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piritual styles—as described in this book—must not be confused with spiritual traditions. It is possible to be part of a specific spiritual tradition that focuses on one or more of the spiritual styles, without representing those styles yourself. This distinction is of utmost importance. People who conclude that because they belong to a Pentecostal church they must have the “enthusiastic style,” have completely misunderstood the point of our spiritual style typology.
The goal of the Spiritual Style Test (page 64) is not to identify the “tradition” to which you belong, but rather your personal antenna to God. This may be shaped by your spiritual tradition, but it is not exclusively determined by it. It can be demonstrated that within all of the spiritual traditions, just as in all denominations, there are a range of believers representing each of the nine spiritual styles (more details in the box on page 42).
This graphic describes the tendencies of different traditions: Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches tend to focus on the sacramental (blue-green) dimension; protestant and fundamentalist churches usually focus on doctrine (green-red); evangelicals and Pentecostals are characterized by a high appreciation for the holiness movement (red-blue).
Who or what has most shaped your spirituality?
Further topics in the above chapter of the full version of the book
Denominations and spiritual styles - The bonding power of styles - Factors contributing to the formation of a spiritual style - The role of theology