The Silent Cry: Mysticism and Resistance
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.61 (586 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0800632664 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 336 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-10-28 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Four Stars Peace Maven An interesting integration of two paths.. A wonderful farewell gift Kerry Walters Dorothee Soelle's "The Silent Cry" appeared shortly before her death, and it's a fitting swansong for a theologian who spent her entire life exploring and living the intersections between action and contemplation. Her exploration of mysticism accomplishes three goals. In the first section of the book, Soelle works out a general definition of mysticism, arguing that it is. "Scholarly, Incisive, Fresh, Mind Espanding" according to Amherstbelle. This is by no means an easy read, but if you are a student of the Christian Wisdom tradition, a practioner of Centering Prayer or a fan of Cynthia Bourgeault or Richard Rohr, you will be glad to explore this boo, even if you can only get through a portion of it.
Mysticism, in the sense of a "longing for God," has been present in all times, cultures, and religions. Exploring the religious impulse known as mysticism - the "silent cry" at the heart of all the world's religions. The antiauthoritarian mystical element in each religion leads to community of free spirits and resistance to the death-dealing aspects of our contemporary culture. Religion in the third millennium, Soelle argues, either will be mystical or it will be dead. This, her magnum opus, conjoins Soelle's deep religious knowledge and wisdom with her passion for social justice into a work destined to be a classic of religious literature.. In that sense, each of us is a mystic, and Soelle's work seeks to give theological depth, clarity, and direction. This mystical experience is not drawn so much of the tradition as out of contemporary experiences. But Soelle believes it has never been more important than in this age of materialism and fundamentalism. Today, a kind of "democratized mysticism" of those without much religious background flourishes. Therefore, Soelle identifies strongly with the hunger of New Age searchers, but laments the religious fast food they devour
That is what I want to spread abroad. And so I stick doggedly to the notion that something is important only when it’s important for everyone. The high regard for categories of religious experience is in an inflationary growth rate. Spirituality is not a via regia, an elevated pathway, but a via laborosa, a labor-intensive regimen for determining one’s own vision and life-options. Your mother wouldn’t have known what to do with that, but perhaps it could be useful to her clever grandchildren, who live without Christmas carols but not without philosophy. From the Publisher From the Foreword (pre-publication version): “What is more splendid than gold
Among her most influential writings are Christ the Representative (1967), Suffering (1975), To Work and to Love (1984), and Theology for Skeptics (1994). Soelle is a peace and ecological movements activist and lives in Hamburg, Germany. . Dorothee Soelle studied philosophy, theology, and literature at the University of Cologne and served as Professor of Theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York City from 1975 to 1987