The article considers the problem of the spiritual education of the younger generation in the conditions of social transformations. The authors note the need to take into account the characteristics of society and its historical traditions. They show how crucial it is to combine modern approaches to improving the effectiveness of humanitarian education with established pedagogical approaches. Particular attention is paid to the need to use the best ideas of domestic thinkers. The influence of spirituality on the entire system of humanitarian education in Russia is also discussed.