About this title: This book means to assist readers in understanding the nature of spirituality. The author, a professor of theology, shows how Christian spirituality manifests itself in multiple aspects of daily life, and how it functions when its adherents doubt both the church and God.
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Description: Reader copy. Some wear on the dj. Slightly bumped corners. Some notes/underlines (mostly in pencil). Otherwise it is in good and clean condition. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Doubleday
Date Published: 1999
ISBN-13:9780385494182ISBN:0385494181
Description: Very Good in Very Good dust jacket. Very Good Hardcover in Very Good DJ with light edge wear, no tears or chips. No marks or writing.; 257 pages. read more
Description: Good. Used copy-Because of our high volume, we can not accurately describe each book, so we list the MINIMUM condition you can expect; most are better than the condition listed. read more
Description: Very Good. 0385494181 Mild shelf wear to DJ only. A number of page corners folded down as bookmark. No marking in text. Binding solid. Not remainder or ex-library. Packaged carefully for shipping. Ships within 24 hours. Satisfaction guaranteed! ! read more
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Doubleday Religion
Date Published: 1999-07-20
ISBN-13:9780385494182ISBN:0385494181
Description: Fine in Near Fine jacket. Hardcover and unclipped dustjacket. Pages clean and bright. Binding tight and square, corners sharp. Jacket with a small tear at the top front corner, else fine. 1999 Doubleday, New York, later printing. Green paper over boards with gilt spine print, matte illustrated dustjacket. xi, 257 pages. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Doubleday Publishing, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1999
ISBN-13:9780385494182ISBN:0385494181
Description: Fine in Fine jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Fine. Very clean pages. Sound binding. Bookplate on free endpaper. Hardback with fine dustjacket. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Doubleday, A Division of Random House, New York, London, et al
Date Published: 1999
ISBN-13:9780385494182ISBN:0385494181
Description: Jane Yeomens (Jacket Photo), Mario J. Pulice (Jacket Design) Like New in Like New jacket. Academic, Scholarly, Research. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. 257 pp. Flawless book and dj save for Previous owner's inscription on front end page. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Doubleday Religion
Date Published: 1999-07-20
ISBN-13:9780385494182ISBN:0385494181
Description: Like New. Like new hardcover in excellent condition with dust jacket intact, no writing, clean text, binding tight, Christian business. read more
Description: Fine. 0385494181 Very mild shelf wear to DJ only. No marking in text. Binding solid. Not remainder or ex-library. Packaged carefully for shipping. Ships within 24 hours. Satisfaction guaranteed! ! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Doubleday Books
Date Published: 1999
ISBN-13:9780385494182ISBN:0385494181
Description: Fine in very good dust jacket. Near fine jacket shows slight edge wear. Clean and unmarked inside. Tight binding. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 272 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Edition: First edition. First Edition in the United States August 1999
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Doubleday Books
Date Published: 1999
ISBN-13:9780385494182ISBN:0385494181
Description: Fine in very good dust jacket. unread and in new condition, smoke free home. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 272 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Edition: 1st edition
Binding: Hardback
Publisher: Random House Inc
Date Published: 1999
ISBN-13:9780385494182ISBN:0385494181
Description: New. Ronald Rolheiser makes sense of what is frequently a misunderstood word: spirituality. In posing the question "What is spirituality? " Father Rolheiser gets quickly to the heart of common difficulties with the subject, and shows through compelling ane... read more
"Though I found a some important things with which to disagree in this book, overall I found it a very compelling and enriching approach to Christian spirituality. Rolheiser's writing is very lucid and wise. He defines spirituality along the lines of things all people experience within themselves. It's "more about whether or not we can sleep at night, than about whether or not we go to church." It's what shapes our actions, what we do with our desire (eros), whether or not we can shape it in a creative, life-giving way; whether "the disciplines and habits we choose to live by ... lead to a greater integration or disintegration within our bodies, minds and souls, and ... in the way we are related to God, others and the cosmic world." "The opposite of being spiritual is to have no energy, is to have lost all zest for living..." Rolheiser says that, "Our soul is not something we have, it is more something we are. It is the very life pulse within us, that which makes us alive ... It is also the adhesive that holds us together, the principle of integration and individuation within us." I couldn't help but notice the similarity between this and the way Dallas Willard describes the soul in his book Renovation of the Heart: Putting On the Character of Christ.
I'm always a little annoyed when Christian writers on spirituality seem to apologize for their Christian point of view as Rolheiser seems to do on p. 41 when he says that, "God speaks in many and diverse ways and no one person or religion has a monopoly on the truth." This statement is fine with me on the face of it. There are plenty of things one can learn from other religions. But I wonder how far people who talk like this take this reasoning in practice. Does he think he has good reasons for being a Christian and not a Buddhist or Muslim? Would he suggest that adherents of other religions take a similarly relativistic view of their own faith? While it's all fine and humble not to think of one's religion as having a complete monopoly on the truth, I wouldn't care much to listen to anyone who didn't have at least enough confidence in their religion to believe that it's the hub of truth, if not the whole wheel. It may be difficult to place a high value on both the pursuit of truth and a loving acceptance of others who don't accept our view of it, but that's the line I see Jesus walking in the Gospels. The way in following him is a narrow one. Whether or not Rolheiser believes this, his book is very valuable for Christians who do. His nonnegotiable essentials of Christian Spirituality describe a very balanced and mature spirituality with Christ as the center and the incarnation of Christ in the lives of believers as the vehicle of his ministry in the world today.
Rolheiser helpfully applies Christian spirituality to several areas of life that are "key spiritualities within a spirituality. In these he illuminates how we can work out our spirituality in our relationship to the church, in the face of suffering and death, in doing justice and peacemaking, in our sexuality, and in caring for our own spiritual life. I found the chapters on suffering and death and sexuality to be especially helpful and insightful. There are some very good words in the chapter on justice and peacemaking, but I had a little bit of trouble with Rolheiser's faith in the transformation of systems to accomplish those aims. To me, all systems seem inherently flawed and limited. The transformation of systemic evil into good depends more on the health of the moral fiber of the community and the character of the individuals who make it up. It's easy to see examples systemic injustice. I don't think I've ever seen systemic justice. A system can't make us good. How can a system change the inherent problem that Rolheiser sees with abortion (p. 171) where "a whole culture ... has chosen to dissociate sex from marriage and procreation ... wherein sex is an extension of dating, abortion will always happen."?
In spite of minor reservations, I value Rolheiser's perspective on Christian spirituality very much. This is a book I will turn to again for refreshment and spiritual sustenance."
"This is one of the best treatments of Christian spirituality that I've read. His four principles of Christian spirituality--private prayer/morality, social justice, mellowness of heart and spirit, community as constituent of true worship--ring true and are extremely helpful. He also offers good takes on various spiritualities within the Christian life--sexuality, paschal mystery, ecclesiology, justice and peacemaking. All in all, a great read. I highly recommend this book."
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