Customer Reviews

A New Reformation: Creation Spirituality and the Transformation of Christianity

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A New Reformation: Creation Spirituality And The Transformation Of Christianity by Matthew Fox (Founder of the University of Creation Spirituality in Oakland, California, now the Wisdom University) offers the reader a ground breaking, thought-provoking analysis of the corruption of Catholic and Christian fundamentalism in the United States. Reenacting Martin Luther's famous call for reformation of Church corruption in 1517, Matthew Fox inspirationally defies the modern Roman-Catholic reign in A New Reformation as he diligently and knowledgeably reveals its institutional flaws and proposes a more productive and helpful reordering of the practices and policies of the dominant Christian churches. A New Reformation is very strongly recommended and iconoclastic reading, and to be given high praise as an outstandingly informative and quite comprehensive study of the Christian movement, especially the Catholic church, and a coherent presentation of the more progressive aspects of the Christian religion in modern times.

"The New Reformation", Matthew Fox's newest book, is perhaps one of the most important books published in my lifetime. It literally has the potential to change the world.

The most important Fox book for me personally was his autiobiography "Confessions", which on May 3, 1996 triggered a personal profound, mystical, transpersonal, unitive moment that transformed my life. I will always be enternally grateful that Matthew wrote that illuminating book, in the deepest most paradoxical sense, exactly for me, (and I suspect many others who, of course, ARE ME)

The most exciting thing about this newest book, "The Next Reformation" is that it makes ascessable to potentially large numbers of readers the heartmind of this spiritual giant whom I revere as my "pope".

In 126 succinct pages, the reader is exposed to Fox, his empowering panentheistic theology, the forgotten Creation Spirituality vein of mystical Christianity, and his postmodern manifesto in which Fox, ala Luther, challenges Both Catholic AND Protestant Christianity to transform and recover the powerful path of the Via Transformativa.

If you're tired of the religion ABOUT Jesus of Nazareth and you are ready to embrace the spirituality OF Jesus of Nazareth, read this book !

Congrats "FatherMotherPope" Matthew !!
Thanks for your courage, compassion, wisdom and essence !

From an ex-catholic boy "goin to hell", thanks to my Roman Catholic heritage for giving me something to transcend, yet include.

Without Fox, Spong, Crossan, Borg, Pagels, Mithchell, Dossey, Wilber, Thich Nat Hanh, et al, I would still be roaming the "wasteland"..

Blessings,

Vic Simon

RoseLotus- Both the Cosmic Christ and the Kosmic Buddha

I enjoyed reading this proclamation. It certainly touched on the many points that are contentious in today's church and summarized how one dreams the church would be rather than laboring the point without resolution. It's a quick read, but it gets the mind thinking.

Fox discusses the full range of his previous work in this slim volume. I found the background material more helpful in setting the framework for his 95 theses than the actual theses. Although the actual theses offered much to consider, point by point,as well. It is refreshing and necessary to listen to voices of dissent. It is necessary, also, to dream and create new realities. Fox inspires and challenges all, not just the institutional church, but all people of faith to lean further into their belief and thus transform our world.

Fox's "New Reformation" is an excellent, concise, typically bold statement for Fox of the many themes running through contemporary Christian theology: democracry against hierarchy, gender equality against patriarchy, ecology against dominion over nature, etc. Highly recommended.

A New Reformation - the title spoke to me about a change in heart and mind. This change needs to be much nuanced in order to include all. Matthew Fox attempts to do this. The kernel of his message is right on target. We need to look beyond the status quo to experience the sacred love that was lived by Jesus the Christ and taught by Paul. Unfortunately, Fox goes off the deep end with this kernel, reminding me of a Michael Moore movie. The papacy and the fundamentalists are not all wrong. Their message is nuanced and worth understanding rather than belittling as irrelevant. Although I agree with Fox's hypothesis, I have real problems with his methods.

Five centuries ago, a monk named Martin Luther revolutionized the Christian world. He devised a new vision of Christianity in 95 theses, and nailed these theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. The Reformation, as it came to be known, resulted in a schism between the Roman Catholics and what became known as Protestant Christianity.

