One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths [Hardcover]

Matthew Fox (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 7, 2000

Isn't it time, asks Matthew Fox, that instead of trying to convert one another we delved into one another's spiritual riches? We get to the core of religion by going to the heart experience, Fox says, not by dwelling on doctrines that so easily divide even within religious traditions. In One River, Many Wells, Fox exhorts readers to embrace the common faith of deep ecumenism.

Fox masterfully distills the common principles of the world's religions, and shows exactly how the different fingers of the world's faiths connect to a single hand. Drawing on seminal quotes, lessons, and ideas from the great faiths, he demonstrates how each expresses a common goal and approach to life, and concludes with "18 New Myths and Visions" that will inspire readers to embrace deep ecumenism.

One River, Many Wells is an indispensable resource, envisioning a new and exciting way of faith that erases the lines of false distinction between religions and calls upon each of us to worship from our common heart.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Who but Matthew Fox--former Dominican priest, author of countless influential books such as Original Blessing and The Reinvention of Work, silenced by the Vatican for his controversial statements about creation spirituality, and now an Episcopal priest--would combine rave dances with a religious mass? And who else would now attempt such a distillation of the world's religions as this book brings us? Combining writings from a multitude of spiritual traditions, Fox here puts into practice the idea of deep ecumenism that he has been exploring in a series of books going back to The Coming of the Cosmic Christ in 1989. To accomplish this task, Fox focuses on four categories of spiritual inquiry that he sees running like a river through all spiritual traditions: how we relate to creation, to divinity, to ourselves (this includes topics such as meditation, art, ritual, sexuality), and, finally, how we relate to the future, a section that explores issues of service and compassion, justice and spiritual warriorhood. He then concludes with "18 New Myths and Visions" that summarize his central message.

Simplicity and clarity are the goals of this book. To achieve this Fox weaves his own brief commentary through a series of quotations drawn from a myriad of traditions. While it may be faulted by some for this method of making easy connections between traditions, the book serves its purpose as a kind of primer for deep ecumenism. It will be especially useful for those new to such ideas, and to those who might otherwise never meet Hildegard of Bingen and Julian of Norwich, Hafiz, and the Sufi Ibn Arabi--not to mention Thomas Aquinas, physicist Werner Heisenberg, and geologian Thomas Berry--all sharing each other's company. --Doug Thorpe

From Publishers Weekly

Fox, who broke from his Roman Catholic roots with his earlier books The Coming of the Cosmic Christ and Creation Spirituality, presents quotations from various faith traditions to introduce what he believes are the universals of every faith. The title comes from Fox's metaphor that every religious tradition is a different well that descends to a single subterranean river of spirituality. This is scarcely an original idea, but Fox has been one of its greatest popularizers, in the company of such illuminati as John Dominic Crossan and the scholars of the Jesus Seminar. Using the approach he has named "Deep Ecumenism," Fox writes about four universal areas of spirituality (relating to creation, relating to the divine, relating to ourselves and relating to the future), integrating quotations from the sacred writings and stories of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, folk religions and other traditions. Many of the selected quotations are set off by special margins, while others occur in boldface type in Fox's own running text. Concluding with "Eighteen Myths for Remythologizing our Species"Aranging from the unsurprising insight that all traditions can learn from each other to the intriguing idea that sexuality is sacredAFox continues to be an articulate presenter of the trends that he helped put in motion. If his ideas no longer seem innovative, that only credit his success as an apostle of self-made spirituality. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Tarcher; 1 edition (September 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585420476
• ISBN-13: 978-1585420476
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #823,263 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As complete a tome of spiritual knowledge possible, December 12, 2000

By 

M. B. Tankersley "MB Tankersley" (Waco, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths (Hardcover)

Matthew Fox has outdone himself with this work, taking similar themes from the works of mystics spanning diverse traditions. To those who are regular consumers of Fox's writings, this compellation provides a "Bible" for his idea of "Deep Ecumenism". It is as complete a tome of humanity's spiritual knowledge that I have seen on the bookshelf. The best part- Fox has included sources not just from typical religious sources, but from science and literature as well.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Universal Church of God., September 19, 2004

By 

Butch (From the American Heartland.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths (Hardcover)

Fox is giving the hounds of the status quo a run for their money with this near encyclopedic outline about fighting the good fight. Those with an open mind and heart will find much food for thoughtful contemplation here. Fox admits his book is in no way complete. That it is meant to be suggestive of what future Scriptures will and must contain; wisdom from all Wisdom traditions, a bias in favor of what we have in common; a religious humility that lets traditions other than our own speak for themselves; a use of primary sources; God as experience, not doctrine... Fox succeeds in his stated goal.

