When my wife was working on her masters' degree, she had a friend who starting dating a guy. She told my wife that she really liked how spiritual he was. I admit that, at the time, I didn't really know what she meant by that statement. She talked about how he liked to get out into the wilderness, go hiking, spend time in nature, and do all these kind of outdoor things. To her, that seemed to be what this word "spiritual" meant.
While I haven't personally heard someone say it to me, I know that there are those in our country who claim to be spiritual, and they often contrast that against being religious. "I'm spiritual, but not religious." The way I understand this phrase, someone saying this would seem to mean that they don't go through mindless ritual and routine, but instead, get out and do things where they feel alive and unbounded by rules, laws, and regulations.
As a Christian, if I were ever to hear something like this, my first instinct would be to ask them what they mean by their words. How someone defines "spiritual" or "religious" will go a long way to figuring out their intent behind the statement. Perhaps they have had experience in a Christian worship service where the ritual or rites rarely ever changed, and they saw that as a mindless following of some ritual with no life in it (a charge which, sadly, may actually be present in many Christian worship services). When they think of something of a spiritual nature, they think of something living, dynamic, free-flowing, not a structured setting.
One of my hobbies is to read, and I have actually read a number of books on the subject of spirituality, from various sides of the equation. There is definitely a mindset and way of thinking that links nature and spirituality. I have known a few people who seem to go in that direction. To them, spirituality is being in touch with the world, knowing the world, caring for the world, and not doing things to hurt or harm the world.*
Others seem to think that spirituality is about being in touch with the spirit world. I see a great danger in this, since God reveals that there are spirits at work in this world who work contrary to His will and desire. I have had a few occasions to warn people about this, though it does seem like those warnings often go unheeded.
Okay, so this has kind of rambled on. Part of the reason for that is that the term "spirituality" can mean so many things. That's why I find it helpful to try to figure out what someone means when they say it. Usually, that gives a good starting point for sharing my faith in God and in Jesus with them. I try never to assume that I know what they mean, but instead, ask questions. It seems to open up the greater opportunity for dialogue with them, and has given me many opportunities to share Christ with them that I would not have had if I had simply told them that their "spirituality" was wrong. I hope that you will also give thought to how to approach people with these different kind of understandings of spirituality, especially since it seems to be all the rage now.
*When it comes to the care of the world, I have often wondered why Christians are not at the forefront of this battle. God placed the man in a position of dominion over the world, which means that man was not to use the world as he saw fit, but rather, to be responsible in his care for God's precious creation. It seems to make too much sense that Christians would care about the things which God has made and would be in the lead to care for the things that God has made. While we cannot change history, perhaps it would be worthwhile to show that Christians do care greatly about things like recycling, litter, deforestation, and the like.
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