Disgusted with the fundamentalist direction of the Catholic church (Matthew Fox was a member of the Dominican Order for thirty-four years before being expelled) and inspired by Luther's movement, Fox decided to reenact Luther's rebellion. His own resulting 95 theses are liberal and post-modern, reflecting a more pantheistic understanding of God over the "Punitive Father" of Catholic tradition. He then nailed these theses to the very same door. (Well, the door was no longer wooden, but metal, so he had to build a little wooden frame to nail his new Reformation.)

The gist of Fox's Reformation is that the church needs to move away from religion, and toward spirituality. We have lost our appreciation and awe of creation (Fox is a long-time proponent of what he labels "Creation Spirituality.") We would be better off without the doctrine of Original Sin, with its guilt-ridden baggage, embracing instead the Original Blessing, which recognizes awe as the starting point of true religion. There is no conflict between Fox's version of Christianity and scientific discovery. No conflict with post-modern morality, granting equal respect and rights to women and to gays and lesbians.

A sampling of Fox's 96 theses follow:

Number 6: Theism (the idea that God is "out there" or above and beyond the universe) is false. All things are in God and God is in all things.

Number 13: Spirituality and religion are not the same any more than education and learning, law and justice, or commerce and stewardship are the same.

Number 15: Christians must distinguish between Jesus (a historical figure) and Christ (the experience of God-in-all-things).

Number 36: Dance, whose root meaning in many indigenous cultures is the same as breath or spirit, is a very ancient and appropriate form in which to pray.

Number 59: Fourteen billion years of evolution and unfolding of the universe bespeak the intimate sacredness of all that is.

Number 75: Poverty for the many and luxury for the few are not right or sustainable.

Matthew Fox gives us the courage to take a stand and speak out for our beliefs without guilt and fear.

Matthew Fox found his voice many decades ago and has helped us find ours. Although he has been "silenced" by the Catholic institutional church and has been expelled from the Dominican community, his heart is still rooted in his heritage. Nevertheless, he is determined to go forth and help transform the community that Christ came on earth to teach us.

This transformed community that Matthew Fox is building creates instead of rules. Fox is not out to change the Catholic church but to bring back the new life that once was in the beginning. The living Christ.

Thank you Matthew Fox, you have been a wonderful leader and mentor in my spiritual quest.

Other books for your consideration:
Meditations with Meister Eckhart by Matthew Fox
Who Told You That You Were Naked?: Freedom From Judgement, Guilt and Fear of Punishment by John Jacob Raub
The Wisdom of Wilderness: Experiencing the Healing Power of Nature by Gerald G May
Radical Optimism: Practical Spirituality in an Uncertain World by Beatrice Bruteau

Beyond Belief....and I have worked for the church for over 22 years....I have sat through numerous meetings and listened to "WHY" the GIRM was important and why the power of once coming along side the church leadership was NOW going to be stripped of the layity in the NAME OF POWER to be re-bestoyed upon FATHER! Scychophants - my word has been "POD PEOPLE" - has been a wonderful awakening that I was NOT the only one to witness a NORMAL group of seminarians that go to seminary and come back pod people filled up with notions that only appease the powers that be. After serving and giving well over 70 to 80 hours of work for the church each week - this has been the hardest thing to witness and in the name of Matthew Fox an educated theologian that has dared to put this book in print HE HAS ANSWERED WHAT WE HAVE ALL WITNESSED AND HAVE WONDERED AT TIMES ARE WE GOING CRAZY!!??? Thank you Dr. Matthew Fox for your courage - do NOT allow them to ever silence you! We need people of truth and we are standing behind you - attempting to uncover and LIVE THE TRUTH! For as Jesus said and the TRUTH SHALL SET US FREE! Blessings of God's Peace Always!!!

I must say I am not impressed at this attempt by Fox to break free of church teaching and to mix Christian spirituality too uncritically with that of non-Christian faiths. In this late work Fox goes way overboard with syncretism and sees that Christian spirituality seems to be exactly identical with that of other faiths, at least where it comes to the creation.

This is probably related to Fox's expulsion from the Dominican order due to some of his more radical ideas. At his site he seems to have something in for the former Cardinal Ratzinger, who is now the Pope. Fox's earlier works seemed to have a better sense of balance, and a scholar of his calibre should know if you mix too much wine with water, you only end up with water. Christianity is not Buddhism or Hinduism or Native American spirituality. While I believe the world's religions share great truths and can learn from each other, that does not mean all are the same and centuries of teaching on various issues should be overturned to make way for the popular issues of the time (such as gay rights, eco-feminism, etc).