It’s a long time since I have done one of these quizzes, perhaps because I haven’t seen any links to new ones. But Sally, who not surprisingly came out as a Mystic, gave me a link to a Spiritual Types test. This one comes from a Christian, originally Methodist, group called Upper Room Ministries.
My result was also no surprise:
You are a Sage, characterized by a thinking or head spirituality. You value responsibility, logic, and order. Maybe that’s why you were voted “Most Dependable” by your high school classmates. Structure and organization are important to you. What would the world be like without you? Chaos, that’s what! Your favorite words include should, ought, and be prepared. What makes you feel warm and fuzzy? Like Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof it’s tradition! tradition! tradition!
Because you love words, written or spoken, you enjoy a good lecture, serious discussions, and theological reflection. Prayer for you usually is verbal. You thrive on activity and gatherings of people, such as study groups. Sages on retreat likely would fill every day with planned activities, leaving little time for silence or solitude.
We need Sages for your clear thinking and orderly ways. You pay attention to details that others overlook. Sages make contributions to education, publishing, and theology. You often are the ones who feel a duty to serve, give, care, and share with the rest of us.
On the other hand, sometimes you seem unfeeling, too intellectual, or dry. Can you say “dogmatic”? You may need to experience the freedom of breaking a rule or two every now and then. God’s grace covers Sages too, you know!
Well, “Sage” fits in well with the name Gentle Wisdom. But this doesn’t all fit. I’m not one for “tradition! tradition! tradition!”, at least not the really old traditions although perhaps I tend to keep to new ones. Also I value solitude more than this summary suggests, and am learning more about non-verbal prayer. As for “dogmatic”, I try not to be, and I am certainly not as much so as many Christian bloggers and commenters here, for which I thank the Lord! And I am very thankful that God’s grace covers even me.
Peter
What fun. There were a couple of questions I had to pause to think about – I am not a beach person, so that one meant nothing! And I too came out as a Sage – perish the thought. Yes, I suspect I can seem a touch academic at times. I have to watch that when I am preaching.
As for verbal prayers, I am not much of a talker, and I have increasingly in recent years valued silence, contemplation and whatever goes with that. Perhaps the effect of one brought up in 50s to 60s fairly trad Baptist aquiring a trad Anglo Catholic mother in law in the 70s.
I wonder how this test compares with others, such as Myers Briggs (I came out an ISTJ when a leadership development round at work caught me), and the learning preference quadrant. I came out strong on Treorist/reflector, seak on Pregmatist and did not register on activist.
We certainly need to handle these things with some care. They never fit totally. At a Diocesan Reader training day a couple of years ago, one of the sessions compared Myers Briggs to spiritual preferences and behaviour. As one who has moved from Baptist, to a full range of Anglican and also spent 4 enjoyable and valuable years in a pure Charismaniac church, I was not a typical ISTJ! That said I think I am more traditional or at least conventional in my Anglicanism than you are – as our contributions to the Baptism thread on TC’s blog hinted. And on Todd Bentley I had tended to feel closer to David Faulkner’s caution.
And at least yours is a blog which does not resort to the aggresion and dognatism which some seem to show. Which is why I like visiting it.
Thanks, Colin. I also found some of the questions difficult, although today I was on the beach for the first time this year! I don’t take these things too seriously, especially when like this one they try to divide the world into just four types of person and then provide a detailed description of each type. I used to be ISTJ too but have gradually become, or perhaps released my inner, ISTP.
I’m an INTP who just scored as a “Mystic”… stuck inside my own world, I am.
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Peter, I think the topical sentences are accurate, but the rest are not. That’s my interpretation.
You’re beyond sage. We’re talking scary smart. Professor Calculus smart. Sagacious. That’s fun to say, “Sagacious.”
P.S. I didn’t do the test. Can you tell me what I am?
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David, I think you would come out as “Joker”, if not “Flatterer” for your comment here.
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Hey can I join the club too. I’m also a sage.
There seem to be a lot of us Sages around. I hope quantity does not mean there is no quality.
Perhaps the author of the carol would turn us into prophets:-
“Sages leave your contemplations
Brighter visions beam afar…”
Colin, thanks for the song reference. The best I could think of was “Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme” – at least me being the sage means I have all four in my garden!
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