Spirituality and religious experience Books

Book SynopsisA study of the ascetic teaching of 7th century writer Isaac of Nineveh (Isaac the Syrian), a popular figure in Eastern Christain tradition. Hagman uses Isaac's writings to argue that asceticism is not about punishing the body, but is a way to use the body to communicate the Christian message to society.Trade ReviewThis text is a fresh and edifying reading of Origens extant literary corpus. * Jonathan J. Armstrong, The Journal of Theological Studies, *Table of Contents1. Introduction ; 2. Isaac of Ninevah ; 3. The Concept of the Body ; 4. Uses of the Term 'The World' ; 5. Fear as the Existential Background of Asceticism ; 6. Ascetic Practice ; 7. Ecstacy, Spiritual Knowledge, and Humility ; 8. Isaac's Eschatology ; 9. Asceticism and Society ; Appendix: The Modern Study of Isaac of Ninevah

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe concept of spirituality permeates modern culture: from academic book series on ''''Classics of Western Spirituality'''' to self-help manuals, from the use of Buddhist mindfulness meditation (typically detached from Buddhist religious teachings) in medical treatment to nature spirituality, from spiritually oriented peace activists to spiritually oriented new age music. Spirituality has become a common part of our cultural vocabulary. It is not only an important concept in its own right but plays productive and significant roles in the realms of psychology, ecology, medicine, and even politics. Millions call themselves spiritual but not religious, academics describe much of contemporary religious life in the U.S. as focused on a spiritually oriented seeking, and a quick search on Amazon.com turns up hundreds of books whose titles take the general form of The Spirituality of X or Spirituality and Y. At the same time, the concept is used in widely conflicting, often confusing ways. MosTrade ReviewThe single best book giving an objective look at the burgeoning interest in spirituality that exists in the English language. * Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor-in-chief of Tikkun *We agree with Gottlieb when he affirms a piece of wisdom which traveled the world: 'Do your best and leave the rest to God'...Gottlieb puts his faith in grace and in the human capacity for transformation. * Spirituality & Practice *Roger Gottlieb has created a piece of art in surveying the literature on how meditation and Yoga might help reduce pain and suffering, then switching to a heart-felt narration of struggles within his own family. * Christopher Chapple, Loyola Marymount University *This book validates and provides grounding for the wide range of discussions and claims around 'spirituality.' It is much needed in a time when many claim to be 'spiritual' rather than 'religious,' eschewing organized religion for individualized experiences of the sacred. * Stephanie Kaza, Professor of Environmental Studies, University of Vermont *Gottlieb is an outstanding scholar whose work in areas related to spirituality is well known and much appreciated. This book is timely, perhaps overdue, given the extensive interest in 'things spiritual' in the broader culture, the intense concern for a more eclectic approach to 'the spiritual' in the larger culture, and the need for a single volume text that offers a survey of opinions, options and practices. * Bill J. Leonard, James and Marilyn Dunn Professor of Baptist Studies and Professor of Church History, Wake Forest University *encourages the reader to reread this volume and to reflect upon his/her own way of life. * Geert Faseur, Journal for the Study of Marriage & Spirituality *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; Part I: What it Is ; Chapter 1: Spirit in Motion ; Chapter 2: The Spiritual Path ; Chapter 3: Spirituality in Religious Tradition ; Chapter 4: How Spirituality Became Modern ; Chapter 5: Spiritual but Not Religious ; Chapter 6: Practice, Practice, Practice ; Chapter 7: Why Now? ; Part II: Why it Matters ; Chapter 8: Spirituality and Healing ; Chapter 9: Spirituality and Nature ; Chapter 10: Spirituality and Politics ; Part III: End/Beginning ; Chapter 11: Grace and Despair ; Acknowledgements ; Notes ; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe authors argue that resorting to rules and categories cannot adequately address the pervasive problems of ambiguity, difference, and boundaries - that is, the challenge of pluralism in our world. They show that alternative, more particularistic modes of dealing with ambiguity through ritual and shared experience may attune more closely with contemporary problems of living with difference.Trade ReviewThis is a work of great substance and commitment, drawing atypically from a broad range of human experience and intellect. It is a living seminar on the possibilities of human understanding and the potential for living together in more peaceful ways despite the seemingly insurmountable differences even among the best-intentioned people. It is a brilliant tour de force, offering conceptualizations and categorizations that defy much of the present-day ways in which the problem of pluralism is understood. * Jonathan Imber, Jean Glasscock Professor of Sociology, Wellesley College *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements ; Introduction ; Ch. 1: The Importance of Being Ambiguous ; Interlude: Ambiguity, Order and the Deity ; Ch. 2: Notation and its Limits ; Interlude: The Israelite Red Heifer and the Edge of Power in China ; Ch. 3: Ritual and the Rhythms of Ambiguity ; Interlude: Crossing the Boundaries of Empathy ; Ch. 4: Shared Experience ; Interlude: Experience and Multiplicity ; Conclusion ; References Cited

