| Prayer, the written Word of God, and preaching: | | | | is that the passages from the Scriptures are used to |
| These are the necessary steps in order to begin | | | | prove or bolster the opinion of the teacher, even if |
| spiritual development. After spiritual development has | | | | that is not the sense of the Scriptures as a totality. |
| started, the next that is needed is teaching, teaching | | | | An example of this kind of teaching may be getting |
| the Word of God. | | | | all the passages about the prohibition on the eating |
| The teaching that we need for spiritual development | | | | of certain types of meat and then expounding on |
| is one that is solid, and Christ-filled. | | | | each of these texts. Paul the Apostle said that |
| Solid teaching is one that is based on the Word of | | | | Christian living is not about eating and drinking, is not |
| God. Many teachers in the church say that they | | | | about prohibited meats. |
| teach from the Word of God, but actually they | | | | Not only do we need solid teaching, teaching that is |
| teach from the words of human beings. | | | | based on the Scriptures, we also need Christ-filled |
| They teach from the words of human beings if their | | | | teaching. What is meant by this is that we teach |
| purpose in teaching is to entertain. There are many | | | | Christ, the person of Christ. We illumine his personality |
| teachers in the churches who have as one of their | | | | so that we can know him more in a personal manner |
| main purposes in teaching to entertain their students. | | | | and thus love him more, serve him more and enjoy |
| They want to be thought of by their students as | | | | him more. |
| good teachers. So, they make all kinds of gimmicks | | | | There are teachings which are insight driven. The |
| to make the students interested in their teaching. | | | | teacher wants to share new insights with his or her |
| This may be entertaining teaching, but it is not solid. | | | | students. He or she wants to surprise them with new |
| They teach from the words of human beings if what | | | | ideas from the Word of God. This is not Christ-filled |
| they really want is to share their own peculiar views | | | | teaching. What we need for our spiritual development |
| with their students. For example, there are teachers | | | | is not insights or new ideas but the Truth, a personal |
| who are so convinced of the doctrine of | | | | reality. |
| predestination such that they do not miss a chance | | | | There are teachings which are morality driven. The |
| to convince others of this doctrine. The doctrine of | | | | teacher wants to drill moral principles into his or her |
| predestination is correct and beneficial if understood | | | | students, like the principle that honesty is the best |
| properly but it cannot be the theme of all our | | | | policy. Most teachings wound up as moral |
| teaching, so that before we even open our mouths | | | | exhortations. This is not the teaching that will help us |
| we have already decided to insert it in the course of | | | | in spiritual development. It is not Christ-filled. It may |
| our teaching. This is not solid teaching for spiritual | | | | make up morally upright Christians, but not |
| development. | | | | necessarily spiritually developed. |
| They teach from the words of human beings if they | | | | John Paul II was insistent on the point that what we |
| quote extensively from secular or religious sources | | | | teach is supposed to be Christ, just as the teacher |
| and quote minimally from the Scriptures. There are | | | | also needs to be Christ himself using only the human |
| teachers of the faith who in order to impress their | | | | teacher. He mentioned this in his apostolic exhortation |
| students of their learning, quote from the classics of | | | | on catechesis, and he wrote this again in the |
| secular or religious writings in an extensive manner. | | | | Catechism of the Catholic Church. |
| They quote from Virgil, Cicero, Seneca, Thomas | | | | The teaching which develops our spirit is one that |
| Aquinas, Erasmus, Emerson and others. Then they | | | | gives us an ever growing personal knowledge of |
| quote only a verse or two from the Scriptures. This | | | | Jesus and an ever increasing appreciation for all his |
| is not solid teaching. | | | | worth to us. This is because spiritual development is |
| Solid teaching is one that is steeped in the texts and | | | | really the development of the life of Jesus in us. It is |
| spirit of the Scriptures. | | | | not our life, no matter how good, that we develop in |
| There is a teaching that is heavily inundated with | | | | spiritual development. It is the life of Jesus operating |
| texts from the Scriptures but the spirit of the | | | | in us, through us and with us. |
| Scriptures is not there. The impression a listener gets | | | | |