extrapolate some of the shifts away and beyond from past generations, that Generation Z is making. How are they different from their parents and Grandparents and how healthy or unhealthy might these shifts be. And where do they fall in their trust and loyalty to religious systems and systems generally."
A Process Approach to Spirituality:
Richness of Experience in Daily Life
from the Cobb Institute
Our understanding of spirituality and the arts includes the following principles:
- All living beings are subjects of their own lives, with intrinsic value.
- We are relational beings, and compassion is an expression of that knowledge.
- We are in search of meaning about our becoming and the world’s becoming.
- No single faith community or wisdom tradition provides an absolute understanding of truth, or exhaustive guidance toward goodness, or exclusive access to beauty.
- There are diverse possibilities for embodied wisdom and emotional intelligence.
- We honor and value the multiplicity of spirituality expressed throughout the world.
- We strive to recognize and appreciate beauty in its novelty and diverse manifestations.
- Creativity occurs in a variety of forms.
- Nature is alive, and we are interwoven with it in a shared fabric of reality.
- We seek the integration of many forms of rich experience: attention, compassion, faith, forgiveness, hospitality, imagination, listening, meaning-making, openness, peace, playfulness, silence, wonder, and a zest for life.
In a process-relational perspective, spirituality is how we are inwardly animated, enlivened, nourished by life-giving forms of experience and ways of living in the world.
Alfred North Whitehead speaks of these qualities of felt beauty: here understood as satisfying forms of harmony and intensity in our relations with other people, the natural world, the heavens, and ourselves. In The Liberation of Life: From Cell to Community, John Cobb, speaks of them as forms of “richness of experience.” Spirituality, then, is the seeking and sustaining of rich experience in community with others and also, as Whitehead emphasized, the solitariness of the heart.
The Cobb Institute affirms and encourages the integration of many forms of rich experience: attention, compassion, faith, forgiveness, hospitality, imagination, listening, meaning-making, openness, peace, playfulness, silence, wonder, and a zest for life, for example. These experiences are available to people of all ages and faiths, relative to the circumstances of their lives. The experiences can be understood and interpreted through many different intellectual lenses, including process philosophy and the cosmology of Whitehead, who, in Process and Reality and other writings, offers a philosophy of experience conducive to their appreciation.
The varieties of rich experience can be fostered and enacted through many different spiritual activities, including rituals, gatherings, and collective actions aimed at supporting local communities that are creative, compassionate, participatory, inclusive, humane to animals, good for the earth, and joyful, with no one left behind. Such communities are the building blocks of ecological civilization. It is our belief that an integral spirituality can provide the nourishment that makes possible and sustains such civilization.
Spiritual Direction for Atheists
In a world where traditional religious frameworks may not resonate with everyone, there exists a need for spiritual guidance that transcends religious boundaries. Drawing from the principles espoused by the Cobb Institute, I offer a way of thinking about Spiritual Direction for Atheists. I realize that many and perhaps most in Generation Z are not atheists, but some are, and it is they - young and old who do not find belief in God in any form relevant or plausible - that I have in mind when I speak of Spiritual Direction for Atheists.
At the heart of SDS lies the recognition that spirituality is not contingent upon a belief in the supernatural or adherence to religious dogma. Instead, spirituality is about being inwardly animated and enriched by life's myriad experiences and relationships. Whitehead's concept of "felt beauty" provides a foundational understanding, emphasizing the importance of harmony and intensity in our connections with others, nature, the cosmos, and ourselves.
In the absence of a divine presence, SDA focuses on nurturing and sustaining rich experiences within a community context. John Cobb's notion of "richness of experience" serves as a guiding principle, highlighting the multifaceted nature of human existence and the diverse avenues through which individuals can find fulfillment and meaning.
Central to SDC are a range of humanistic values and practices that promote personal growth, empathy, and interconnectedness. These include:
- Attention: Cultivating mindfulness and presence in everyday life.
- Compassion: Empathizing with others and practicing kindness and understanding.
- Imagination: Exploring creativity and fostering a sense of wonder and possibility.
- Meaning-Making: Reflecting on life's experiences and deriving personal meaning from them.
- Peace: Cultivating inner tranquility and promoting harmony in relationships.
- Playfulness: Embracing joy and spontaneity in daily activities.
- Silence: Creating space for introspection and inner reflection.
- Zest for Life: Cultivating enthusiasm and vitality in one's pursuits.
SDA offers a supportive and inclusive environment where individuals can explore these values and practices within a community of like-minded individuals. Through rituals, gatherings, and collective actions, participants can contribute to the creation of vibrant and compassionate communities that celebrate diversity, promote social justice, and steward the earth responsibly.
Ultimately, SDA seeks to nourish the human spirit and foster the growth of individuals within a secular framework. By embracing the richness of human experience and promoting values that transcend religious divides, this approach offers a pathway to existential fulfillment and the cultivation of an ecological civilization where all beings can thrive.
- Jay McDaniel