•  
  •  
 

Abstract

In an effort to learn more about student experiences of disembodied and dis-embedded spirituality, the researcher conducted a qualitative research project among undergraduate students who expressed a desire to grow spiritually. This research was conducted as part of the author’s doctoral project. The participants were volunteers who had attended a university spiritual life retreat and wanted to continue growing in their faith over a six-week period, expressly committed to life embedded in community and through experiments in embodied spiritual practices. Using questionnaires, surveys, and interviews that included both fixed-choice questions and open-ended questions, the researcher gathered data that would help locate themes and discern future possibilities related to embodiment and community in the context of spiritual growth. Participants committed to explore and experiment with spirituality in community and share with the rest of the group in the context of weekly shared meals around the researcher’s dining table.

Author Bio

As the University Chaplain of Pepperdine University, Sara provides pastoral care in the community and leads the staff of the Office of the Chaplain, who together seek to cultivate a spiritually formative environment for the Pepperdine community.

Sara holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Hazelip School of Theology and a Masters degree in Spiritual Formation from Spring Arbor University. Dr. Barton authored A Woman Called, a memoir about her call to ministry, and she is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post Religion blog. Sara also teaches adjunct courses in New Testament for Pepperdine and in ministry for Lipscomb University. Sara and her husband John have two children, Brynn and Nate, and one daughter-in-law, Falon.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Download

Share

COinS