Embodied Faith: Reflections on a Materialist Spirituality

by Ola Tjørhom

Overview

The materialist spirituality in Embodied Faith is biblically grounded, and it smells of earth even as it offers a taste of heaven. Taking an observation of St. Benedict as his starting point, Ola Tjørhom maintains that outward forms are fully capable of incorporating and expressing inner spiritual substance. / Tjørhom moves on to identify three crucial features of a materialist spirituality. First, it has a concrete substance — primarily the sacraments and the sacramental dimension of our Christian life in its totality. Second, materialist spirituality cannot be lived out in a vacuum, but requires concrete spaces — mainly the church and the world, which, though separate, are clearly interconnected. Third, this spirituality is grounded not in airy ideas and concepts but in plain empirical perception — in things we can see and hear, smell and taste — making it a spirituality eminently suited for our daily lives and the world. / “Ola Tjørhom has written a wise book that bridges many gaps: between the material and the spiritual, the Catholic and the Protestant, the mystical and the everyday. His vision of a materialist spirituality is not a call to leave this world nor an invitation to extreme experiences, but a sober proposal for a Christian life that is in but not of the world. Firmly rooted in creation, such a spirituality still yearns for the transformation of all things. Few books are as ecumenical as Tjørhom’s, drawing on a variety of Christian traditions in a way that respects each. Persuasively presented, his wide-ranging reflections cover such a range of topics, one is tempted to call it a ‘systematics of spirituality.’ ”— Michael Root / Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802862747
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	04/06/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	213
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Professor of dogmatics and ecumenical theology at the School of Mission and Theology, Stavanger, Norway.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Background and Definition

1 The Horizon: Neo-Liberalism, Privatization, and a Blooming Religious Market Under the Auspices of "Postmodernity" 3

2 Materialist Spirituality: What in the World ...? An Initial Definition 14

Trinitarian Foundation

3 Creation and Redemption: Two Sides of the Same Coin 33

4 The Incarnation: An Affirmation of True Humanity 43

5 The Holy Spirit: The Grounded Wire of Christian Life 54

Church and Sacraments

6 The Church: Place of Salvation and Priest of Creation 71

7 Sacraments and Sacramentality: The Backbone of Our Life in Christ 87

8 Prayer as Language and Liturgy as Song: On the Meaning of Worship 105

World and Culture

9 For the Life of the World: An Earthly Spirituality 125

10 In the Midst of Life: A Spirituality for Reality 139

11 "The Heart Is Slow to Love What the Eye Does Not See": The Role of Art in Materialist Spirituality 147

Further Explorations

12 "No Man Is an Island": An Ecumenically Based Community Spirituality 163

13 The Fundamental Reasonability of Faith: Sober Spirituality 177

14 Materialist Spirituality and World Religions: Common Concerns 184

15 Concluding Remarks: A Living Hope: A Hope for Life 189

Index 199