Read more less

Book SynopsisJames McHugh offers the first comprehensive examination of the concepts and practices related to smell in pre-modern India. Drawing on a wide range of textual sources, from poetry to medical texts, he shows the deeply significant religious and cultural role of smell in India throughout the first millennium CE.McHugh describes sophisticated arts of perfumery, developed in temples, monasteries, and courts, which resulted in worldwide ocean trade. He shows that various religious discourses on the purpose of life emphasized the pleasures of the senses, including olfactory experience, as a valid end in themselves. Fragrances and stenches were analogous to certain values, aesthetic or ethical, and in a system where karmic results often had a sensory impact-where evil literally stank-the ethical and aesthetic became difficult to distinguish.Sandalwood and Carrion explores smell in pre-modern India from many perspectives, covering such topics as philosophical accounts of smell perception, odorTrade Reviewa book that will long stand out for bringing the text back in after the embodied turn in the history of religion, and doing so with the utmost erudition and nuance, like a fine perfume. * David Howes, Journal of the American Academy of Religion *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ; Preface ; Part One: Smells in Theory ; 1 INTRODUCTION ; 2 EARTH, WIND, FOUL & FRAGRANT: THE THEORY OF SMELLING & ODORS IN MEDIEVAL SOUTH ASIA ; Part Two: Smells in the World ; 3 LOTUS, FISH, & COWS: THE SMELL-SCAPE OF TRADITIONAL SOUTH ASIA ; 4 FLOWERS & FISH IN THE MAH?BH?RATA ; Part Three: Smells in Practice ; 5 MOON JUICE & UPROAR: PERFUMERY TEXTS ; 6 ALLIES, ENEMIES, & YAK?A MUD: PERFUMES ; Part Four: Aromatic Materials ; 7 THE INCENSE TREES OF THE LAND OF EMERALDS: EXOTIC AROMATICS IN MEDIEVAL SOUTH ASIA ; 8 SANDALWOOD: MERCHANTS, EXPERTISE & PROFIT ; Part Five: Smell and Religion ; 9 BOIS DES ISLES ; 10 THE TOILETTE OF THE GODS ; Epilogue ; Appendix SANSKRIT & PRAKRIT TEXTS ON PERFUME BLENDING & PERFUMERY ; Bibliography

