Salty, tattooed Lutheran pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber says about her Denver congregation of misfits: "We at the House for All Sinners and Saints sometimes say we are religious but not spiritual. 'Spiritual' feels individual and escapist. But to be 'religious', despite the negative associations with that word, is to be human in the midst of other humans who are as equally messed up and obnoxious and forgiven as ourselves." (P.170)

This connects, of course, with the growing number of people who say they are spiritual but not religious. Probably not fair, but to me that comes across as I want the personal tingle of God stuff to make me feel better, but not the messy stuff of dealing with imperfect people in imperfect churches.

In southern culture, being spiritual often means being a bit aloof, a bit above people who don't have their inside track with Jesus. They have a big smile and a Biblical platitude or two to imply if you 'really' had faith you would not be in such a mess, or at least as shaky about it as you are. (Yes, I know this is a bit overstated.)

In this vein, 'religious' gets a bad wrap. As in going through the motions, hypocritical, pretending to be good. Religious in the worst sense of the word as Mark Twain said.

Cultural spirituality and authentic Biblical spirituality are not the same. In Genesis, God blows the the Spirit breath of life into dirt clumps. In Luke, Jesus declares the Spirit breath of God has anointed him to enter the messy lives of people. In Acts, the Spirit-breath-wind of God enables people to get through to, understand each other. Life power. Care power. Church power. The core message of the Gospel is incarnation, the enskinment of the spirit, breath, wind, power of God to bring love into our earthy, messy lives.

Over the years many people have patiently listened to, read my word studies. Religious is an integrity word. Religio from the Latin to bind, secure, hold together. Think about our 'ligaments' that hold us together, otherwise we would be a pile of bones. Religious practices are what John Wesley called 'means of grace'. Actions, whether we feel 'spiritual' or not, through which God's love enters our lives, holds us together, puts us back together, when we would otherwise fall apart and let one another down.

So, here's to the earthy, sweaty spirituality of people who indeed practice their religion, tingle or not, who keep on keeping on to serve others, do their work with competence and compassion, who drag into worship on Sundays and pull out to do their part on Mondays. And sometimes when they least expect it, a by product tingle comes after all.