Religion as Art Form

Description: If you find books such as Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion compelling but your faith heritage is also important to you, this book shows how you can affirm both. Taking a cue from Marcus Borg's contention that "scriptural literalism" is for many people a major impediment to authentic spirituality, Carl Jech describes how all religion can and should be much more explicit about its symbolic, metaphorical, and artistic nature. With a particular focus on mortality and the relationship of humans to eternity, the book affirms a postmodern understanding of "God" as ultimate eternal Mystery and of spirituality as an artistic, (w)holistic, visionary, and creative process of becoming at home in the universe as it really is with all its joys and sorrows. Religion as Art Form is a must-read for those who think of themselves as spiritual but not religious. Endorsements: "If you're looking for a way to make sense of your life and your world, but you don't get much (or any) satisfaction from slick, glib, outdated, unworkable, arrogant, or cocksure religious 'answers,' this is your book. If you're looking for trustworthy answers that don't demean, insult, or ridicule, this book is a good place to start. . . . By the time you finish this book, you'll find there are no supernatural, sacred cows left in the corral. What you will find is a new way of thinking about language and life." --Michael Luther Sherer, editor emeritus of the MetroLutheran "Critical issues central to the purpose of religion are woven in an intricate tapestry that utilizes every conceivable strand of expressive art available to elucidate the topics addressed. The style of writing itself is reflective of an art form, as ideas flood each page in a stream of consciousness, expressive of the dynamic, progressive posture that permeates each page. Readers seeking an alternative approach for expressing and experiencing their spirituality will find this book scintillating and stimulating." --Robert H. Albers, Distinguished Visiting Professor of Pastoral Theology, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities "Separating God from the sterile options between theism and atheism and seeing God as a verb to be lived, not a noun to be believed, are the themes of this book. Religion as Art Form is both groundbreaking and riveting." --John Shelby Spong, author of The Fourth Gospel About the Contributor(s): Carl L. Jech (ThM, Harvard) is Instructor in Humanities at DeAnza College in Silicon Valley. He has served as parish pastor and college chaplain in Michigan, Wisconsin, and California, and has taught at other colleges in the San Francisco Bay Area.