Read more less

Book SynopsisNancy Tatom Ammerman examines the stories Americans tell of their everyday lives, from dinner table to office and shopping mall to doctor's office, about the things that matter most to them and the routines they take for granted, and the times and places where the everyday and ordinary meet the spiritual.Trade ReviewNancy Ammerman's recent work has helped to lead a growing group of scholars who, disenchanted with the perceived dead ends of the secularization versus rational choice debate of the 1990s, recommend new ways of thinking about and studying religion. Sacred Stories, Spiritual Tribes, which uses a lived religion approach, is a welcome addition to these efforts. Ammerman's innovative account of religiosity in the United States uses qualitative methods, especially elicited narratives, in an original way that combines depth with considerable breadth. * Mary Ellen Konieczny, Sociology of Religion *Provides a helpful glimpse into how 'non experts' in America talk about and practice religion in their everyday lives...Besides making a wonderful addition to the syllabus of different graduate courses such as practical theology, spirituality, and the sociology of religion, Sacred Stories could be helpful for church book group discussions on everyday religion. * Ecclesial Practices *Sacred Stories brings to light the myriad ways our contemporaries find religious meaning in their twenty-first century lives. It succeeds in launching readers into new conversations about what spirituality is, how we go about identifying activities and experiences as in some way spiritual, and how existing traditions connect with specific moments of everyday religion. * Church History *This comprehensive, thought-provoking work adds immeasurably to scholarship in sociology of religion and will help set agendas in sociology of religion for years to come. * Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion *By setting aside the typical categories academic researchers use when studying contemporary religion, Ammerman and her team document the complex ways religion shows up in a wide range of domains: in communities and conversations, in homes, at work and in public life, and not surprisingly around matters of health, illness and death. * Religion Dispatches *Nancy Ammerman's Sacred Stories, Spiritual Tribes offers the most in-depth, yet wide-ranging mapping of religious/spiritual/secular sensibilities in the everyday lives of contemporary Americans yet to emerge. She weaves a tapestry that shatters many of our taken-for-granted assumptions about people's circumscribed life-worlds. The book deserves a serious reading on the part of anyone who would try to describe this emerging, but exceedingly complex mix of the sacred and the secular. * Wade Clark Roof, J.F. Rowny Professor of Religion and Society, University of California at Santa Barbara *Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments ; List of Tables ; List of Illustrations and Captions ; Chapter 1. In Search of Religion in Everyday Life ; Chapter 2. "Spirituality" and "Religion": What Are We Talking About? ; Chapter 3. Spiritual Practices in Everyday Life ; Chapter 4. Religious Communities and Spiritual Conversations ; Chapter 5. Everyday Life at Home ; Chapter 6. Nine to Five: Spiritual Presence at Work ; Chapter 7. Everyday Public Life: Circles of Spiritual Presence and Absence ; Chapter 8. Bodies and Spirits: Health, Illness and Mortality ; Chapter 9. Spiritual Tribes: Toward a Sociology of Religion in Everyday Life ; Appendix 1. Participants and Their Religious Communities ; Appendix 2. Coding and Analyzing Stories ; Appendix 3. Research Protocols ; Notes ; References ; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book puts spirit back at the heart of spirituality. By exploring the everyday impacts of alternative spiritual beliefs and practices, the book examines contemporary spirituality and how critical social science can map and understand it.Trade Review'This book is exciting, timely and raises key challenges for social science theory and methodology. It will contribute to debates not just about spirituality, but also about how we theorize the nature of the contemporary social world.' - Jennifer Mason, Professor of Sociology and Co-Director of the Morgan Centre for the Study of Relationships and Personal Life, University of Manchester, UK 'Mackian illuminates the "geography" inhabited by her spiritual practitioners, connecting self with social with material with spirit worlds. Everyday Spirituality is brilliantly written, with a firm and fascinating grip on the literature, studded with gems of discourse and ethnographic detail. We needed this holistic, experientially-based account to help make sense of today's lived spirituality and "enchanted modernity".' - Charles F. Emmons, Professor of Sociology, Gettysburg College, USA, and co-author with Penelope Emmons of Science and Spirit and Guided by Spirit 'This is a critical volume. As rapidly becomes apparent, Sara MacKian is by no means adverse to criticizing familiar perspectives on more alternative spiritualities, the present reviewer's efforts included. This is all to the good. Yet more to the good, the constructive criticism paves the way for MacKian's extension of perspectives to the everyday. The focus lies with the relational, oft-experientially charged or magical 'therapeutic landscapes of living', firmly within 'socio-spiritual worlds': not with the more traditional focus of specialized, frequently income-generating holistic activities per se. Overall, a most welcoming move to normal life, taken to be in the 'spirit' of spirit.' - Paul Heelas, Senior Reseach Professor in the Sociology of Contemporary Spirituality, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The NetherlandsTable of ContentsList of Figures Acknowledgements Introducing an Everyday Spirituality 'Spirituality Lite' Spirit and Re-enchantment The Everyday Self and Security Spirits in the Social World Spirits in the Material World Therapeutic Spiritualities Concluding the Journey: Where Have we Been and Where are we Going? Appendix: Data Collection Endnotes Bibliography

Read more less

Book SynopsisBy applying scientific method to religious enquiry, this title offers a different account of the importance of spirituality for human well-being. Research in the biological, psychological and social sciences strongly suggests that spiritual awareness is a genuine and deep-seated aspect of what it is to be human.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Soul as Virgin Wife presents the first book-length study to give a detailed account of the theological and mystical teachings written by women themselves, especially by those known as beguines, which have been especially neglected. Hollywood explicates the difference between the erotic and imagistic mysticism, arguing that Mechthild, Porete, and Eckhart challenge the sexual ideologies prevalent in their culture and claim a union without distinction between the soul and the divine.The beguines'' emphasis in the later Middle Ages on spiritual poverty has long been recognized as an important influence on subsequent German and Flemish mystical writers, in particular the great German Dominican preacher and apophatic theologian Meister Eckhart. In The Soul as Virgin Wife, Amy Hollywood presents the first book-length study to give a detailed textual account of these debts. Through an analysis of Magdeburg''s The Flowing Light of the Godhead, Marguerite PoreTrade Review“The Soul as Virgin Wife is a learned, subtle, and deeply intelligent study of three mystical theologians. Informed by feminist theory as well as thorough familiarity with late medieval religious culture, Amy Hollywood sifts through everything and takes nothing for granted. By reading Mechthild of Magdeburg, Marguerite Porete, and Meister Eckhart ‘with and against’ each other, she is able to recontextualize all three in a powerfully original way.”—Barbara Newman, Professor of English and Religion, Northwestern University“This book is a ‘marguerite,’ a pearl. It can be read as a major contribution to our understanding of Mechthild, Marguerite, and Eckhart, and also as a major contribution to the study of women’s religion in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. As if that were not enough, it is also studded with telling theoretical observations and enlivened by a running dialogue with a large array of current work in critical theory and feminist studies.”—The Journal of Religion"[Hollywood] offers valuable and insightful discussions of specific aspects in the works of all three mystics. . . . [T]his is a well-researched book...."—Studi Medievali“[Hollywood’s] study stands out as a scintillating and heuristic contribution to the critical literature surrounding three pivotal figures in the mystical revolution of late medieval Europe.” —Anglican Theological Review“Amy Hollywood offers to the reader a brilliant and detailed study of Mechthild of Magdeburg, Marguerite Porete, and Meister Eckhart on ‘the interrelated themes of body, will, and work and the interplay of pain, visionary imagination, and apophasis.’ In so doing she has produced a complex analysis of the reasons for ‘their desomatizing transformation of female mysticism.’” —Church History“Hollywood offers such a careful examination of the interpretive problems and historical contexts (her vastly detailed footnotes alone are worth the price of admission), and such a nuanced reading of the gender issues involved, that I felt her quite focused study would have significantly widespread implications.” —Pro Ecclesia“Since the publication of Caroline Bynum’s pathbreaking study of religious women in medieval Europe, female mystical writing has been all too easily characterized in essentialist and universalizing terms, especially in terms of the primary roles that the body and somatic visionary experience are assumed to have played in such women’s writings. Hollywood sets out to complicate this trend in her detailed study of the theological underpinnings of three mystical writers: Mechthild of Magdeburg, Marguerite Porete, and Meister Eckhart. She warns critics that women’s visionary experience has too often been characterized through prescriptive works often written by men for women (such as hagiography) rather than through works by women themselves and first suggests that we pay more careful attention to the latter. Second, she urges critics not to universalize the somatic character of women’s writing; her constellation of these three figures shows that while the body was of concern to all three thinkers, for Mechthild it was not central, and for Marguerite Porete and Eckhart it was to be overcome entirely. By bringing together two female mystical writers and one male writer she demonstrates the commonality, rather than the distinction, between many male and female mystical writers’ concerns and the ways in which Eckhart was particularly influenced by beguine (female lay religious) thought. Furthermore, she shows how Eckhart, perhaps because of his privileged position as a male in terms of institutional authority and education, was able to crystallize and extend the thought of his beguine predecessors, producing a utopian theology of union with God more coherent and ultimately with more radical potential than that of Mechthild or Marguerite Porete.” —Speculum

