The Church in an Age of Secular Mysti..., Andrew Root
The Church in an Age of Secular Mysti..., Andrew Root
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

The Church in an Age of Secular Mysticisms
Why Spiritualities without God Fail to Transform Us

Author: Andrew Root

Narrator: Mike Lenz

Unabridged: 11 hr 55 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 10/10/2023


Synopsis

Post-Christian life and society do not eliminate a desire for the transcendent; rather, they create an environment for new and divergent spiritual communities and practices to flourish. We are flooded with spiritualities that appeal to human desires for nonreligious personal transformation. But many fail to deliver because they fall into the trap of the self.

In the last book of the Ministry in a Secular Age series, leading practical theologian Andrew Root shows the differences between these spiritualities and authentic Christian transformation. He explores the dangers of following or adapting these reigning mysticisms and explains why the self has become so important yet is burdened with guilt—and how we should think about both. To help us understand our confusing cultural landscape, he maps spiritualities using twenty of the best memoirs from 2015 to 2020 in which "secular mystics" promote their mystical and transformational pathways. Root concludes with a more excellent way—even a mysticism—centered on the theology of the cross that pastors and leaders can use to form their own imaginations and practices.

About Andrew Root

Andrew Root is Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is the author of more than twenty books, including Faith Formation in a Secular Age, The Pastor in a Secular Age, The Congregation in a Secular Age, Churches and the Crisis of Decline, The Church after Innovation, and The End of Youth Ministry? Root is also coauthor (with Kenda Creasy Dean) of The Theological Turn in Youth Ministry. He is a frequent speaker and hosts the popular and influential When Church Stops Working podcast.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Tyler on January 25, 2024

Best book of Root’s secular age series. Chapter five was some of the best cultural commentary I have read.......more

Goodreads review by Andy on August 08, 2024

First book I’ve seen on the phenomena of individualized spiritual mystic pathways (which I see in our culture all the time!), what’s led to them, how to learn about them (read memoir!), and how to engage them. This is a needed discussion if we desire to engage God’s mission in our time. The project......more

Goodreads review by Simon on June 22, 2024

Analyse von säkularer Spiritualität top mit einigen Aha-Momenten. Anwendung und Bedeutung für den pastoralen Dienst leider wirklich enttäuschend mau…🙃......more

Goodreads review by Dan on August 23, 2024

Alright… The Pastor in a Secular Age is a book that shifted my whole paradigm for ministry. But this book… This book is Root’s best, and is the perfect final installment in his Ministry in a Secular Age series. And that’s not because his last couple of paragraphs made me cry (which they did… damn you......more

Goodreads review by Drew on September 17, 2024

A strong final entry for Root’s important series. It is occasionally meandering, as the personal biography at times feels more indulgent than necessary. That said, his typology of the contemporary spiritual landscape is quite insightful and his prescription for the 21st century church very helpful,......more