Fragments of the Spirit: Nature, Violence, and the Renewal of Creation [Paperback]

Mark I. Wallace (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1563383829 | ISBN-13: 978-1563383823 | Publication Date: January 1, 2002

In Fragments of the Spirit, Mark Wallace proposes that the Spirit goes well beyond the conventional Christian understanding of the force that unites the Father and the Son in the Trinity. Wallace presents a new model of the Spirit, one that is based on the earth and centered on life. The Spirit, writes Wallace, is the power that transforms and renews all forms of life. It is a natural force that heals the violence humans have done to nature and to one another. In the Bible—whether it the Spirit depicted as the divine wind in Genesis or the dove in the Gospels—the Spirit reveals herself as a life-form who creates, sustains, and renews humans and nature as they work together. The Spirit, Wallace demonstrates, is able to forge unity among enemies and to bring opposites together, overcoming the differences that define personal and community life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Wallace, a professor of religion at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, suggests that a new understanding of the Holy Spirit as a being that dwells within the world to transform the world may be the solution to problems of human violence and ecological catastrophe. In his first section, Wallace examines the characteristics of postmodern culture, including the loss of self and the death of metaphysics, as well as the ways in which traditional Christian readings of the Holy Spirit as a metaphysical, transcendent being fall short in the contemporary world. In his second section, Wallace explores the issues of nature, violence and evil as he builds his own model of the Holy Spirit as the being that restores wholeness to the natural world, heals the brokenness of humanity and fosters unity between humanity and nature. Wallace's provocative ideas are cast in beautiful lyric prose, and his brilliant readings of the Bible in concert with the theologies of Paul Ricoeur, Rene Girard and Sallie McFague render his book utterly convincing.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In a brilliant tour de force of post-modern theory, traditional Christian theology, and contemporary metaphysics, Wallace (religion, Swarthmore Coll.) ponders the role of the Holy Spirit in a late modern culture characterized by the loss of God and fragmented by violence. Using the philosophies of Kierkegaard, Levinas, and others, Wallace first demonstrates the inadequacies of the conventional models of the Holy Spirit. He then goes on to construct his own model of the Spirit as a life-giving force dwelling within nature, which seeks to mend the brokenness of the human spirit and to foster partnership and healing between humankind and nature. An elegant meditation on ecology and the Spirit, Wallace's book is highly recommended for all libraries.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Trinity Press Int'l (January 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563383829
• ISBN-13: 978-1563383823
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #835,173 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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