How I Found God in Everyone and Everywhere: An Anthology of Spiritual Memoirs - Kindle edition by Andrew M. Davis, Philip Clayton, Deepak Chopra, Richard Rohr, Rupert Sheldrake. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
Follow the Authors
Andrew M. Davis
+ Follow
Philip Clayton
+ Follow
How I Found God in Everyone and Everywhere: An Anthology of Spiritual Memoirs Kindle Edition
by Andrew M. Davis (Editor), Philip Clayton (Editor), Deepak Chopra (Contributor), Richard Rohr (Contributor), Rupert Sheldrake(Contributor)
4.7 out of 5 stars 13 customer reviews
How I Found God in Everyone and Everywhere captures for a general audience the spiritual shift away from a God “up there” and “out there” and towards an immanent divine right here. It’s built around the personal journeys of a close-knit group of prominent contributors. Their spiritual visions of immanence, sometimes called “panentheism,” are serving as a path of spiritual return for a growing number of seekers today.
Contributors include
Deepak Chopra,
Richard Rohr,
Rupert Sheldrake,
Matthew Fox, and
Cynthia Bourgeault.
Andrew M. Davis is a philosopher, theologian, and scholar of world religions. He holds degrees in Philosophy/Theology and Interreligious Studies, and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Religion at Claremont School of Theology. His research interests surround Metaphysics and Philosophical Theology, Philosophy of Religion, Natural Theology, Comparative Religion and Applied Spirituality. His studies have led him to India, Israel-Palestine, Europe and avariety of other places around the world. Davis was the recipient of the 2013 Award for Excellence in Biblical Studies and a 2017 fellowship with FASPE (Fellowshipsat Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics). How I Found God in Everyone and Everywhere: An Anthology of Spiritual Memoirs is his first of many planned books on philosophy, theology and the religious/spiritual life.More of his work can be found on academia.edu.
Philip Clayton is a contemporary American philosopher of religion and philosopher of science. His work focuses on the intersection of science, ethics, and society. He currently holds the Ingraham Chair at Claremont School of Theology and serves as an affiliated faculty member at Claremont Graduate University. Clayton specializes in the philosophy of science, philosophy of biology, and philosophy of religion, as well as in comparative theology.
As an administrator in higher education, he served as Dean of the Claremont School of Theology, and as Provost and Senior Vice President of Claremont Lincoln University, which at that time was an interreligious university. He was Principal Investigator for the Science and the Spiritual Quest project from 1999 to 2003.
He is the author of many books including Explanation from Physics to Theology, God and Contemporary Science, The Problem of God in Modern Thought, Mind and Emergence: From Quantum to Consciousness, and In Quest of Freedom: The Emergence of Spirit in the Natural World. See all 2 formats and editions
Kindle
$8.34Read with Our Free App
Paperback
$11.52
Editorial Reviews
Review
"By the time I reached the second chapter of this unique book, I had started recommending it to others. By the time I reached the last chapter, I felt its deep impact on my own life. Such rich stories, such clear, insightful, and at times tender writing, with common themes arising spontaneously and enriching one another ... this book takes the old Evangelical practice of 'giving testimony' and elevates it to a theological and philosophical practice."--Brian D. McLaren, author of The Great Spiritual Migration
"Reading these spiritual journeys--what my tradition calls 'testimonies'--is a sacred experience. The eminent minds and holy souls writing for this tome take sacred experience to new heights! And yet the 'heights' of these adventures are this-worldly: the here, the harrowing, and the hallowed. Many take adventures away from god only to find God: anatheism to panentheism. I suspect many readers will feel drawn--as I was--to imagine how best to describe their own adventures toward the God we find in the midst of it all!"--Thomas Jay Oord, Professor, Speaker, and Author of The Uncontrolling Love of God
"What a world we live in - filled with believers, non-believers, and the vast majority who are somewhere in between. We in-betweeners yearn for a way of using the word "God" that does not pretend absolute certainty, that does not imagine God as a king on a throne, and that does not reduce God to a mere concept in the imagination. We yearn to find God - or something like God - in the here and now of daily life, in the garbage and, yes, the flowers. It helps if we have stories from others: people who likewise struggle and somehow find their way into a God of tenderness and creativity, of struggle and peace, of faith and doubt. They become our mentors, evoking and inspiring us with an invitation to seek God on our own terms, too, and in our own way. This marvelous anthology can do just that. Read carefully and freely, with a relaxed grasp, and let the stories take you on a journey well worth the walking."--Jay McDaniel, Founder of openhorizons.org and author of Gandhi's Hope: Learning from the World's Religions as a Path to Peace
