The story told here concerns the efforts of Catholic authors in the 20th century to describe a world that is both disenchanted and yet teeming with haunting clues about the presence of God and the miracle of grace. These writers turned to metaphors of nature--the charm of a garden and the setting of the sun--to signal both enchantment and a world darkened by its loss. And they turn to the second language of religious images--Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, a chapel's sanctuary lamp--to cast a spell that might penetrate the cloud of disenchantment that envelopes our world"--
Drawing from a wealth of psychological and spiritual sources, the authors help us gain a new perspective on how we handle the painful emotions of anger, shame, guilt, and depression
Theological Reflection and Christian Ministry James & Evelyn Whitehead Topics ranging from Tradition and the minister to the broad concerns of theology in conversation with culture.
Eros is the passionate energy that makes us one with the beautiful other, with a leper, with the world of nature waiting to be embraced and cared for, with our neighbor, the stranger, with God. The Whiteheads explore this vital energy of love as the gift of a Creator madly in love with his creation a God who would bring us to life in abundance if we only say "Yes." They discuss Eros in the movements of our sexuality, as well as in our arousals of compassion and care. They examine the Eros of pleasure and of generosity. They honor the Eros of hope, of anger, of suffering. They reveal that Eros has a Source far deeper than lust, and is a pathway to a passionate God. Holy Eros recovers this fundamental energy of love as a powerful resource in the revitalization of Christian spirituality. Unlike most books on the topic it eschews easy clichs. Its reader benefit is to understand and appreciate an energy that can heal as well as hinder and to tap into its positive force.
Sexuality and justice often seem odd bedfellows. Sexual embraces of intimacy and passion thrive in our private lives, while justice safeguards the laws and duties that govern the public realm. Yet intuitively, we sense there are deeper connections. Both sexuality and justice support the holistic ideal proclaimed by the early Christian writer Ireneaus: the glory of God is the human person fully alive. Evelyn and James Whitehead combine professional expertise as a psychologist and historian of religion as well as personal experiences and extensive research to explore the interplay of sexuality, love, and justice on the spiritual journey today. While drawing on biblical themes and contemporary psychological insight, the Whiteheads examine modern experiences of attachment and vulnerability, marriage and friendship, compassion and sexual diversity, and the psychological and spiritual experiences of transgender persons-a new and often bewildering consideration for many Christians. Included is a reflection on a prophetic Christian ministry in support of sexuality and justice that illustrates the importance of moral awareness and sensual attunement to the world. Fruitful Embraces utilizes Christian theology and effective pastoral ministry to explore the vital connections between sexuality and Christian spirituality and links between compassion and justice that will encourage anyone on a spiritual journey to open their hearts and minds to the extravagant diversity of creation.
A seminal exploration of the psychological and spiritual power of our positive emotions. This new companion volume to the Whitehead's influential book on our negative emotions completes a work of scholarship that will nourish individuals and inform those who counsel them.
Shadows of the Heart explores the positive potential hidden in anger, guilt, shame, and depression. The book's key conviction: our bad feelings can be good news, alerting us to endangered values, alarming us to hopes under siege, and arming us for the tough tasks of change. Filled with lively examples, the book demonstrates how negative emotions can lead to personal growth, spiritual development, and social transformation. Family wounds, cultural temptations, and religious malpractice make it difficult for us to plumb the meaning of our passions; breaking through these obstacles is part of spirituality's healing task. In pursuit of such a spirituality, the authors draw on rich images of the Jewish-Christian heritage complemented by nuances from Chinese religious tradition. In so doing, they speak directly to the contemporary yearning for meaning, the hunger to make sense of our personal and shared lives. The result is a book that comforts, encourages and challenges.
Centering Prayer is an ancient Christian prayer form that has enjoyed renewed practice and popularity in recent years. Here, Father Basil, the leading exponent and teacher of Centering Prayer, offers guidelines to the future direction of this prayer technique.
Sexuality and justice often seem odd bedfellows. Sexual embraces of intimacy and passion thrive in our private lives, while justice safeguards the laws and duties that govern the public realm. Yet intuitively, we sense there are deeper connections. Both sexuality and justice support the holistic ideal proclaimed by the early Christian writer Ireneaus: the glory of God is the human person fully alive. Evelyn and James Whitehead combine professional expertise as a psychologist and historian of religion as well as personal experiences and extensive research to explore the interplay of sexuality, love, and justice on the spiritual journey today. While drawing on biblical themes and contemporary psychological insight, the Whiteheads examine modern experiences of attachment and vulnerability, marriage and friendship, compassion and sexual diversity, and the psychological and spiritual experiences of transgender persons-a new and often bewildering consideration for many Christians. Included is a reflection on a prophetic Christian ministry in support of sexuality and justice that illustrates the importance of moral awareness and sensual attunement to the world. Fruitful Embraces utilizes Christian theology and effective pastoral ministry to explore the vital connections between sexuality and Christian spirituality and links between compassion and justice that will encourage anyone on a spiritual journey to open their hearts and minds to the extravagant diversity of creation.
Theological Reflection and Christian Ministry James & Evelyn Whitehead Topics ranging from Tradition and the minister to the broad concerns of theology in conversation with culture.
Drawing from a wealth of psychological and spiritual sources, the authors help us gain a new perspective on how we handle the painful emotions of anger, shame, guilt, and depression
A psyhological and spiritual exploration of the positive potential hidden in our painful emotions. Its key conviction: our bad feelings can be good news, alerting us to endangered values, alarming us to hopes under siege, and arming us for the tough tasks of change. Filled with lively examples, the Whiteheads demonstrate how negative emotions can lead to personal growth, spiritual development, and social transformation. Family wounds, cultural temptations, and religious malpractice make it difficult for us to plumb the meaning of our passions. Breaking through these obstacles is part of spirituality's healing task.
At the heart of Catholic faith lies recognition that life is enchanted. In a sacramental world ordinary things--water, bread, sexuality--overflow with grace. The Whiteheads remind readers of the saving energy such belief can infuse into our lives. "The Catholic genius lies in the recognition of the world as sacramental. The lame walk, the blind see, weapons are repurposed as farm implements. All this takes place only in a world that has become enchanted. Enchantment names the jolts in consciousness with which we register the epiphanies and transfigurations of the wonder all around us. Another name for this is grace.
A seminal exploration of the psychological and spiritual power of our positive emotions. This new companion volume to the Whitehead's influential book on our negative emotions completes a work of scholarship that will nourish individuals and inform those who counsel them.
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