The Big Book of Christian Mysticism

The Big Book of Christian Mysticism PDF

Author: Carl McColman

Publisher: Broadleaf Books

Published: 2021-11-16

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 1506485766

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In popular usage, "mysticism" typically refers to New Age or Eastern forms of spirituality. However, the mystical tradition is also an important component of the Christian tradition. At its heart--and much like its expression in other faith traditions--Christian mysticism is an ancient practice that incorporates meditation, contemplation, worship, philosophy, the quest for personal enlightenment, and the experience of Divine presence. This volume is a comprehensive introduction and guide to Christian mysticism. It is a big book about a big possibility: the hope of achieving real, blissful, experiential unison with God. Among the topics covered here are a general introduction to mysticism, the Bible and mysticism, the history and types of Christian mysticism, biographical sketches of leading Christian mystics, and practical instructions about practicing mysticism today. This is a breathtaking work that explores a form of spirituality that has changed lives over the course of 2,000 years. Learning about Christian mysticism and how it has been articulated through the centuries will prove inspirational for today's seekers, regardless of the faith tradition. "The mystic is not a special kind of person; every person is a special kind of mytic." --William McNamara

Divine Teaching and the Way of the World

Divine Teaching and the Way of the World PDF

Author: Samuel Fleischacker

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2011-04-21

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 0191617253

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Samuel Fleischacker defends what the Enlightenment called 'revealed religion': religions that regard a certain text or oral teaching as sacred, as wholly authoritative over one's life. At the same time, he maintains that revealed religions stand in danger of corruption or fanaticism unless they are combined with secular scientific practices and a secular morality. The first two parts of Divine Teaching and the Way of the World argue that the cognitive and moral practices of a society should prescind from religious commitments — they constitute a secular 'way of the world', to adapt a phrase from the Jewish tradition, allowing human beings to work together regardless of their religious differences. But the way of the world breaks down when it comes to the question of what we live for, and it is this that revealed religions can illumine. Fleischacker first suggests that secular conceptions of why life is worth living are often poorly grounded, before going on to explore what revelation is, how it can answer the question of worth better than secular worldviews do, and how the revealed and way-of-the-world elements of a religious tradition can be brought together.

Studying Christian Spirituality

Studying Christian Spirituality PDF

Author: David B. Perrin

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2007-08-07

Total Pages: 359

ISBN-13: 1134159153

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This book provides a new introduction to the study of Christian spirituality, exploring it through the human sciences and ranging from philosophy and hermeneutics to psychology, history, sociology and anthropology. Systematic and progressive, it introduces the key approaches and shows how they relate to the understanding, study and practice of spirituality. Covering a vast amount of ground - from traditional themes such as images of God, spiritual direction and pilgrimage to more contemporary issues, such as place and space, cyberspace and postcolonialism - the author takes an ecumenical, inclusive stance, allowing the book to be used in a wide variety of courses and across denominations.

Paths in Spirituality

Paths in Spirituality PDF

Author: John Macquarrie

Publisher:

Published: 1972

Total Pages: 152

ISBN-13:

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While advocates of "religionless Christianity" assert that modern men and women have outgrown traditional expressions of worship, prayer, and spirituality, Macquarrie shows how these aspects of religious experience are critical in our search for a healing and fulfilling communion with God and God's people. He also describes and interprets those traditional rites and spiritual disciplines--Stations of the Cross, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, the Daily Offices, Reconciliation of a Penitent--perhaps latent, yet superbly suitable to meet the needs of the contemporary search for wholeness and holiness.

Pluralism: The Future of Religion

Pluralism: The Future of Religion PDF

Author: Kenneth Rose

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2013-03-28

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 144115776X

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Theology of religions has defaulted in the last two decades to an epicyclic inclusivism which seeks to undermine pluralism with claims that it is covertly triumphalistic and that it mirrors the logic of exclusivism. With the exception of pioneers in the field such as John Hick and Paul Knitter, most major figures in this theological field have retreated from pluralism and promote versions of particularism and inclusivism. Pluralism: The Future of Religion argues for an apophatic pluralism that is motivated by the insight that it is impossible to secure universal assent for changeable bodies of religious teachings. This insight implies the non-finality and consequent 'departicularization' of all religious teachings and their inclusivistic defenses. These conclusions point us inevitably toward pluralism and lead us out of the inclusivistic impasse of contemporary theology in religions.

Freedom of Religion and Religious Pluralism

Freedom of Religion and Religious Pluralism PDF

Author: Jahid Hossain Bhuiyan

Publisher: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers

Published: 2023

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 9004504966

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"This book brings together a variety of religious and non-religious perspectives on religious pluralism. It explores the key philosophical and legal issues associated with religious freedom and social harmony"--

The Triumph of Christianity

The Triumph of Christianity PDF

Author: Bart D. Ehrman

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2018-02-22

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 1786073021

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How did Christianity become the dominant religion in the West? In the early first century, a small group of peasants from the backwaters of the Roman Empire proclaimed that an executed enemy of the state was God’s messiah. Less than four hundred years later it had become the official religion of Rome with some thirty million followers. It could so easily have been a forgotten sect of Judaism. Through meticulous research, Bart Ehrman, an expert on Christian history, texts and traditions, explores the way we think about one of the most important cultural transformations the world has ever seen, one that has shaped the art, music, literature, philosophy, ethics and economics of modern Western civilisation.

The Trinity

The Trinity PDF

Author: John Farrelly

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 330

ISBN-13: 9780742532267

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The mystery of the Trinity is the central Christian belief that defines God's essence, God's ongoing love for humanity, and saving grace. Yet, over the past few centuries, especially in the West, Christians have either ceased believing in the Trinity or simply no longer recognize its relevance in their ecclesial or individual lives. Written in an ecumenical spirit that engages contemporary questions and theological viewpoints, The Trinity: Rediscovering the Central Christian Mystery articulates the mystery of the Trinity for people formed by modern historical consciousness, science, awareness of the equal dignity of men and women, and respect for world religions. By first identifying contemporary problems with the Christian proclamation of the Trinity in our culture and major differences among modern theologians, John Farrelly, OSB, explores Scripture, the life and message of Jesus Christ, the various stages of the development of Trinitarian doctrine in Christian History, the relation of the Trinity to creation and salvation, the generation of the Son from the Father within the Trinity and the procession of the Holy Spirit from Father and Son, and the meaning of three persons in one God. He concludes by reflecting on the implications this renewed theology of the Trinity has for ecclesiology and Christian spirituality in our twenty-first century world, especially in relation to other world religions.

Spirit and Nature

Spirit and Nature PDF

Author: Timothy Hessel-Robinson

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2011-08-01

Total Pages: 297

ISBN-13: 160608884X

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Spirit and Nature is a collection of essays exploring how the resources of Christian spirituality can inform the practice of a more ecologically sustainable faith. Our current ecological situation calls for people of religious faith to reexamine the way they envision the practice of spirituality. As environmental ethicists have called us to reconsider the human-Earth relationship so that the planet is not seen as simply an endless supply of resources to fill human wants and needs, so these essays call us to reconsider spiritual practice as it relates to Earth's ecology. Rather than viewing spirituality as an escape from the material world, the authors describe the embodiment of the God-quest within the human-nature relationship. Drawing on diverse disciplinary perspectives, these essays examine a variety of topics, including the relationship between Earth and humans in the Bible, the role of nature's beauty in Christian spirituality, the practice of Christian discernment and contemplation in light of the natural sciences, the role of nature in liturgical prayer, and others. These essays consider how scholarship in Christian spirituality can contribute to re-imaging faith in ways that better cherish the Earth's fragile beauty.