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe scope of this work reveals the fact that the military chaplaincy has existed in a recognizable form for more than 1600 years. Contributors analyze specific historical moments in its development, beginning in antiquity and progressing through the Crusades, the English Civil War, the American Civil War, both World Wars, and the Vietnam War.Trade Review“The Sword of the Lord merits a place on the bookshelf for its extensive mapping out of the fairly confined terrain of chaplain studies. The twelve essays gathered here … are a welcome addition to this too often neglected aspect of military and religious history. It is a valuable addition to the literature on those figures who stand at a unique intersection of religion and the military.” —Journal of Military History"This is an original, informative and thought-provoking volume that will be of as much interest to scholars in the field of war studies as to those in religious studies." —Journal of Ecclesiastical History"Doris Bergen's edited collection of essays, The Sword of the Lord: Military Chaplains from the First to the Twenty-First Century, is a refreshing reminder of the value of questions well asked—What has changed across two millennia of chaplaincy? What has remained the same?—and answers thoughtfully formulated." —The Journal of Religion“The book is a good introduction to the history and basic challenges of military chaplaincy. The chapters range across historical periods as distinct as the Roman Empire, the Crusades, the American Civil War, both World Wars and Vietnam. It will be of interest to chaplains and military historians, who are its principal audience.” —Anglican Theological Review“…a very informative and readable history of military chaplains. It’s a book that all who are interested in reflecting on the nature and purpose of ministry would benefit from.” —Contact"...a riveting account.... Recommended." —CHOICE“This volume is given great force by two chapters written by chaplains sharing their experiences….” —The Catholic Historical Review"This book is recommended for Catholic libraries, for historians, for theologians who are interested in questions of just war and support for our troops, and for general readers." —Catholic Library World“These well-written essays fill a gap in our understanding of the roles played by military chaplains through the ages. This book will prove valuable to general readers, historians, and theologians interested in the interplay between religion, politics, and war.” —History: Review of New Books“... a useful introductory survey of the history of military chaplaincy in Europe and North America from antiquity to the present day. Doris Bergen has assembled a team of contributors who have written stimulating essays that go some way towards illuminating the history of this venerable and controversial ministry.” —Theology

