AUG. 13, 2007

BELIEFS & PRACTICE

Prayer beyond words

Many people who pray are moving beyond words – whether audible or silent – and using yoga, dance, painting, walking, meditating to connect with God. Prayer that is expressed physically with the body – through the use of a religious object or through a form of art – appears to be on the rise, reflected in the number of books, retreats, workshops and classes on them (see list below).

People of faith are also using words to pray in creative ways, such as spiritual journaling. And worshippers are reaching across denominational and faith lines to try different forms of prayer. Today you can find Methodists walking the Catholic Stations of the Cross and Mennonites performing Anglican-based fixed-hour prayer.

Why it matters

As people reach beyond their traditional religious practice for different forms of prayer, they may ultimately influence the way worship is done in their congregations.

Questions for reporters

What do people attain through the practice of prayer that is more than spoken? How far from their own religious upbringings do they venture in seeking out these different forms of prayer? How comfortable are congregations and worshippers in your area with these different forms of prayer?

Kinds of prayer

• Embodied prayer is the practice of bringing an awareness of the body and the use of it into prayer. Examples include performing liturgical dance or Sufi dances and walking the Stations of the Cross or a labyrinth.
• Fixed-hour prayer is the practice of praying set prayers at set times of the day and night. While common in Islam – Muslims pray at five prescribed times of the day – in Christianity fixed-hour prayer is most commonly known as a monastic practice. Many Christians, especially mainline Protestants, are now reviving the practice, which is also known as the divine office, praying the hours and common prayer.
• Lectio Divina is the prayerful reading of the Bible. Originally practiced by Catholics, this contemplative prayer practice has now found its way into many reformed and even evangelical and Pentecostal traditions.
• Prayer beads are found in almost every world religion except Judaism. Within Christianity, they are most commonly found among Catholics, who pray the Marian rosary. But in the last 25 years, there has been a movement within Protestant churches – mostly among Episcopalians – to reclaim the saying of counted prayers on a string of beads. There is also a small but growing use of prayer beads and even Catholic rosaries among pagans, including Wiccans, Asatrus, Druids and Christo-Pagans.
• Spiritual journaling is the charting of one’s religious or spiritual path through the act of writing. In the last 10 years, this practice has exploded, perhaps influenced by the scrapbooking craze.
• Art & crafts – Many artists say the process of creating their work is infused with prayer. They include artists who paint during worship, people who make prayer shawls for others, and artists who create work with religious themes.
• Dance has always been used as an expression of worship in many religious traditions. That continues, and at the same time people are exploring new ways to use dance as a spiritual exercise, whether or not in performance.

Click the map for interview sources in your state and region

National sources

For more sources and background, see ReligionLink’s tips on:
• Emergent churches
• Crafts as spiritual practice

• The Rev. Lauren Artress is an Episcopal priest at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, where she oversees the use of two permanently installed labyrinths. She is the founder of Veriditas, which describes itself as “the voice of the labyrinth movement.” Dr. Artress travels and teaches people how to pray while walking a labyrinth. Contact via Veriditas, 415-561-2921.
• Coleman Barks is a retired professor of creative writing and poetry at the University of Georgia and author of several books on Rumi and Sufism. He can discuss the prayer embodied in the dance of the Sufi dervish. He lives in Athens, Ga. Contact 706-543-2148, maypopbooks@charter.net.
• Diane Bloomfield is the author of Torah Yoga: Experiencing Jewish Wisdom Through Classic Postures.
•Arthur Paul Boers is an associate professor of pastoral theology at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Ind. He is the author of The Rhythm of God’s Grace: Uncovering Morning and Evening Hours of Prayer. The book looks at the Christian practice of fixed-hour prayer. Contact 574 296-6265, apboers@ambs.edu.
• The Rev. Laverne McCain Gill is a United Church of Christ minister and the author of My Mother Prayed for Me: Faith Journaling for African American Women.
• Liz Lerman is a choreographer, founder of the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and MacArthur Fellowship recipient. Among her most recent works is 613 Radical Acts of Prayer, which takes its name from the Talmudic laws and explores the nature of prayer. The dance company is based in Takoma Park, Md. Contact 301-270-6700.
• Sybil MacBeth is the author of Praying in Color: Drawing a New Path to God, published in 2007. She conducts workshops in drawing and painting as prayer. Contact 757-822-7077.
• Karim Nagi will direct the Arab Dance Seminar Nov. 2-4, 2007, in New Haven, Conn. The topic will be “From Entertainment to Ecstasy: Performance vs. Sacred Dance in the Arab World.” Contact 617-924-7675, nagikarim@aol.com.
• Doug Pagitt is a co-author of BodyPrayer: The Posture of Intimacy With God, published in 2005. Pagitt is pastor of Solomon’s Porch, an emerging church in Minneapolis. Contact dougpagitt@solomonsporch.org.
• The Rev. Nancy Roth is an Episcopal priest in Oberlin, Ohio, and author of several books on unusual forms of Christian prayer, including Spiritual Exercises: Joining Body and Spirit in Prayer and An Invitation to Christian Yoga, both published in 2005. Contact 440-775-2501, RevNancyRoth@aol.com.
• Celia Rothenberg is an assistant professor of religious studies at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. She contributed an article on three forms of Jewish yoga practiced in North America to the November 2006 edition of the journal Nova Religio. Contact 905-525-9140 ext. 24363, rothenb@mcmaster.ca.
• Thomas Ryan is director of the Paulist North American Office for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations in New York, N.Y. He is also the editor of Reclaiming the Body in Christian Spirituality. Contact via the media director for the Paulist Fathers, 202-269-2521.
• Jon Sweeney is the author of Praying With Our Hands: 21 Practices of Embodied Prayer from the World’s Spiritual Traditions, which looks at dance, foot-washing and work, among other activities, as forms of prayer. He is based in White River Junction, Vt. Contact 503-255-4685, jsweeney@paracletepress.com.
• Nancy Watters is a Bahá’í ­ and founding director of Sacred World Song, a project that facilitates multifaith “chantshops,” using chants from various world religions. She lives in Vancouver, B.C. Contact 250-595-2142, nancy@nancywatters.com.

Surveys

• Beliefnet and U.S. News & World Report posted an online survey about the frequency, purpose and results of prayer. See the results. Read the accompanying article, posted Dec. 12, 2004.
• A 2004 federal survey reported in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette found that 43 percent of Americans pray for their health.
• The 2004 General Social Survey asked Americans how often they pray. The Association of Religion Data Archives posts a graph of the results.
• A 2005 Lifeway Christian Resources survey found that the need for more personal and corporate prayer was the No. 1 concern of ministry leaders in churches.

Background

• The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship maintains a Web page about the practice of fixed-hour prayer that includes interviews, audio clips and resources for different denominations.
• Watch a video or read a transcript of a segment about embodied prayer that appeared on Religion & Ethics Newsweekly on Feb. 16, 2001.
• Read an excerpt of Praying With Our Hands: 21 Practices of Embodied Prayer from the World’s Spiritual Traditions by Jon Sweeney as posted on Beliefnet.com.
• Read a history of fixed-hour prayer by Phyllis Tickle as posted on the Web site explorefaith.org.
• Read a May 4, 2007, Religion News Service article by Kimberly Winston about the use of Catholic rosaries and other forms of prayer beads among neo-pagans. The story appears on Beliefnet.com.