Paths to the Heart: Sufism and the Christian East [Paperback]

James Cutsinger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 6, 2003

First of its kind publication promotes a spiritual dialogue between Christian and Muslims.

Editorial Reviews

Review

... opens the way for a deep healing of the wounds of ignorance that have arisen ... between ... two great traditions. -- Alan Godlas, Professor of Islamic Studies, University of Georgia

Professor Cutsinger is to be congratulated for having organized such a memorable interchange of opinions. -- Martin Lings, formerly Keeper of Oriental Manuscripts in the British Museum and author of Mohammed: His Life According to the Earliest Sources

The essays in Paths ... evince a rare combination of intellectual rigor, breadth of spirit, and deep personal faith. -- Scott C. Alexander, Director of Catholic-Muslim Studies, Catholic Theological Union

This book is a spiritual treasure to be read and to be lived. -- Albert J. Raboteau, Henry W. Putnam Professor of Religion, Princeton University

[An] informative study of the common threads and traits shared between the traditions of the Christian East and Islamic Sufism. -- The Midwest Book Review

About the Author

A widely recognized authority on the Sophia Perennis and the Perennialist school of comparative religious thought, Professor Cutsinger is best known for his work on the German philosopher Frithjof Schuon. He serves as secretary to the Foundation for Traditional Studies, and he is currently editing the Collected Works of Frithjof Schuon. In addition he is editing an anthology of Christian Mystical writings entitled "Not of this World," as part of World Wisdom's "Treasures of the World's Religion's" series.

The recipient of numerous teaching awards, he was honored in 1999 as a Michael J. Mungo University Teacher of the Year. He offers courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levles in Religious Studies, and he is a frequent contributor to USC's Honors College, where he has taken the lead in developing a series of courses in the study of Great Books.

Professor Cutsinger is a nationally known advocate of Socratic Teaching based on the classics. His consulting work has included curriculum development and design, contributions to great books seminars for professionals, and workshops in discussion-based pedagogy. He has also served as director of three National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminars.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: World Wisdom (September 6, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941532437
• ISBN-13: 978-0941532433
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #87,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Orthodoxy
  • #24 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Islam > Sufism

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seeking the "virgin point", December 23, 2002

By 

matt (the reading room) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paths to the Heart: Sufism and the Christian East (Paperback)

A perusal of current media in print, radio and television reinforces the observation that we are living in a time when the cultures of the Middle East are portrayed as ideologically opposed to the West. At the core of our alleged differences is the role of Islamic fundamentalism with its hegemonic determination to dominate cultures both in the Middle East and abroad. Such views are not new. The "clash of civilizations" theory of Samuel Huntington had already proposed and popularized this understanding in the mid-1990s. At a time when this perspective is gaining momentum, it is helpful to seek a corrective to a myopic understanding of Islam that often accompanies Huntington's theory; namely, that Islam is nothing more than Wahhabism. Moreover, a historical reexamination of Christianity's own understanding of God can be beneficial for "Westerners" who tend to understand their own religious heritage typically through modern Protestant lenses, which often leads to the positing of false dichotomies between Islam and Christianity, seeing them as mutually exclusive with no common ground. By reconsidering the mystical theologies of each religion it can be shown that a fundamental convergence occurs in the mystical thought and experience of each tradition. In particular, this inner commonality can form the basis of a deeper conversation between Christians and Muslims than has been typical in our day, aiding in a clearer mutual understanding of the similarities that exist between the fundamental religious traditions of our cultures. To this end, Paths To The Heart is an excellent beginning.

As Thomas Merton said in his Conjectures:
"Le point vierge is in everybody, and if we could see it we would see the billions of points of light coming together in the face and blaze of a sun that would make all the darkness and cruelty of life vanish completely...I have no program for this seeing. It is only given. But the gate of heaven is everywhere."

May we seek the gate of heaven everywhere.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Spiritual Harmony Among Traditions, April 27, 2008

By 

Ishraqi "Ishraqi" (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paths to the Heart: Sufism and the Christian East (Paperback)

Reading "Paths of the Heart" was a true learning experience. In an age of strained relations between Christians and Muslims (and a time in which widespread ignorance of each others Traditions exist) this book could prove immensely helpful. If you know anything about Eastern Orthodoxy in the English speaking world you have probably heard of Bishop Kallistos Ware. Bishop Ware presents an excellent chapter on the Jesus Prayer and the way of entering the heart. The same can be said of Seyyed Hossein Nasr - That is, if you are at all knowledge regarding Islam in America you have probably read one of his books or at least heard of him before. Nasr's chapter on the Mercy of God alone is worth the price of the book.

If anyone is interested in previewing a chapter of this book before they purchase it I would recommend checking out James Cutsingers web page. On his page you can find the chapter " Hesychia, an Orthodox Opening to Esoteric Ecumenism" - [wont let me put the web address just Google " James Cutsinger, Hesychia, an Orthodox... "]

To comment on a previous review: Yes, Hesychasm is not recognized as "mainstream Christianity" in most Western denominations but it is perfectly mainstream among Orthodox Christians (including those living in the west). It's also compatible with the teachings of many of the great Catholic Mystics and Saints. Read "The Invocation of the Name of Jesus As Practiced in the Western Church" by Rama Coomaraswamy for evidence of this.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compares saints, gateways to the heart, remembrances of God, December 12, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paths to the Heart: Sufism and the Christian East (Paperback)

Compiled and edited by James S. Cutsinger (Professor of Theology and Religious Thought, University of South Carolina), Paths To The Heart: Sufism And The Christian East is an informed and informative study of the common threads and traits shared between the traditions of the Christian East and Islamic Sufism. A valued and highly recommended anthology of essays by a series of learned and erudite authors contemplating a lasting dialogue and connection between Christianity and Islam, Paths To The Heart compares saints, gateways to the heart, remembrances of God, and much more as seen by religions with so much more in common than is usually acknowledged by their practitioners.