The hows and whys of evolving faith in later life - a must-read article by Joanna Walker
- debbiethrower0
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Church Times has published an excellent article by Dr Joanna Walker who, as well as being editor of the Christians on Ageing magazine plus, is an Anna Friend on the south coast, writes Debbie Thrower.
'On my bookshelves I have the book Joanna co-edited with Malcolm Johnson entitled Spiritual Dimensions of Ageing (Cambridge University Press 2016)- and it is brimming with post it notes I've used marking key passages! So there could not be a better guide to this subject.
The two-page spread feature considers how churches can 'support, honour and benefit from evolving faith in later life'. It is peppered with references to key books on the subject of the spirituality of ageing, many of which will be familiar to those who have been on the Anna Chaplaincy training course as both set-texts and recommended further reading.
Indeed as well as being a writer, academic researcher and editing the magazine of Christians on Ageing - Plus - Joanna also finds time to be a volunteer Anna Friend in Portsmouth Diocese. She mentions Anna Chaplaincy in the article':
'An increasing amount of published and online material is now available, and there are more organisations focusing on older people and their faith and spiritual care, not least the growing Anna Chaplaincy movement. There is much spiritual work to be done for the benefit of older Christians but also for others to whom they relate.'
'Church Times welcomes subscribers but also allows browsers to access several free articles each month. I would urge you to read the full feature which sets out so eloquently the case for maturing faith and spiritual discovery as one grows older. It also draws distinctions between the religious practice of those with faith and others who define themselves as 'spiritual but not religious'.'
Joanna Walker is a former Bishop's Adviser on Adult Education in the Diocese of Guildford and was also a lecturer in the Department of Educational Studies at the University of Surrey.
For more information on how to join Christians on Ageing and receive the quarterly plus magazine visit https://christiansonageing.org.uk/our-magazine/
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