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn Dark Light of Love, John S. Dunne continues his quest of faith seeking understanding by examining darkness as a metaphor for unknowing and the unknown.Trade Review"This book, like each of the many by John Dunne that I have read, reminds me of the gift to us that his life as a writer and a teacher has been. He helped so many of us to understand the need to take seriously our own experiences, and he showed us how to plumb those experiences for insights inspired by his own. In reading this book, I am reminded of what he still can teach us and of what his untimely death has taken from us." —Paul Kollman, C.S.C., from the foreword"John Dunne provides a clear and seemingly simple path leading to a connection with the Divine. Years ago, I spoke with him about his writing, and John told me his work was meant to be read a little at a time, followed by meditation. His writings circle around, repeating and deepening, and thus facilitate the kindling of the heart followed by the illumining of the mind." —Mary Theis, counselor with the Apple Farm Community, Three Rivers, Michigan, and the C.G. Jung Center, Evanston, Illinois"When first I heard Fr. John Dunne teach, I felt like I had come ‘home.' Over forty years have passed since then and still, when I read but a few thoughts from any one of his books, that sense of ‘coming home’ returns, all inner striving ceases, and there is great peace. This new work, Dark Light of Love, seems to coalesce for me this experience of grace. John’s words still penetrate to the heart of things, to all that matters most." —Claire M. Wing, liturgical artist and designer"If short prayer, as it is said in The Cloud of Unknowing, penetrates heaven, then let us utter a resounding “Thank you!” to John Dunne for his mystical work The Dark Light of Love. Here, John’s kindled heart and illumined mind remind us that although 'we are at the far point on the great circle in this secular age, where the soul is in the dark night of faith,' this far point is a turning point. To step toward ourselves, one another, and God, is to step into the darkness with love, where aloneness becomes all-one-ness and even darkness blooms and sings. This book, like all of John Dunne’s work, is meant, is a sign, is the heart speaking and showing us that indeed there is a way." —Colleen Moore, director, Echo Program, University of Notre Dame“When John S. Dunne—beloved teacher, scholar, priest, and friend—passed away Nov. 11, 2013, at the age of 83, he left a number of book manuscripts that had not yet been published. Dark Light of Love, Dunne’s 23rd book, is the first volume to be published after his death. In the book, Dunne examines darkness as a metaphor for unknowing and the unknown.” —NDWorks“‘Our life is a journey in time, and God is our companion,’ Dunne writes in this elegant meditation on darkness, light, love, and the cloud of unknowing which is always with us. With creative strokes, the author leads us through the labyrinth of emergence, separation, and reunion.” —Spirituality & Practice“Dark Light of Love with its easily readable, joyful, and deep reflections may inspire a well-rewarded further exploration of [Dunne’s] earlier writings . . . [that are] uplifting, vibrant, reverent, deeply moving, joyful, and reflective. He opens our heart’s door to a greater, deeper, closeness with the Lord. His last gift to readers, Dark Light of Love, is a must-have title for parish, seminary and university libraries.” —Catholic Library World“Over the course of his 17 previous books, Dunne’s journey had become increasingly mystical. The current work is one of the best contemporary examples of . . . the ‘fundamental and momentous change in the human reality that a theologian is’. . . . Seasoned readers . . . will already know something of the kindling of the heart and the illumining of the mind that this book presents and provokes.” —Theological Studies

Read more less

Book SynopsisPhilosophers of all sorts will be richly rewarded by reading John O’Callaghan’s new book, Thomistic Realism and the Linguistic Turn. Based on his broad knowledge of Aristotle and Aquinas, O’Callaghan provides not only an excellent treatment of Aquinas’s epistemology but also a superb demonstration of just how Aquinas might contribute to contemporary debates.Trade Review"This is a magnificent tour de force that engages head-on the attacks upon (and defence of) mental representationalism as the dominant epistemology of the modern period. . . this work constitutes the closest approximation currently available to a definitive 'map of the territory' of Anglo-American analytic epistemology, its fatal affiliation to the Cartesian theory of ideas, and a most persuasive argument for the distinctness of the Aristotelian-Thomist approach. . . splendid achievement. . ." —The Heythrop Journal". . . an important and useful book. . . the book renders a valuable service from Thomistic resources to contemporary thinkers struggling with the perennial problems of realism. . ." —Theological Studies". . . a helpful survey of claims and arguments, as well as the presentation of a certain approach to an interconnected set of problems." —The Philosophical Quarterly“O’Callaghan offers an interpretation of Aquinas that is simultaneously traditional and innovative. [This] book undertakes a worthy effort to revitalize the traditional interpretation of Aquinas’s theory of cognition so that it can engage the contemporary debate about the relationship of language and thought to the world. His argument is timely. . . and it makes an important contribution to the field.” —The Thomist“. . . this remarkable book will enlighten and delight all who are interested in the questions and the authors with whom it deals.” —Pro Ecclesia"O'Callaghan writes as a passionate, penetrating, and faithful reader of St. Thomas. Thomists will have no difficulty recognizing the basic theses, but they will profit by following the careful development of these theses in dialogue with a number of contemporary philosophers." —Review of Metaphysics

