Contemporary Spiritualities: Social and Religious Contexts

by Clive Erricker (Editor), Jane Erricker (Editor)

Overview

Spirituality is most often understood as a religious term remote from the social interactions of everyday life and from political motivations. This volume seeks to show that this is an erroneous view and that, unless we attend to the spiritual as a motivating force in the lives of individuals and communities, we shall misconceive the nature of social change and political complexity and lack awareness of the value of writing and thinking on the subject in relation to contemporary issues. In a world dominated by globalization and late-capitalist free-market economics we face a situation of increasing complexity in human affairs. In this context, diverse notions of the spiritual in relation to culture and identity are critical forces that require careful attention. Contemporary Spiritualities is an innovative study based on research into the significance of influential writers and thinkers and diverse communities. It seeks to map influences on the notion of the spiritual in relation to the cultural and religious plurality of contemporary society. It also promotes the importance of attending to spirituality in both academic and a socio-politcal context. Clive Erricker is Reader in the Study of Religions at University College Chichester. Jane Erricker is Principal Lecturer and Director of Research in the School of Education at King Alfred's College, Winchester.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826449481
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	08/01/2001
Series:	Issues in Contemporary Religion
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Clive Erricker is Reader in the Study of Religions, University College Chichester, UK. Jane Erricker is lecturer at King Alfred's University College, Winchester.

Table of Contents

Section 1: Influential Writers and Thinkers 1. Influential Writers and Thinkers: A Retrospective Reconsideration and a Contemporary Contextualisation Clive Erricker 2. Mysticism and Contemporary Society: Some Teilhardian Reflections Ursula King (University of Bristol) 3. Bede Griffiths and the One Universal Reality Shirley du Boulay (Professional Writer) 4. Thomas Merton: Monk for the Contemporary World Danny Sullivan (Anglican Diocese of Oxford) 5. Jiddu Krishnamurti and the Open Secret Clive Erricker 6. The Dalai Lama: Dimensions of Spirituality Geshe Thupten Jinpa (Institute of Tibetan Classics, Montreal) 7. Carole Christ's Narrative Theology Ruth Mantin (University College Chichester)Section 2: Faith Communities8. Faith Communities: Spiritual Diversity, Hope and Tension in the Modern World Clive Erricker 9. In the Realm of the Deathless: The Buddhist Forest Retreat Order Clive Erricker 10. A Society in Transition: ISKCON's Spiritual Path Anna King (King Alfred's College, Winchester) 11. The Amish: Case Study of a Religious Community Richard Stevick (Messiah College, Pennsylvania) 12. 'Until the Power of the Lord Comes Down': African American Pentecostal Spirituality and Tarrying David D Daniels III (McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago) 13. Taize: A Global and Postcolonial Theology of Community Liam Gearon (University of Surrey) 14. The Diaspora of the Khoja Shi'a Ithnasheeries Clive Erricker 15. Street Spirituality: A Narrative Case Study of a Street Community Jane Erricker

Editorial Reviews

"Contemporary Spiritualities is a welcome addition to the body of knowledge concerning the diversity of communities that organise both individual and communal life founded around the centrality of the sacred....the volume offers a wide range of religious and spiritual experience encompassing both individuals and communities...There is plenty to ponder in this volume..."
International Journal of Children's Spirituality, 2002

"The book is readable and coherent." Theological Book Review Feed the Minds

"The volume [...] demonstrates that the spiritual is essential to understanding human behaviour . . . It also opens a chink in the curtain between the canonically religious and the implicitly spiritual. The Religious Studies of the last two centuries may prove to have been the preparation for the investigation of such secularity."
Journal of Contemporary Religion 17.2 (2002)

"There is a lot of useful material here: readers looking for an introduction to Taize, the Society for Krishna Consciousness, the Amish, or figures such as Merton, Griffiths or the Dalai Lama, will find this book helpful. The second half of the book also stimulates to reflection on how to live a communal faith within post-modern culture. May of the issues it raises are vital ones: feminism, the nature of spiritual experience, how faith communities work, inter-faith relations, and the connection between prayer and social justice."
David Keen, Yeovil ANVIL 19.3, 2002


"The book is readable and coherent." --Theological Book Review Feed the Minds

From the Publisher