Description
Book SynopsisJudith A. Merkle is Professor of Religious Studies at Niagara University, USA.
Trade ReviewJudith Merkle has written a nuanced and thought-provoking book about the future of Christian faith and practice in a secular age. ... Taylor is undoubtedly a brilliant and nuanced interpreter of the complex contours of modernity. * Studies in Christian Ethics *
In this signal volume, Judith A. Merkle invites us to consider the features of a renewed Christianity not in flight from the earthly city, the
saeculum or secular world, but through an engagement that meets the best of human aspirations, pointing humanity and all of creation to their proper end. Merkle identifies the issues that Christians must grapple with if the church is to renew its mission in a changing world and avoid the useless resuscitation of obsolete forms of religiosity. A must-read. * Catherine E. Clifford, Saint Paul University, Canada *
Combining erudite scholarship with lucid prose, Judith A. Merkle provides an elegant account of the search for the transcendent in the modern world. Her interdisciplinary analyses illuminate the function of faith and spirituality in a climate of contingency. In this ambitious book, Merkle deftly choreographs a new asceticism for our day. * Kristin E. Heyer, Boston College, USA *
Merkle’s analysis of secularity deepens our appreciation of its profound influence on religious and nonreligious people alike. She explores how our secular context requires reconsideration of our understanding of church and salvation, and the development of new spiritual and religious practices. This clearly written, creative book is theologically insightful and a rich resource for pastoral practice and reflection on one’s own life of discipleship. * Christopher P. Vogt, St. John’s University, USA *
Table of ContentsList of Abbreviations and Documents Cited Introduction
Part I Foundations 1. Silent Music and the Dance: A New Moment in Christian Spirituality 2. The Human Partner: the Steps of Modernity 3. The Step of Faith: Searching for the Face of God in Modern Life 4. The Dance of Religion: Do We Need It?
Part II. Dancing to the Music: Discipleship 5. The Way of Jesus and Human Flourishing: Salvation and Atonement 6. The Eclipse of Desire and the Freedom to Dance 7. The Desire to Dance: Toward a New Asceticism 8. Being Music Makers: Church and Community in a New Era 9. The Scaffoldings of the Future Bibliography Index
