Material spirituality: challenging gnostic tendencies in contemporary understandings of religion and spirituality in social work

M. Gray has claimed that Gnosticism is the predominant set of beliefs of most educated people in modern society, particularly in the West. By Gnosticism he means the primacy of knowledge and faith in the human capacity for advancement through such science. The point about personhood resting in the body but only in relation to other people and their bodies is one that will be picked up in relation to social work and phenomenology. In recent years there has been an increased focus on the body in social work. N. Cameron and F. McDermott write eloquently about the dangers of social workers working only in their heads and being unaware of the physical world. One of the most interesting texts on spirituality in social work published in recent years is by Lee et al. They present a model that proposes to integrate body, mind and spirit in practice.