"This is a book for people who, in spite of themselves, cannot stop dreaming about God. Unwilling to dismiss their dreams as mere wishes, to discount their imaginations as pure fantasy, they seek words and concepts by which they may begin to think and talk their way back to 'God after God.' In How I Found God in Everyone and Everywhere: An Anthology of Spiritual Memoirs, they get to meet a rich array of others on their own versions of this 'spiritual journey beyond the dead-end.'" --Rabbi James Ponet, Emeritus Jewish Chaplain and Divinity School Lecturer, Yale University
"Davis and Clayton are ontological trail guides. They have gathered the stories of an impressive array of theological and spiritual leaders who discovered a living and credible God after the God of old had died for them. It turns out that God was not dead after all. God is hidden where we least expect it--in butterflies and hospital beds, waterfalls and embodied rage, in the messiness and mysteriousness of our own real life experience. These guides know. They point to and describe a God who is with us."--Frank Rogers Jr., Ph.D., Muriel Bernice Roberts Professor of Spiritual Formation and Narrative Pedagogy and Director of the Center for Engaged Compassion at the Claremont School of Theology, and author of Practicing Compassion
"This passionate and captivating book is a collection of inspiring spiritual memoirs told by many eminent scholars and spiritual leaders of our day. Capturing the many twists and turns of human experience, these memoirs movingly illuminate the many spiritual and intellectual questions which shape the journey to God, and beyond, in the 21st century. This fascinating collection offers readers opportunities for theological engagement beyond the standard anthology, in hopeful engagement with a deeply relational and imminent divine reality which encompasses all. Scholars, religious leaders, students, and interested seekers will find inspiration and challenge in these narratives." --The Rev. Dr. Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook, Ed.D, Ph.D, Professor of Practical Theology & Religious Education, Dean of the Faculty, Claremont School of Theology, and author of God Beyond Borders: Interreligious Learning Among Congregations
"Reading these spiritual journeys--what my tradition calls 'testimonies'--is a sacred experience. The eminent minds and holy souls writing for this tome take sacred experience to new heights! And yet the 'heights' of these adventures are this-worldly: the here, the harrowing, and the hallowed. Many take adventures away from god only to find God: anatheism to panentheism. I suspect many readers will feel drawn--as I was--to imagine how best to describe their own adventures toward the God we find in the midst of it all!"--Thomas Jay Oord, Professor, Speaker, and Author of The Uncontrolling Love of God
"What a world we live in - filled with believers, non-believers, and the vast majority who are somewhere in between. We in-betweeners yearn for a way of using the word "God" that does not pretend absolute certainty, that does not imagine God as a king on a throne, and that does not reduce God to a mere concept in the imagination. We yearn to find God - or something like God - in the here and now of daily life, in the garbage and, yes, the flowers. It helps if we have stories from others: people who likewise struggle and somehow find their way into a God of tenderness and creativity, of struggle and peace, of faith and doubt. They become our mentors, evoking and inspiring us with an invitation to seek God on our own terms, too, and in our own way. This marvelous anthology can do just that. Read carefully and freely, with a relaxed grasp, and let the stories take you on a journey well worth the walking."--Jay McDaniel, Founder of openhorizons.org and author of Gandhi's Hope: Learning from the World's Religions as a Path to Peace
"This is a book for people who, in spite of themselves, cannot stop dreaming about God. Unwilling to dismiss their dreams as mere wishes, to discount their imaginations as pure fantasy, they seek words and concepts by which they may begin to think and talk their way back to 'God after God.' In How I Found God in Everyone and Everywhere: An Anthology of Spiritual Memoirs, they get to meet a rich array of others on their own versions of this 'spiritual journey beyond the dead-end.'" --Rabbi James Ponet, Emeritus Jewish Chaplain and Divinity School Lecturer, Yale University
"Davis and Clayton are ontological trail guides. They have gathered the stories of an impressive array of theological and spiritual leaders who discovered a living and credible God after the God of old had died for them. It turns out that God was not dead after all. God is hidden where we least expect it--in butterflies and hospital beds, waterfalls and embodied rage, in the messiness and mysteriousness of our own real life experience. These guides know. They point to and describe a God who is with us."--Frank Rogers Jr., Ph.D., Muriel Bernice Roberts Professor of Spiritual Formation and Narrative Pedagogy and Director of the Center for Engaged Compassion at the Claremont School of Theology, and author of Practicing Compassion
"This passionate and captivating book is a collection of inspiring spiritual memoirs told by many eminent scholars and spiritual leaders of our day. Capturing the many twists and turns of human experience, these memoirs movingly illuminate the many spiritual and intellectual questions which shape the journey to God, and beyond, in the 21st century. This fascinating collection offers readers opportunities for theological engagement beyond the standard anthology, in hopeful engagement with a deeply relational and imminent divine reality which encompasses all. Scholars, religious leaders, students, and interested seekers will find inspiration and challenge in these narratives." --The Rev. Dr. Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook, Ed.D, Ph.D, Professor of Practical Theology & Religious Education, Dean of the Faculty, Claremont School of Theology, and author of God Beyond Borders: Interreligious Learning Among Congregations
