A Reflection on the Spiritual Lineage of FOIS

Growing up, I was deeply rooted in both evangelical and sacramental Christian traditions. From an early age, I engaged my faith without ceasing. I had a deep yearning to learn about God and "become better." Religion was, in many ways, a coping mechanism for my deep sense of existential anxiety. Throughout college and graduate school, I studied theology for hours every day. I went to three or four different churches every week. I didn’t just attend quietly either. I engaged in their community’s activities, studied their perspectives, and sat at the feet of their spiritual leaders. In addition to five graduate degrees in religion, I went through three years of ministerial training programs in the Presbyterian tradition, three years in the Episcopal/Anglican tradition, and three years in the Lutheran tradition before I was ordained in both the Lutheran and Episcopal/Anglican traditions.

These traditions offered me a rich foundation for understanding and practice. Despite my fervent pursuit of the divine, my personal transformation lagged behind my cognitive knowledge. As life unfolded, and I encountered moments of profound crisis, the complex systems I had developed to understand and follow God began to crumble.

With a heart open to learning, I embarked on a second doctorate focused on multifaith spiritual perspective, traveled the world to meet and study with spiritual leaders, and immersed myself in diverse spiritual traditions. I sat at the feet of Hindu Swamis and babas, absorbing the teachings of ancient paramparas (lineages). I lived in community with theosophists and New Age starseeds, learning to see the universe through their cosmic lens. I studied under Sufi masters and sheikhs, who guided me on the heart’s path toward divine love. Tibetan Buddhist lamas initiated me into tantric knowledge, Zen roshis shared with me the art of mindful presence, and Pure Land sensei illuminated the intricate philosophies underpinning their nembutsu. Because of how deeply I held my beliefs, this was an incredibly challenging experience.

This process was more than just academic study—it was an immersive, lived experience. I had to let go of some of my fears about 'worshipping other gods," and those fears were deep. I integrated their teachings into my daily life. I was surprised to find that unlike the way many Christians might view a spiritual leader from another tradition, these communities often honored me as a fount of spiritual wisdom and knowledge, imbuing me with spiritual names and titles. Through this deep engagement, I gained a profound appreciation for their faiths, and in turn, my view of God became much bigger. Each experience was like a "turning of the gem," revealing new facets of the mystery we call “God” or “Ultimate Reality." And I saw God in exciting new ways. God didn't become a different God. Despite being a parish minister, chaplain, and theology professor, I opened myself to the reality that my view of God was impossibly small and paltry. For decades, I had wanted to write these other traditions as "heretical," "wrong," or sometimes, "mentally unhinged." I cringed at the idea that the Muslim God and the Hindu "gods" where the same as my God. The reality was that I hadn't yet walked a mile in their shoes. After walking a few thousand miles in their shoes, I've come to realize that all of us are making silly little fingerpaintings of God, trying our best to describe something that is beyond comprehension. Every grand narrative is inherently partial, whether religious, spiritual, or materialist. We are like children describing something for which we simply do not have the words.

The Fellowship of Integral Spirituality is built upon the idea that both individuals, religious traditions and spiritual lineages are all journeying toward this ultimate Source of Being in different ways, and that uniting together in that journey can expand our collective spiritual consciousness. To do so, we must hold our identities, roles, and ideologies lightly.

As a bishop consecrated in the Christian tradition, my own lineage is rooted in “apostolic succession,” a sacred chain of spiritual authority that can be traced from the bishop who consecrated me, all the way back to the apostles. This chain of transmission is not unlike Sufi tariqas that can be traced to Muhammed or Hindu initiations passed from guru to disciples through ancient paramparas.  

In FOIS, we acknowledge that these lineages have deep wisdom, and that we can learn from each others' lineages. And ultimately, what we learn is that many of the things we do in our individual spiritual communities look strikingly similar and have similar spiritual goals and outcomes. Each tradition brings its unique wisdom and practices, yet they all converge on the same journey to “return to Source,” a journey into the Divine "I" or "I am." This journey, shared by all these lineages, is a pursuit of a deeper understanding of the true Self and the realization of the divine presence within.

My hope is that FOIS can be a place where those of us that embody various traditions can appreciate the beauty of various religious and spiritual traditions while acknowledging the universal Spirit that transcends them all. In this way, the Fellowship of Integral Spirituality stands as a testament to the boundless possibilities that arise when we embrace the fullness of our shared spiritual heritage.