Week beginning Monday 7 December 2026
This week you'll set the focus of your comparative essay, due on Monday 18 January 2027. The essay compares a Christian account of spiritual formation with one identifiable contemporary non-Christian approach present in Australia. By the end of the week you'll have chosen your approach, started reading and sketched a first argument.
By the end of this week you should be able to
- name one specific non-Christian approach to spirituality and show that it is present in Australia today
- find material that presents that approach in its own terms, alongside any applicable academic discussion of it
- state a provisional argument about one or two significant similarities or differences
Step 1: Choose the non-Christian spirituality you want to compare
You may choose secular mindfulness, a particular contemporary spiritual movement, or another religious tradition. But you need to be specific in what you choose because "Non-Christian spirituality" is not a type of spirituality and things like "Eastern Religion" or "New Age" is much to broad. Narrow down your choice as much as possible.
The reason you need to submit this is because this is preparing you for your essay - I want you to succeed! So if you choose a spirituality that is too broad, or there is not enough source material for it, then you won't do well.
Step 2: Read up on the chosen non-Christian spirituality
Represent the non-Christian approach fairly, using its own material: websites, apps, courses, handbooks, marketing and pamphlets. Read this alongside academic discussion of the approach if any exist. It might well be that no academic literature exists, but make sure you check.
For the Christian spirituality, go back to this unit's readings: Foundational Reading 1 and Kimber from Week 1, and Bingham's A Heart Aflame for God. Name the type of Christian spirituality you're using (eg Reformed Spirituality, or Pentecostal Spirituality).
Step 3: Compare using four questions
Use these four questions to guide your reading. The grid below helps you keep notes side by side. A Word version is in this module.
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Question
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Christian approach
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Non-Christian approach
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Similarity or difference?
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How does each approach understand the human person?
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What does each identify as the fundamental human problem or need?
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What is its vision of spiritual maturity or flourishing?
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What practices does it encourage, and how do they contribute to that goal?
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Level 8 only: What is its account of transcendence?
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Level 8 only: How does it understand community?
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Pay attention to practices that look alike on the outside. The same outward practice, such as silence or focused breathing, can mean something quite different depending on what each approach believes about the person and their goal.
The essay brief differs by level, so plan your sources with your own level in mind. Full briefs and rubrics are in the Assessments module.
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Level
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Word limit
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Sources (normally)
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The comparison must
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5 (PC045-512)
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800
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3–4 substantive sources
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evaluate one similarity and one difference in practice, using two clearly identified criteria
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6 (PC045-612)
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1,000
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4–6 substantive sources
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evaluate a significant similarity and difference using stated criteria, and show how beliefs shape apparently similar practices
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8 (PC045-812)
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1,200
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6–8 primary and scholarly sources
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evaluate a contested assumption, a similarity and a difference, and the limits of the comparative categories used
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This week's task
Submit a brief outline of no more than 250 words, plus a preliminary source list.
Again, this isn't marked, but if you do the work now, it will make your essay substantially easier.
