Finding God in Your World
Salvation in the Five Spiritual Worlds
by
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Introduction
I don’t know if Coryn has a passport, but spiritually she has been all around the world. When she was young, she went to a Christian church, but quit attending because of some cranky adults. She loved her teachers, but thought if the people she met in the church hallways had found a way to God, it hadn’t done them much good. Her feelings were hurt and off she went. Eventually, the woods became her place of worship, communing with the trees in ways that made her spirit soar.
When Coryn and I met at the coffee shop, she spoke joyfully about her ventures into the teachings of Taoism, Buddhism and Native American worship. She lit up as she explained the idea that the universe came out of the belly of its Source, so that we—and all things around us—are sacred. She has recently become interested in revisiting the Bible and Christian theology.
Charles speaks freely about the ups and downs in his life, but his stories are mostly a series of activities with little reflection, introspection, or outward search. Essentially, he has lived as if all that exists is what is apprehended by his physical senses. Recent events however have given rise to some age-old questions, and Charles is asking, “What happens when you die?” and “Is there a God who knows where I am and cares about my future?”
Rafiq’s Muslim roots trace back multiple generations. He is a second generation American who speaks with a bit of an accent and a great openness toward others. He has clerics in his family and is trying to be true to his faith amidst the pressures and distractions of modern life. But Rafiq also enjoys talking about Jesus and learning how others understand God, eternity, and the life of faith.
I know a lot of people who are exploring their spirituality. Perhaps you are checking this book out as part of your continuing spiritual journey.
Many explorers are what we might call “back pocket Christians.” They were raised in a church. The name on the door doesn’t matter much. It may have been Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Wesleyan, Christian, etc. They went to Sunday school, were baptized, perhaps confirmed, listened to sermons, and followed the rules. But somewhere along the line, they tucked their convictions into their back pockets and forged ahead under the pressures of making and maintaining home, family, work, paying bills and trying to have a little fun along the way. Their beliefs about God still hold, but the voice of God—the joy of relating with God—has been reduced to a vague memory and a distant hope.
If your journey is anything like that of Coryn, Charles, Rafiq, or a “back pocket Christian,” Finding God in Your World is written for you.
You are a spiritual person, but you want to be sure of the best path for you. Perhaps you have explored numerous avenues to self- discovery and spirituality, or you might be finding this book early in your search. You suspect there is more to life than materialism, but you also know there is a broad range of options. You want the kind of faith that makes sense to you, but also makes sense of you. It needs to be a way of thinking and living that connects you to the divine while also linking you to planet earth and your place on it.
This book is structured in three sections. The first presents the idea that there are five spiritual worlds that people typically occupy. People are different. They struggle in different ways and have a variety of hungers, drives, and aspirations. One reason you may not experience your spirituality the same as your parents or friends is that your spirit may be shaped differently than theirs. The second section offers gospel (good news) to you that fits with your spiritual world. If you clearly identify with one of the five worlds as you read section one, you might just turn to the chapter in section two that addresses you and your world. Section three touches on next steps.
My hope and prayer for you is that you find spiritual wholeness through understanding yourself better, hearing about God in fresh ways, and experiencing a renewal of your soul. This will equip you to live out your purpose in this needy world and beyond. I will use that word, “wholeness” repeatedly, as it reflects the full meaning of the biblical word “salvation.” Some understand salvation in the limited sense of being delivered from the penalty of sin. It is much more. It is healing, wholeness, and life as it should be in both quality and quantity. Finding salvation or wholeness includes relating well with God, with ourselves, and with each other. It looks to eternity, but it is also for today.
In short, the book you hold has a three-fold focus: your spiritual world, your creator, and your life going forward.
You should know a little about me. I walk with God and help others to do the same. I am a Christian, a pastor/teacher, and an interculturalist. My Ph.D. in intercultural studies exposed me in positive ways to the textures inherent in the various cultures, languages and religions of the world. I see beauty in human diversity just as I appreciate the complexity and variety in the plant and animal kingdoms. I believe God loves the great variety in our universe that is spotted with stars and galaxies. I believe God enjoys the marvelous complexity in the drop of water that contains still to be discovered sub-atomic elements.