Read more less

Book SynopsisGod's image as Judge can engender shame and guilt in women. This study explores the underworld journeys of women like Demeter and Psyche, and their reflections in works by such women as Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf, arguing that the tradition they represent has much to offer modern Christians.Trade Review“Gagné explores women's psychological and spiritual journeys through the lens of three ancient myths and modern literature. Many feminists seek to recover the goddess of preliterary civilizations. Gagné claims that the literary myths of underworld journeys of the goddesses Innana, Demeter/Persephone, and Psyche are integral to her wholeness as a Christian woman. She says that Innana illustrates that one cannot move from powerless to compassionate without first venting anger, while Demeter/Persephone shows that the discovery of wholeness is never once-and-for-all; Psyche demonstrates the struggle to discover self within passionate relationships. Gagné is convinced these stories are useful because they integrate sexuality and suffering, leading to a new experience of God. Explaining how these themes are explored in the works of Sylvia Plath, Joan Didion, Mary Gordon, Virginia Woolf, and other authors, she concludes with reflections drawn from the diary of Etta Hillesum—a woman who exemplified the underworld experiences and encountered God. Erudite and well written, this book offers a fresh perspective for Christian feminist-heirs to a tradition that has distanced bodily experience from spiritualities. Those unfamiliar with the literature that Gagné refers to will have limited appreciation of the study—those who know it will find her work masterful. For libraries supporting women's studies, literature, and spirituality; upper-division undergraduates and above.” —Choice * Choice *“Three Years of Writing, twelve years of teaching a course on the “Woman’s Journey,” and a lifetime of intense introspection have resulted in a hypnotic, ...monolog that describes the author’s journey towards achieving an edifiying sense of self-knowledge.” —Utopian Studies

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Tomáš Halík recovers the old insight of the church fathers that faith should be seen as a journey rather than a fixed dwelling. His meditation on this is full of fresh insights that renew old truths and help us make surprising, biblical sense of our bafflement before the existential issues of faith. This is a book for our age." —Charles Taylor, emeritus, McGill University"Seldom have I read a book that prompted me to think about the mystery of God's love in such surprising and delightful new ways. By turns profound, challenging, and unsettling, Tomáš Halík's new book is also a rarity in theological and spiritual discourse in that it is beautifully written, clearly articulated, and wonderfully inviting." —James Martin, S.J., author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage"In this luminous book, Tomáš Halík embodies St. Paul’s description of love—as patient, as kind, as bearing and enduring all things—in providing wise and gentle accompaniment to all those, believers and nonbelievers alike, who are seekers of transcendence in our perplexing times. In his exploration of the meaning of love of God and love of one’s enemy, he mines insights not only from familiar figures such as Eckhart, Kierkegaard, and Levinas, but from surprising sources including Feuerbach, Marx, and Nietzsche. I Want You to Be adds to a body of work in which Halík has responded to Charles Taylor’s historical-sociological-philosophical analysis of our 'secular age' with his own penetrating theological, spiritual, and psychological diagnosis of the conditions of post-secularity." —William A. Barbieri, Catholic University of America“Tomáš Halík is building a broad community of readers in Europe, between various religions, disciplines, cultures, and nations. He writes at a level higher than our best spiritual writers but does not write as an academic theologian despite the fact that he knows that kind of literature well. Halík's message of religious tolerance and understanding, against the background of European secularization, reflects a new voice for an American audience.” —Richard Rohr, O.F.M., Center for Action and Contemplation“I think of Tomáš Halík as I think of C.S. Lewis, Thomas Merton, and Henri Nouwen—a rare combination of intellect along with an uncommon commitment never to betray the gene that unites us all as children of God.” —Doris Donnelly, John Carroll University"Fluently translated by Gerald Turner, Halík's book is a masterfully written meditation on love, the God of love, and the implications that the love of God has for the Christian life. Eschewing easy or simplistic answers to the questions it poses, it seeks to shake believers from complacency and to instill in them an attitude of greater openness to the world and to the God who is its ground of being." —Catholic Library World"A one-time member of the Czech underground and advisor to Václav Havel, Halík explores the theological understandings of love, grounding his discussion in scholarship yet writing in a style that is accessible to nonspecialists. . . . With this important book Halík joins the conversation taken up by Charles Taylor in A Secular Age and Martha Nussbaum in Political Emotions: Why Love Matters for Justice. In addition to exploring the concept of love, Halík weaves important autobiographical elements that add personal depth to the conversation." —Choice"In reading this fine book, I have come to see [Halík] as a theologian for Friends (Quakers). . . . I Want You to Be is all about love—not the love of adolescent infatuation or romantic fiction, not the love of the narcissist, nor the love of possessions or their acquisition—the deep love in which the ego is transcended and we come into the power that unites without destroying or appropriating. . . . Halík carries the reader gently and surely through reflections and meditations toward this end, yielding no final answers (as he warns in the first chapter) but only an “interim report” of his own journey. It is well worth accompanying him." —Friends Journal"Seeking to apply his understanding of love in beneficial ways for our culture, Halík offers a diagnosis of our times throughout this book, rather than in a designated section. Echoing Teilhard de Chardin’s assertion that love alone can unify all without destruction, Halík sees the need for a fundamental, unifying spiritual vision in the West, particularly in Europe." —Reading Religion"What we have here is not so much prayer but what I have experienced as a profound, beautifully expressed, and translated propaedeutic to prayer. For, in my prayerful reading of it . . . I found it to be an extraordinarily 'pure'/unadulerated example of theologia secunda as, e.g., distinguished from theologia prima." —Worship

