“God of Holy Dreaming”: A Retrospective Appreciation of an Aboriginal Prayer and Spirituality in A Prayer Book for Australia
Fergus J. King, Lenore Margaret Porter
Journal of Anglican Studies March 31, 2026 DOI: 10.1017/s174035532610093x via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractOn the thirtieth anniversary of her prayer being included in the Anglican Prayer Book for Australia, the author describes the dreaming process that gave rise to it. She compares the value of dreams in Aboriginal culture with the privileged role of dreams and visions as altered states of consciousness in early Christian texts. This comparison raises questions about how such experiences are valued within Christian theology and spirituality, particularly because Western and Northern resistance to these phenomena in the modern period has made them seem suspect.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Prayer Vision Spirituality Consciousness Resistance ecology |
| Key finding | Dreams and visions, valued in both Aboriginal culture and early Christianity, have been marginalized in modern Western and Northern Christian theology and spirituality. |
Abstract
Abstract 2025 sees the thirtieth anniversary of Revd Auntie Lenore Parker’s ‘God of Holy Dreaming’ being included in the Anglican Prayer Book for Australia. In this article, she explores and describes the dreaming process which birthed this prayer. The analysis which follows compares the value of dreams in aboriginal culture with the privileged place given to dreams and visions as altered states of consciousness in the foundational texts of emerging Christianity. This comparison raises the question of how such experiences may be valued within Christian theology and spirituality, not least because Western and Northern resistance to such phenomena in the modern period has made such visions seem suspect.