Spirituality: A Post-Modern & Interfaith Approach to Cultivating a Relationship with God by Carl McColman
‘Spirituality’ – such an often-used word. Many wonder what it even means. Spirituality is a book about the spiritual life that doesn't tell you what to believe. Have you ever heard someone say: "I'm spiritual, but not religious." Or "It's easier for me to find God in nature than in a church." Or "I can't limit myself to just one faith tradition: I see God in all of them." If statements like these make sense to you, you aren't alone. Today, more people are searching for spiritual experience outside traditional channels of religious faith. But even alternative or New Age spiritualities are often filled with dogma and prescribed notions of how to behave and what to believe. By contrast, Carl McColman's book answers the question "What is spirituality, and why does it matter?" with insights drawn not only from religious traditions, but also popular culture. Here the emphasis is on celebrating the many ways spirituality makes a powerful and positive difference in our lives. Carl McColman is a lay Cistercian novice, a freelance writer and the bookstore manager of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, GA. He was raised Lutheran, spent several years as a young adult as an Episcopalian, and then got really creative and explored Wicca and other forms of Neopaganism for a number of years, before deciding that he missed Christianity and returned (by entering the Catholic Church) in 2005. Spirituality is his first book, and was written while he was still an Episcopalian – in this anniversary edition there’s a brand-new forward sharing how its themes influenced his own journey of faith. For a number of years Carl was a superstar of the neo-pagan set, penning tomes like The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Celtic Wisdom, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Paganism, Embracing Jesus and the Goddess, and The Aspiring Mystic. Currently he’s at work on a large-scale book on Christian mysticism, to be published in 2010 by a major independent publisher. A personal note from Carl to prospective Ooze Viral Bloggers: “Spirituality" came from an idea that I had one day while sitting in the parking lot of a large music store in Atlanta. Listening to the radio, I thought about how popular music often conveys “spiritual” and “mystical” themes. Then the thought occurred to me: “What would a book look like, that attempted to explain the spiritual life by relying on culture, rather than religion, as its starting point?” Thus began the period of personal exploration, prayer and reflection that culminated in this book. Spirituality is not opposed to religion — on the contrary, it makes the argument that spirituality requires community to thrive— but it sees its topic as something larger than what the language or symbolism or doctrines of any one faith can fully explain. The result is a book that celebrates spirituality without enforcing any particular religious agenda – which makes it not only congenial to the practitioners of any faith, but also a contribution to the conversation of how different faiths can find common ground here in our postmodern world. Spirituality was originally published in 1997; it was my first book. For this new edition I have written a new introduction, in which I reflect on how the landscape of popular spiritual exploration has evolved over the past decade.” [hide] [1] :: Special Viral Blogger Section :: Link-love for your review: Carl’s award-winning blog: http://anamchara.com [2] Your Amazon Affiliate link. :) Interview Availability: Carl is available for a limited number of blog and podcast interviews. You’ll get his email address if you select Spirituality for your monthly review. Your Commitment: Remember, your commitment is to write a blog post (minimum 50 words) about Spirituality within 30 days of getting it, and cutting & pasting your post here: Thank you! [/hide] [1] http://viralbloggers.wufoo.com/forms/spirituality/ [2] http://anamchara.com/
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