About the Author
Andrew M. Davis is a philosopher, theologian, and scholar of world religions. He holds degrees in Philosophy/Theology and Interreligious Studies, and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Religion at Claremont School of Theology. His research interests surround Metaphysics and Philosophical Theology, Philosophy of Religion, Natural Theology, Comparative Religion and Applied Spirituality. His studies have led him to India, Israel-Palestine, Europe and avariety of other places around the world. Davis was the recipient of the 2013 Award for Excellence in Biblical Studies and a 2017 fellowship with FASPE (Fellowshipsat Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics). How I Found God in Everyone and Everywhere: An Anthology of Spiritual Memoirs is his first of many planned books on philosophy, theology and the religious/spiritual life.More of his work can be found on academia.edu.
Philip Clayton is a contemporary American philosopher of religion and philosopher of science. His work focuses on the intersection of science, ethics, and society. He currently holds the Ingraham Chair at Claremont School of Theology and serves as an affiliated faculty member at Claremont Graduate University. Clayton specializes in the philosophy of science, philosophy of biology, and philosophy of religion, as well as in comparative theology.
As an administrator in higher education, he served as Dean of the Claremont School of Theology, and as Provost and Senior Vice President of Claremont Lincoln University, which at that time was an interreligious university. He was Principal Investigator for the Science and the Spiritual Quest project from 1999 to 2003.
He is the author of many books including Explanation from Physics to Theology, God and Contemporary Science, The Problem of God in Modern Thought, Mind and Emergence: From Quantum to Consciousness, and In Quest of Freedom: The Emergence of Spirit in the Natural World.
Kindle
$8.34Read with Our Free App
Paperback
$11.52
13 Used from $5.4921 New from $7.52
Read less
Length: 240 pages Word Wise: Enabled Enhanced Typesetting:Enabled
Page Flip: Enabled
Product details
File Size: 4087 KB
Print Length: 240 pages
Publisher: Monkfish Book Publishing (September 18, 2018)
Publication Date: September 18, 2018
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
Philip Clayton
Follow
Andrew M. Davis
13 customer reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars
-------------------------------------
Showing 1-8 of 13 reviews
Top Reviews
Ronald W. Maron
2.0 out of 5 stars..how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?May 24, 2019
We are all different from one another. Each of us has a different educational background, upbringing, professional status, existing reality, etc..... Being so each of us independently has a different view and understanding of who God is to us. None of us should intercede with any one else's vision of God that is within our individual minds. World religions have never heeded this simple, basic premise and, by failing to do so, have developed a countless series of 'group thinks' in which its members are to compromise their visions and collectively agree on a set of tenets that have been developed for them. Any disagreement with this collective thought must not and cannot be made within the religious realm they find themselves engaged in. Individuals generally succumb to the majority and proceed as it they have heard from the 'authorities of the most high' and, being so, should have their individual visions meld into oblivion. Either that or they leave the church all together and are labeled as being 'back-sliders'.
Each of the authors in this assembly of works (with the exception of only two) take the same stance; This is the correct vision of God and everyone should agree! This should not be the case! Likewise the authors show their professional backgrounds and training as clearly as the faces on pre-lit jack-o-lanterns. If a person is immersed in science, they have a scientific view. If the author has spent most of his/her time in a college classroom or a cloistered convent, this is the thrust of their argument, etc... All definitions may be quite accurate for them as individuals but for us, the readers, it should merely be viewed as simply that; individual people giving their unique view that may only true for them. None of the extrapolations nor the multisyllabic terminology should either impress nor distress us. It is only their view of who God is to themselves and themselves alone.
After reading this book I advise that you, as a reader, go back into your own childhood and remember how easy it was to define God at that time. It is only the passage of time with its influx of seemingly endless data and accompanied questions that have fogged over our certainty. Your next step is to find an apple tree that has a great deal of shade on a pleasant afternoon and simply sit under it and ask yourself the simple question; "Who is God to me now?". While the answer will be different from everyone else in your parish or your neighbourhood, it will be true and it will be yours. Savour the answer and live the rest of your life accordingly......