This book is an encouragement for fighting the good fight. For becoming a spiritual warrior. Anyone can be a soldier telling the Emperor or their Priest or their Boss what he or she wants to hear. Being a warrior means taking a stand. A warrior has a dignity a soldier never realizes. The warrior fights his holy wars with internal enemies before going on any external jihad. The enemies of personal pride and greed and such. Anyone can be a brute, or a terrorist, in the name of God or Country. Fox points out that even in Islam there is a distinction between a lesser and a greater jihad. The greater jihad being that struggle against one's own demons. As the Sufi mystic Hafiz states, battle without love, can render a person mad. As I like to say, it does not matter what a person believes if they don't have love in their heart.

With that said, "One River, Many Wells" is well worth the read. It is a very good outline to work from regarding one's own spiritual journey. Fox brings to light what Meister Eckhart said 700 years ago, "God is like a great underground river." Thus "One River, Many Wells" is short for One Underground River (Source, God), Many sacred Wells-religious traditions. Again, as I like to say, God speaks to anyone that will listen. To meditate is to dig one's own sacred well. Be still and know that I am God. There are no atheists in Foxholes.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Diverse Paths but One Experience, December 31, 2005

By 

Erika Borsos "pepper flower" (Gulf Coast of FL, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: One River, Many Wells (Paperback)

This book by Matthew Fox is a wealth of information derived from many sources, the Old and New Testaments (Bible), the Koran, the Vedas, African religious traditions, Native American, Celtic sources, and Buddhism. Writing it must have been a huge undertaking but amazingly, the information flows *naturally* as it reveals the outpouring of Spirit in the lives of mankind throughout the world and over the millenia. Many of the experiences described are words which attempt to capture Divinity at work through particular individuals, societies, and their outcomes. The book is an *essential* exploration of mankind's relationship to each other, community, the earth, and the cosmos. It is an exploration of the meaning of Life itself. Like a previous reviewer, I had difficulty getting started. Initially, I tried reading it straight through but could not. Gradually, at different times, glancing at the chapters, I felt a surge of energy. The ideas and concepts explored by the author set my emotions and mind at ease. Eventually, I was able to "plunge in" and "swim" through the material with relative ease.

The book is divided into five sections, "Relating to Creation", "Relating to Divinity", "Relating to Ourselves: Paths to Encounter and Enlightenment", "Relating to the Future: What the Divine is Asking of Us", and "Where Do We Go from Here? How Deep Ecumenism Explodes our Imaginations with Eighteen New Myths and Visions". Each section has further subdivisions where the author expands on specific themes, such as, Creation, Light, Community, the Names of God, Form, Formlessness, Nothingness, the Divine Feminine, Meditation, Mindfulness, Art and Ritual, Joy, Suffering, and Dying, Resurrection and Reincarnation, the Spiritual Warrior and other topics. Each theme is given a thorough examination connecting many different cultural viewpoints and providing unique insights. The author's vast experience in the realm or religion and personal enlightenment, along with his courage to tackle controversial subjects is greatly appreciated and admired.

The author's vision for mankind is very broad and inclusive ... he sees beyond the barriers of dogmatic belief, ritual, and any other differences that separate people. He gets down to *personal* experiences as expressed by the Great Spirit of Life in the vast expanse of time both from the past, in the present and future. The subject is spiritual expression in the lives of humanity and how the many different ideas and experiences have only One source. This is a very highly recommended book for anyone who is interested in comparative religions and spirituality. Also recommended is "One Heart" by Bonnie Louise Kuchler. Her book is an excellent source of quotations and meditations from different religions and spiritual practices. It is a less complex but similar work. Many readers who find Matthew Fox too deep would benefit from her book. Erika Borsos (erikab93)