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

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 so 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.

Author: Andrew Root
Publisher: Baker Academic
Published: 10/10/2023
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.45lbs
Size: 8.43h x 5.43w x 0.55d
ISBN: 9781540966735

About the Author
Andrew Root (PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary) is Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he teaches on theology of ministry, youth ministry, and culture. He is the author of over 20 books on youth ministry and practical theology, including the acclaimed Ministry in a Secular Age series. Root speaks worldwide to church groups, university and college communities, youth workers, and other ministry professionals. He also hosts the popular and influential When Church Stops Working podcast.