Stepping Out with the Sacred: Human Attempts to Engage the Divine

by Val Webb

Publisher:

Continuum

, 2010

Val Webb describes in this book how humans have engaged the Divine across religions and centuries, through rituals, art, sacred places, language and song. Drawing on personal and observed experience of travel and meetings with strangers, Webb uses her anecdotes to supplement her analysis of centuries of theology, literature and travel writing. The sum effect is to remind us that we need as many stories as possible in order to engage the Sacred-beyond-description, even if only to remind us of the distance still to go and the limitless (and sometimes unsuccessful) journey. The result is an interwoven, vivid, and theologically reflective reading experience.

Features

This book will be, as was Like Catching Water in a Net, a user-friendly introduction to the plethora of ways people have engaged the Divine across centuries, cultures and religions
Understand the human motivation, longing and need to make contact with the Something More they suspect is beyond, within or around them
Help people understand and demystify religious experiences other than their own, thus helping them better relate to their Muslin, Jewish, Hindu and indigenous neighbors
Find new ways to experience the Sacred as each is a human quest to the Other expressed in one’s particular context and understanding
Appreciate the journey of others and the mosaic of the world, especially when traveling in another culture
Introduce readers to the writings of travelers throughout history, expressing such encounters of ritual and symbol in the circumstances of their times
Offer a book beyond the dense comparative religion texts or paternalistic critiques of “other religions.”
Encourage people to see the human search as universal, appreciating the different ways of describing and engaging with this encounter
Open up religious traditions, symbols and rituals in ways that explain the unfamiliar
From this multi-faith encounter, help Buddhists become better Buddhists, Christians become more open-minded and Hindus to continue their receptive delight of other people’s stories of the Divine
To illustrate the words of a famous theologian “To know only one religion is to know none.”

Contents

Introduction
Sacred Places
Sacred People/Communities
Sacred Buildings
Sacred Worship
Sacred Food
Sacred Events
Sacred Journeys
Sacred Revelations
Sacred Conflict
Salvation
After-life
Inter-religious Dialogue
Epilogue

Praise for Stepping Out with the Sacred

Val Webb is one of the most exciting Christian voices in the 21st Century. Brilliantly she penetrates beneath the surface of traditional religious formulations and discovers the power and purpose of words as having the ability to point to a realm of truth that words cannot finally capture.

Something More-the sacred, the divine, mystery, the numinous, GOD! How do we connect? Where do we connect? When do we connect? Val Webb takes us on an exciting journey through the many ways that people of many faiths have tried to connect with the Sacred, playing hide and seek with the Divine. A challenging journey for those still seeking to connect! A fascinating journey for those who like to 'count the ways'! An exploration that is exciting, brilliant and accessible to all-but haunted by the ultimate question: Do we really connect?

Years ago the author of Honest to God, and The Human Face of God, Bishop John T Robinson, challenged the Christian world to let scholarship lead the way to a new understanding of the faith. Now Val Webb has convincingly shown that the vast knowledge of world religions can lead us to a new more inclusive appreciation of God, which can deepen our spiritual experience as well as forge bridges of understanding between faiths.

'An intelligent, fascinating and very approachable book. It would be ideal for anyone interested in dialogue with people of other faiths and for small discussion groups, especially book clubs.'

'A comprehensive work covering extensive terrain...an encyclopaedic work which draws on a vast range of written and lived sources... a highly readable book that will appeal to all.'

Product Details

• Title: Stepping Out with the Sacred: Human Attempts to Engage the Divine
• Author: Val Webb
• Publisher: Continuum
• Print Publication Date: 2010
• Logos Release Date: 2024
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Ebook
• ISBNs: 9781441184061, 9781441196422, 1441196420, 1441184066
• Resource ID: LLS:9781441184061
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-04-12T02:55:45Z