Read more less

Book SynopsisSpiritual teacher and bridge-builder Brother David Steindl-Rast translates the Apostles' Creed for today, uncovering the deeper universal truths that can be an inspiration to all people. In Deeper than Words: Living the Apostles’ Creed, Brother David reexamines the words with which the early followers of Jesus summarized their faith. Reading line-by-line with an open perspective, he reveals the often overlooked message of trust, compassion, peace, love, and awareness contained in this widely known but rarely examined statement.       Deeper than Words moves beyond ritual and exclusivity and instead finds a deeper faith based in real human experience and the sense of limitless belonging that is shared by all people who seek to understand themselves and the world. The words of the Apostles' Creed are Christian, but its heart is a universal and timeless guide to fullness of life. From this transformation perspecti

Read more less

Book SynopsisA companion to Anthony De Mello’s all-time bestselling work of inspiration, Awareness.Anthony De Mello was one of the most important spiritual writers of the 20th century. Since his death in 1987, his stature has only increased. His books, including Song of the Bird, Sadhana, and the international bestselling Awareness are considered by many to be some of the most influential spiritual teachings of the last 50 years. Now, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his passing, Image Books is proud to present what may very well prove to be the last published work of this beloved spiritual teacher. Based on a lecture given just months before his death, Rediscovering Life invites us to unlock the deeper meaning of our lives. By becoming aware of the circuitous and habitual nature of our limiting thoughts, we can find simple solutions that will release us from feelings of isolation, anger, sadness and depression. In short, De

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis is a small booklet containing five assessments in the areas of traits, observation, experience, conviction, and ministry fit to help people understand their spiritual giftedness.Table of ContentsContents Overview 11 Introduction 13 Windows to Your Giftedness 15 Spiritual Gifts Assessments Experience Assessment 19 Traits Assessment 33 Convictions Assessment 47 Observation Assessment 51 Your Spiritual Gifts Summary 53 Ministry Assessment 55 Spiritual Gifts Descriptions and Contributions 59 Resources 63 Appendix: Observation Assessment Forms 67

Read more less

Book SynopsisIs Your God Big Enough to Be Questioned? The freedom to question is an indispensable and sacred practice that is absolutely vital to the health of our communities.According to author David Dark, when religion won't tolerate questions, objections, or differences of opinion, and when it only brings to the table threats of excommunication, violence, and hellfire, it obstructs our ability to think, empathize, and live lives of authenticity and genuine engagement.The God of the Bible not only encourages questions; the God of the Bible demands them. If that were not so, we wouldn't live in a world of such rich, God-given complexity in which wide-eyed wonder is part and parcel of the human condition. The possibility of redemption and revolution depends on the questions we ask of God, governments, media, and everyday economies. It is by way of the questions that we resist the conformity that deadens and come alive to visions that redeem.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWe all hunger to be more intimately connected to God. The answer to our Spirit Hunger is to engage God like never before. In this book, Meacham shows how to turn worry into belief, problems and heartaches into a life of intimate prayer, and sighs for intimacy into closeness with God.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIs this all you''re living for?For years, pastor Paul Tripp understood we were hardwired for forever. But he didn''t understand that it was more than a valuable insight. It is a practical tool to help us face the disappointment of everyday life. Now he knows, and he can help you discover how to survive and thrive in the middle of your story, with the final chapter of heaven in view.Instead of embracing the world''s motto--you only live once--follow Tripp as he unpacks the biblical truth of the world as a broken place, longing for a second chance. And come alive as you discover the meaning and redemption all this brokenness can bring to your life today.With practical insights on how eternity impacts your relationships, your job, your kids, and your deepest struggles, you''ll be encouraged to relax into the eternal story God is writing for you. You really are hardwired for eternity, and this book reveals how you can begin to view all that happens