4 people found this helpful
HelpfulComment Report abuse
Wanda Moon
5.0 out of 5 starsI'm not alone!December 4, 2018
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I was born into a fundamentalist family, and as an adult moved along to a mainline protestant denomination. I love these folks and help out where I can. And yet, I could find nobody to talk to about my internal spiritual journey, my curiosity, my feeling that I did not "fit". Over the years, thanks to the internet and to well written books I found a community. This book has renewed my acquaintance with old friends and introduced me to new ones. My mind is once again expanded, my spirit is fed and I have enough new books in the endnotes of each memoir to keep me busy for a while! And I have renewed energy to engage in healthy ways with my "real" life.
5 people found this helpful
HelpfulComment Report abuse
Lauren McKenna
5.0 out of 5 starsA gift! deep calling to deepJanuary 6, 2019
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
In reading this volume I found myself saying "yes!" quite often. Not only did some of these chapters reaffirm many of my core convictions about the Divine, but they also named them in ways much more succinct, more articulate and more beautiful. While reassuring to find yourself in the company of fellow pilgrims on the way, it is refreshing to hear from voices you may not usually hear - say from religious traditions different from your own - and find your own story in theirs. The book offers many kernels of wisdom that readers will connect with, savor and take with them on their own spiritual journey. After just the first chapter I began to recommend to family and friends!
Especially for those interested in the practical implications of theology and panentheism, this book is a treasure trove of examples. I think this is rare and SO SO needed today - the ecological, political and social implications are huge, such as the imperative to care for the earth and those society has named as the "other." My own spiritual upbringing always emphasized that all things, experiences, people, emotions are imbued with the divine. And here is some easy to digest theology that backs that up and challenged me to go deeper (and I think will continue to do so for a long time). I am so glad I read this.
3 people found this helpful
HelpfulComment Report abuse
Ken Haynes
5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent !! Highly RecommendSeptember 24, 2018
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Highly Recommend......a beautiful curation of contemporary spiritual memoirs . It is truly some of the best spiritual reading published in 2018. You fill find it spiritually enlightening AND theologically robust. It is helpful for giving new language to "God after God".
5 people found this helpful
HelpfulComment Report abuse
Bryan Norman
5.0 out of 5 starsDeeply thought-provokingAugust 2, 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
I really enjoyed reading this book, which challenged me to broaden my understanding of God. I'd lost faith in mainline Christianity over the last 2 decades, and many stories in the book made me realize why. I resonated so deeply with many things in the text, and the authors wrote things I've been feeling, and even knowing, but unable to find the words to express it. Thanks so much!
One person found this helpful
HelpfulComment Report abuse
Paul J. Wheeler
5.0 out of 5 starsA great anthology for the modern mysticDecember 4, 2018
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
If you would like to hear about the faith journey of some fantastic modern mystics, this is the book for you.
2 people found this helpful
HelpfulComment Report abuse
Eleanor Hoppe
5.0 out of 5 starsRead it slowly, savor the storiesDecember 4, 2018
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Generous sharing of spiritual journeys, honest questioning and deep reflections. Powerful.
2 people found this helpful
HelpfulComment Report abuse
Don Heckelmiller
5.0 out of 5 starsGood readAugust 10, 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
What most of us already Know!
HelpfulComment Report abuse
See all 13 reviews
Read less
Length: 240 pages Word Wise: Enabled Enhanced Typesetting:Enabled
Page Flip: Enabled
Product details
File Size: 4087 KB
Print Length: 240 pages
Publisher: Monkfish Book Publishing (September 18, 2018)
Publication Date: September 18, 2018
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
Philip Clayton
Follow
Andrew M. Davis
13 customer reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars
-------------------------------------
Showing 1-8 of 13 reviews
Top Reviews
Ronald W. Maron
2.0 out of 5 stars..how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?May 24, 2019
We are all different from one another. Each of us has a different educational background, upbringing, professional status, existing reality, etc..... Being so each of us independently has a different view and understanding of who God is to us. None of us should intercede with any one else's vision of God that is within our individual minds. World religions have never heeded this simple, basic premise and, by failing to do so, have developed a countless series of 'group thinks' in which its members are to compromise their visions and collectively agree on a set of tenets that have been developed for them. Any disagreement with this collective thought must not and cannot be made within the religious realm they find themselves engaged in. Individuals generally succumb to the majority and proceed as it they have heard from the 'authorities of the most high' and, being so, should have their individual visions meld into oblivion. Either that or they leave the church all together and are labeled as being 'back-sliders'.
