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You Can't Put God in a Box Kelly Besecke (Independent Scholar Ph.D., Sociology, Independent Scholar Ph.D., Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison)

You Can't Put God in a Box By Kelly Besecke (Independent Scholar Ph.D., Sociology, Independent Scholar Ph.D., Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Summary

Kelly Besecke offers an examination of reflexive spirituality, a spirituality that draws equally on religious traditions and traditions of reason in the pursuit of transcendent meaning.

You Can't Put God in a Box Summary

You Can't Put God in a Box: Thoughtful Spirituality in a Rational Age by Kelly Besecke (Independent Scholar Ph.D., Sociology, Independent Scholar Ph.D., Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Kelly Besecke offers an examination of reflexive spirituality, a spirituality that draws equally on religions traditions and traditions of reason in the pursuit of transcendent meaning. People who practice reflexive spirituality prefer metaphor to literalism, spiritual experience to doctrinal belief, religious pluralism to religious exclusivism or inclusivism, and ongoing inquiry to ''final answers.'' Reflexive spirituality is aligned with liberal theologies in a variety of religious traditions and among the spiritual-but-not-religious. You Can't Put God in a Box draws on original qualitative data to describe how people practiced reflexive spirituality in an urban United Methodist church, an interfaith adult education center, and a variety of secular settings. The theoretical argument focuses on two kinds of rationality that are both part of the Enlightenment legacy. Technological rationality focuses our attention on finding the most efficient means to a particular end. Reflexive spiritualists reject forms of religiosity and secularity that rely on the biases of technological rationality-they see these as just so many versions of ''fundamentalism'' that are standing in the way of compelling spiritual meaning. Intellectual rationality, on the other hand, offers tools for analysis, interpretation, and synthesis of religious ideas. Reflexive spiritualists embrace intellectual rationality as a way of making religious traditions more meaningful for modern ears. Besecke provides a window into the progressive theological thinking of educated spiritual seekers and religious liberals. Grounded in participant observation, her book uses concrete examples of reflexive spirituality in practice to speak to the classical sociological problem of modern meaninglessness.

You Can't Put God in a Box Reviews

Besecke shares pithy sayings that address the concept of Infinite God You Can't Put God in a Box offers a rallying cry for meaning makers. * Spirituality & Practice *
Kelly Besecke compellingly captures the notion of reflexive spirituality-the idea that under conditions of modernity, pluralism, and a rationally-dominated world we increasingly carry on an internal dialogue about religion-and does more. She advances the discussion, sorting out its nuances and applications. Her writing is engaging and beautifully presented, blending scholarship and narratives that give life to her analysis of reflexive spirituality. * Wade Clark Roof, J.F. Rowny Professor of Religion and Society Emeritus and Research Professor, University of California at Santa Barbara *

About Kelly Besecke (Independent Scholar Ph.D., Sociology, Independent Scholar Ph.D., Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Kelly Besecke is an independent scholar; Ph.D., Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2002); formerly a professor of sociology at Colorado College and Kenyon College.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ; Preface Meaning, Mind, and Religion in Two Lives ; Chapter 1 Reflexive Spirituality: Finding Meaning in Modern Society ; Chapter 2 Reflexive Spirituality in Context ; Chapter 3 The Tyranny of the Technical ; Chapter 4 Flat Religion and Flaky Spirituality ; Chapter 5 Using Reason to Find Meaning in Religion and Life ; Chapter 6 The God of Reflexive Spirituality ; Chapter 7 You Can't Put Reflexive Spirituality in a Box ; Chapter 8 Connections ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index

Additional information

GOR013963726
9780199930944
0199930945
You Can't Put God in a Box: Thoughtful Spirituality in a Rational Age by Kelly Besecke (Independent Scholar Ph.D., Sociology, Independent Scholar Ph.D., Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Used - Very Good
Paperback
Oxford University Press Inc
2013-11-28
208
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

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