Read more less

Book SynopsisHow do you build a life of significance? As pastor and writer Jeff Manion shares in Dream Big, Think Small, truly great lives are built on the foundation of a holy redundancy--a persistence and determination to move faithfully in the right direction.Dream Big, Think Small will provide: The plan for extraordinary living for ordinary life. Big dreams are achievable through steady progress over time. The motivation you need to stick with it for the long haul. The tools necessary for passionate longevity. You can faithfully lead, serve and love others over a lifetime without sacrificing your passion. So many believers want their lives to count, but they are impatient with the slow pace at which goodness grows. Many of us struggle to embrace the faithfulness required to show up day after day after day. In Dream Big, Think Small Manion helps to reveal the joy in the small, seemingly inconsequential actionTrade Review“Dream Big, Think Small advocates for a new way of thinking, and I couldn’t love Jeff ’s approach more. His idea that big dreams are anchored in small life-giving habits has changed the way I think about achieving goals. With a storyteller’s flair and a knack for providing takeaways you can actually use, this book will surely inspire you to be faithful in the commonplace because that is where the magic happens.” * —Mandy Arioto, President and CEO of MOPS International *“Dream Big, Think Small is a refreshing back-to-the-heart look at a fruitful life. I personally was challenged, then encouraged through Jeff 's chewable lessons of how God hides miracles in the common places.” * —Dr. Wayne Cordeiro, New Hope Oahu *“In a world where success outpaces character and people become famous overnight, Dream Big, Think Small is a clarion call to the kingdom of consistency, an invitation to a life of faithfulness over the long haul. Read this, live this, and your life will become fruitful in every season.” * —Steve Carter, Willow Creek Community Church Teaching Pastor and author of This Invitational Life *“Jeff draws from a deep well of biblical wisdom and compelling illustrations in his latest book: Dream Big, Think Small. Most significantly to me, he is living what he is inviting us to experience. As I read, I was inspired to pursue an extraordinary life with Jesus one day at a time.” * —Todd Harper, President at Generous Giving and author of Abundant: Experiencing the Incredible Journey of Generosity *“Jeff drops the checkered flag and proves once again that the turtle wins.” * —Brad Formsma, bestselling author of I Like Giving and the founder of Ilikegiving.com— a movement that inspires people to live generously through stories *“My friend Jeff Manion reveals the truth about what it looks like to live a life of lasting significance. Jeff has lived a life of faithfulness, and I’m so grateful he has shared this journey with us in the pages of Dream Big, Think Small. Jeff gives us a beautiful vision for the joy that comes from living with intention.” * —Shauna Niequist, author of Bread & Wine and Present Over Perfect *“The ideas in this book are both completely countercultural and utterly refreshing. We live in an era of ‘superhero’ stories, but Jeff 's book makes it clear: The real heroes are the humble, the consistent, and the everyday faithful. I love this book.” * —Brant Hansen, radio host and author of Unoffendable *

Read more less

Book SynopsisJoin beloved Bible teacher Margaret Feinberg as you learn how to move from simply reading Scripture to entering stories that can be touched, tasted, smelled, and savored.The Bible is full of clever plots and compelling stories, laced with historic insights and literary beauty. But despite its richness and depth, many of us struggle to close the gap between the ancient world and our own.What does it mean to know that Jesus is the Good Shepherd when the only place you''ve encountered sheep is at a petting zoo? How can you understand the promise of a land overflowing with honey when you buy yours in a bear-shaped bottle? Can you truly grasp the urgency of Jesus'' invitation to abide in the vine when you shop for grapes at a local grocery store?In Scouting the Divine, Margaret invites you to accompany her on the adventure of a lifetime across the nation to herd sheep in Oregon, harvest fields with a Nebraska farmer, prune vines in Cali

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this updated edition of the New York Times bestselling book, Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend have expanded their popular content to help readers develop clear boundaries as part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

Read more less

Book SynopsisUnstoppable will encourage you to run the race God has placed before you with new confidence. – Joyce Meyer, Bible teacher and bestselling author Now includes discussion questions for small-group study. Have you been a spiritual spectator for too long, waiting on the sidelines, thinking God could never use you for something big? Maybe you have been searching for greater purpose. Well get prepared, because God has a baton ready to put in your hand. Christine Caine didn''t think she had what it took to make a difference in the world. Then, inspired by her love of Olympic relays, Caine decided that she should start a relay herself--a global team of individuals and organizations passing a baton to one another in a race to end human trafficking. Now Caine''s organization, A21, is on a mission to end slavery, one woman, one man, one child, at a time which sometimes means operating in some of the most dangerous

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisA collection of reflections on three things that make us human - our longing to know the meaning of life, our capacity for love, and our ability to laugh. It mixes ancient Zen stories and contemporary jokes - and helps us to find love, laughter, and ultimately, happiness.

Read more less

Book SynopsisGeoff and Hope Price present some cases of divine intervention illustrating various ways in which ordinary people have experienced the touch of God.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis volume is in one sense the spiritual and pastoral counterpart of Rahner's theological masterpiece, Foundations of Christian Faith. Divided into three parts, Faith, Hope and Love, it deals with the sacraments, the theological virtues, the states of life, the various kinds of prayer, and other aspects of ascetical and mystical theology.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA brilliant collection from the pre-eminent New Testament scholar who wrote The Shadow of the Galilean. He believes that modern sermons are indications that God is alive and getting in touch through the barriers put up by our everyday mentality.

Read more less