Each of the authors in this assembly of works (with the exception of only two) take the same stance; This is the correct vision of God and everyone should agree! This should not be the case! Likewise the authors show their professional backgrounds and training as clearly as the faces on pre-lit jack-o-lanterns. If a person is immersed in science, they have a scientific view. If the author has spent most of his/her time in a college classroom or a cloistered convent, this is the thrust of their argument, etc... All definitions may be quite accurate for them as individuals but for us, the readers, it should merely be viewed as simply that; individual people giving their unique view that may only true for them. None of the extrapolations nor the multisyllabic terminology should either impress nor distress us. It is only their view of who God is to themselves and themselves alone.
After reading this book I advise that you, as a reader, go back into your own childhood and remember how easy it was to define God at that time. It is only the passage of time with its influx of seemingly endless data and accompanied questions that have fogged over our certainty. Your next step is to find an apple tree that has a great deal of shade on a pleasant afternoon and simply sit under it and ask yourself the simple question; "Who is God to me now?". While the answer will be different from everyone else in your parish or your neighbourhood, it will be true and it will be yours. Savour the answer and live the rest of your life accordingly......
4 people found this helpful
HelpfulComment Report abuse
Wanda Moon
5.0 out of 5 starsI'm not alone!December 4, 2018
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I was born into a fundamentalist family, and as an adult moved along to a mainline protestant denomination. I love these folks and help out where I can. And yet, I could find nobody to talk to about my internal spiritual journey, my curiosity, my feeling that I did not "fit". Over the years, thanks to the internet and to well written books I found a community. This book has renewed my acquaintance with old friends and introduced me to new ones. My mind is once again expanded, my spirit is fed and I have enough new books in the endnotes of each memoir to keep me busy for a while! And I have renewed energy to engage in healthy ways with my "real" life.
5 people found this helpful
HelpfulComment Report abuse
Lauren McKenna
5.0 out of 5 starsA gift! deep calling to deepJanuary 6, 2019
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
In reading this volume I found myself saying "yes!" quite often. Not only did some of these chapters reaffirm many of my core convictions about the Divine, but they also named them in ways much more succinct, more articulate and more beautiful. While reassuring to find yourself in the company of fellow pilgrims on the way, it is refreshing to hear from voices you may not usually hear - say from religious traditions different from your own - and find your own story in theirs. The book offers many kernels of wisdom that readers will connect with, savor and take with them on their own spiritual journey. After just the first chapter I began to recommend to family and friends!
Especially for those interested in the practical implications of theology and panentheism, this book is a treasure trove of examples. I think this is rare and SO SO needed today - the ecological, political and social implications are huge, such as the imperative to care for the earth and those society has named as the "other." My own spiritual upbringing always emphasized that all things, experiences, people, emotions are imbued with the divine. And here is some easy to digest theology that backs that up and challenged me to go deeper (and I think will continue to do so for a long time). I am so glad I read this.
3 people found this helpful
HelpfulComment Report abuse
Ken Haynes
5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent !! Highly RecommendSeptember 24, 2018
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Highly Recommend......a beautiful curation of contemporary spiritual memoirs . It is truly some of the best spiritual reading published in 2018. You fill find it spiritually enlightening AND theologically robust. It is helpful for giving new language to "God after God".
5 people found this helpful
HelpfulComment Report abuse
Bryan Norman
5.0 out of 5 starsDeeply thought-provokingAugust 2, 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
I really enjoyed reading this book, which challenged me to broaden my understanding of God. I'd lost faith in mainline Christianity over the last 2 decades, and many stories in the book made me realize why. I resonated so deeply with many things in the text, and the authors wrote things I've been feeling, and even knowing, but unable to find the words to express it. Thanks so much!
One person found this helpful
HelpfulComment Report abuse
Paul J. Wheeler
5.0 out of 5 starsA great anthology for the modern mysticDecember 4, 2018
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
If you would like to hear about the faith journey of some fantastic modern mystics, this is the book for you.
2 people found this helpful
HelpfulComment Report abuse
Eleanor Hoppe
5.0 out of 5 starsRead it slowly, savor the storiesDecember 4, 2018
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Generous sharing of spiritual journeys, honest questioning and deep reflections. Powerful.
2 people found this helpful
HelpfulComment Report abuse
Don Heckelmiller
5.0 out of 5 starsGood readAugust 10, 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
What most of us already Know!
HelpfulComment Report abuse
See all 13 reviews
