Quest for Spiritual Community

Quest for Spiritual Community

Author: Angela H. Reed

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2011-02-24

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13: 0567038831

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Revision of author's thesis (Ph. D.)--Princeton Theological Seminary, 2010.


Quest for Spiritual Community

Quest for Spiritual Community

Author: Angela H. Reed

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2011-04-25

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 056707045X

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Many churches recognize the importance of the genuine spiritual hunger in our time and are attempting to bridge the gulf between traditional religious institutions and the contemporary spiritual quest by revitalizing and retooling ancient spiritual practices. This book suggests that it is possible to relish the spiritual quest while honoring tradition and theological inquiry through practices such as spiritual guidance. It presents a sociological analysis of contemporary spirituality, case studies of congregations with spiritual guidance ministries, and reflection on historical practices and Protestant theological roots to explore the strengths and pitfalls of nurturing the contemporary spiritual quest in the average congregation. The resulting vision for congregation-based spiritual guidance incorporates practices that attend to person, community, and mission.


The Spiritual Quest

The Spiritual Quest

Author: Robert M. Torrance

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2023-09-01

Total Pages: 387

ISBN-13: 0520920163

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Robert Torrance's wide-ranging, innovative study argues that the spiritual quest is rooted in our biological, psychological, linguistic, and social nature. The quest is not, as most have believed, a rare mystical experience, but a frequent expression of our most basic human impulses. Shaman and scientist, medium and poet, prophet and philosopher, all venture forth in quest of visionary truths to transform and renew the world. Yet Torrance is not trying to reduce the quest to an "archetype" or "monomyth." Instead, he presents the full diversity of the quest in the myths and religious practices of tribal peoples throughout the world, from Oceania to India, Africa, Siberia, and especially the Americas. In theorizing about the quest, Torrance draws on thinkers as diverse as Bergson and Piaget, van Gennep and Turner, Pierce and Popper, Freud, Darwin, and Chomsky. This is a book that will expand our knowledge—and awareness—of a fundamental human activity in all its fascinating complexity.


Finding Faith

Finding Faith

Author: Richard Flory

Publisher: Rutgers University Press

Published: 2008-02-04

Total Pages: 245

ISBN-13: 0813544262

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Despite the masses still lining up to enter mega-churches with warehouse-like architecture, casually dressed clergy, and pop Christian music, the “Post-Boomer” generation—those ranging in age from twenty to forty—is having second thoughts. In this perceptive look at the evolving face of Christianity in contemporary culture, sociologists Richard Flory and Donald E. Miller argue that we are on the verge of another potential revolution in how Christians worship and associate with one another. Just as the formative experiences of Baby Boomers were colored by such things as the war in Vietnam, the 1960s, and a dramatic increase in their opportunities for individual expression, so Post-Boomers have grown up in less structured households with working (often divorced) parents. These childhood experiences leave them craving authentic spiritual experience, rather than entertainment, and also cause them to question institutions. Flory and Miller develop a typology that captures four current approaches to the Christian faith and argue that this generation represents a new religious orientation of “expressive communalism,” in which they seek spiritual experience and fulfillment in community and through various expressive forms of spirituality, both private and public.


Science and the Spiritual Quest

Science and the Spiritual Quest

Author: W. Mark Richardson

Publisher: Psychology Press

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 9780415257671

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Addressing fundamental questions about life, this unique volume examines the way in which distinguished scientists of different faiths explore the connections between science, ethics, spirituality and the divine.


Van Gogh and God

Van Gogh and God

Author: Cliff Edwards

Publisher: Loyola Press

Published: 1989

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 9780829406214

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Explore the depth of this brilliant and tortured artist's spirituality and find a new Van Gogh--philosopher of life, unorthodox theologian, and determined seeker of global spirituality.