Since this is a book on spirituality, let me focus there. I believe there is one God, the Creator of all that exists. I believe that the vast majority of great and small religions of the world endeavor to know and honor that one God. They lead their constituents toward a relationship of awe and worship, and into lives of faithfulness. Even religious approaches labeled “polytheistic” generally envision a hierarchy of divinities that ultimately point to the unfathomable One. Traits of that One, God, Source, and Creator, can be discerned in creation and human wisdom, but they need to be augmented and confirmed by revelation—by God saying “Here I am.”
As you begin reading in section two, you will find that I rely very strongly on two sources of revelation. The first is the Bible. I do not understand everything in the Bible. But I grasp enough to trust that properly interpreted, it is reliable and reveals essential truth about God’s character and how God can live in and relate with us. The second and more perfect source of revelation is the person known as Jesus. This may not be the Jesus that first comes to your mind. If your view of Jesus is what I call the Sunday school Jesus (a pretty, bearded white man with clean flowing robes, carrying a lamb), or the Jesus in the cradle (“no crying he makes”), or a politically hijacked Jesus, please put those images in suspended animation. The Jesus I am talking about is the Jesus of the Gospels, the one who Christian- writer Philip Yancey calls, “The Jesus I never knew.”
Every story I tell in these pages is true, though some of the names have been changed. I am grateful for friends who have sat with me, for family who have lived with me, and for acquaintances who have shared an hour—and their journeys—so openly and vulnerably. I have camped out at coffee shops (Starbucks in many states, and North Lime Coffee and Donuts in Lexington, Kentucky), with a sign on my computer inviting conversation. That has let me meet a great number of people, buy some snacks and drinks, and sometimes observe tears running down people’s cheeks as they respond to a question too rarely asked, “What was life like for you growing up?”
So, what was life like for you growing up? How do you experience yourself now? As George Hunter III is fond of asking, “When you are by yourself and thinking about yourself, what do you say to yourself about yourself?”
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About the Book
You are beautifully and wonderfully made—unique in countless ways—but not alone. There are people who hurt and hope, doubt and dream, think and feel, in ways very similar to your experience.
Finding God in Your World introduces you to five profound ways people experience life. Our perceptions of ourselves and the world around us vary to such a degree that they can be understood as distinct spiritual worlds. Chapter by chapter, you will come to understand yourself and others better. You might also begin to hear the music of God’s love in melodies and harmonies that catch your attention and inspire you to dance.
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If you have questions about God, where God fits in your world, and how you might live out a more confident faith in a world of uncertainty, Finding God in Your World is a great book for you. Dr. Durst helps you wrestle with the big questions of your spiritual life and faith in an honest manner that will quickly grab your heart as well as your mind. He writes with depth and insight, yet provides an engaging and enjoyable read! -Dan Reiland, Executive Pastor, 12Stone Church, Lawrenceville, GA
This is a book that compels readers to think at multiple levels and move out of old clichés. I was captured with this phrase “Wholeness (salvation) is offered at the intersection of our spiritual world and our spiritual source.” I highly recommend this as a discipleship tool – not a quick fix… but a lifelong journey. -Jo Anne Lyon, General Superintendent Emerita, The Wesleyan Church
About the Author
For more than thirty years, David has walked with God and helped others do the same. He pastored churches in California for twenty years before relocating to central Kentucky. There, he studied Christian evangelism and leadership dynamics at the E. Stanley Jones School of World Missions and Evangelism at Asbury Theological Seminary. Since being captured by the concept of the five worlds, he has interviewed scores of people, tracing their journeys, listening to their hearts and discovering what drives and empowers them.
David is the lead pastor at New Life Community, a healthy body of Jesus-followers intent on blessing their community and world. He also serves as instructor and chaplain at Indiana Wesleyan University, and mentors students at Asbury Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Paula, have two amazing daughters, one fantastic son-in-law, and some exceptionally adorable grandchildren.
Also look for
Could God Be for Me? (2017)
Sharing Christ in Another World (2018)
You may contact the author at 5worldwitness@gmail.com.