Reluctant Pilgrim

Reluctant Pilgrim

Author: Enuma Okoro

Publisher: Upper Room Books

Published: 2010-10-01

Total Pages: 189

ISBN-13: 1935205153

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Finalist in the "Best Books 2010" Awards "This is one of those books that you read and then have to sit back or curl up in a ball and 'be still and know.' In these honest, tear-stained pages are clear signs that there is a 'Hound of Heaven' hunting us down—this Spirit that is stalking us with love, winking at us with miracles, tickling us with grace, subverting everything that could destroy us, and whispering in our ears that we are truly beloved." —Shane Claiborne Author, activist, recovering sinner Love God, but not so sure about church? If you've ever had doubts or felt the gnawing need to examine your interior life, you'll find a trustworthy companion in Enuma Okoro, a purse-shopping, tea-sipping, shaky follower of Jesus who wouldn't mind meeting a guy who loves God and has decent hair. But after her father's unexpected death, her grief seems to morph into the panicky feeling that God wants something more from her, like maybe becoming a nun. As she seeks to unravel those feelings, Okoro takes us back to the places that formed her, from her first years in church at a parish in Queens, New York, to her years in West Africa where she collected crucifixes along with Richie Rich comic books, to her studies in Europe and the United States. Part Augustine, part Jane Austen with a side of Anne Lamott, Okoro attempts to reconcile her theological understanding of God's call to community with her painful and disappointing experiences of community in churches where she often felt invisible, pigeonholed, or out of place. At turns snarky and luminous, laugh-out-loud funny and vulnerably poignant, Reluctant Pilgrim is the no-holds-barred account of a woman who prays to savor God's goodness and never be satisfied. It is a daring, insightful, and deeply moving field guide for the curious, the confused, and the convicted.


The Quest for Meaning and Wholeness: Spiritual and Religious Connections in the Lives of College Faculty

The Quest for Meaning and Wholeness: Spiritual and Religious Connections in the Lives of College Faculty

Author: Jennifer A. Lindholm

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2013-12-24

Total Pages: 181

ISBN-13: 1118421272

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“An insightful, scholarly resource for dialogue about the symbiotic relationship between the life of the mind and the life of the heart of faculty, and what faculty can do to provide students an education that focuses on meaning and purpose.” —Larry A. Braskamp, professor emeritus, Loyola University Chicago “Among the strengths of this book are Lindholm’s solid research design and data analysis, deft integration of quantitative and qualitative data in presentation of findings and interpretation, and clear writing. Dr. Lindholm makes an important contribution both to higher education literature on faculty, and to religious studies literature, on this dimension of religion and spirituality in colleges and universities.” —Michael D. Waggoner, professor, University of Northern Iowa; editor, Religion & Education “No one understands more thoroughly the roles that spirituality and religion play in higher education today than Jennifer Lindholm, who has spent more than a decade documenting their impact. The Quest for Meaning and Wholeness adds greatly to her earlier findings of how college can enhance the spiritual lives of students.” —Gary Luhr, executive director, Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities “Based on both quantitative and qualitative data, Lindholm’s thoughtful, well-written book opens new ground, addressing a largely ignored topic in the research on faculty lives and work—spirituality, religion, and meaning in academic life. Institutional leaders, faculty members, and students will benefit from the fresh perspectives, careful definitions, issues, and questions discussed in this book.” —Ann E. Austin, professor of higher, adult, and lifelong education, Michigan State University; coauthor of Rethinking Faculty Work: Higher Education’s Strategic Imperative “At last, a book for faculty about faculty on an important, but long-neglected, topic. Jennifer Lindholm provides a cogent, readable analysis of how faculty view spirituality and religion not only in their own lives, but also their role in higher education.” —Peter C. Hill, Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University


Becoming a True Spiritual Community

Becoming a True Spiritual Community

Author: Larry Crabb

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Published: 2007-07-08

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 141855443X

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In today's frenetic society, people rarely develop intimate friendships. Instead, they spend their lives essentially disconnected from others, rushing through life content with brief visits and casual conversations. But what if one were to develop a community, a spiritual community, of people who walked with and supported each other through life's journey? A community of real friends who listened to each other's personal tragedies without merely trying to fix the problems, who encouraged and nurtured each other's strengths, and who accepted people for who they really are, instead of the image they try to portray. In Becoming a True Spiritual Community (formerly titled The Safest Place on Earth), Larry Crabb explores such a place, where God can heal disconnected people and allow them to reconnect with each other and, ultimately, with Him.