Spiritual Manifestos: Visions for Renewed Religious Life in America from Young Spiritual Leaders of Many Faiths [Hardcover]

Niles Elliot Goldstein (Editor), Martin E. Marty (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1999

Young spiritual leaders are beginning to remove the reasons why so many of us have kept religion at arm's length. By transforming our faith traditions in light of today's increasing diversity, the search for community, the Internet and our changing lifestyles, these young, visionary spiritual leaders are helping to create the new spirituality. Ten contributors, most in their mid-thirties, span the spectrum of religious traditions--Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Unitarian, Buddhist--and offer their "visions," bold spiritual manifestos, for transforming our faith communities and our lives.

Hear how one Catholic priest proclaims "all religion and spirituality ought to be zesty, passionate, rich and deep"; how one rabbi serves a "congregation" on the web for Microsoft and rides in squad cars on drug busts in NewYork City; how a self-described "Zen priest" is serving an Episcopal church in Alaska; and how a talented young woman lives her "wild and precious life" changing the world as a nun.

These stories, and others, will challenge our assumptions about what religion is--and isn't.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In an era of do-it-yourself spirituality and shopping-mall churches, is there any place for religion in its more traditional, institutional forms? The contributors to this volume, all full-time religious workers mostly in their 30s, share a common belief that traditional religion can be vital and relevant. They include a fourth-generation Japanese-American, serving an Episcopal parish in Alaska, who calls himself a "Zen-Christian priest"; a young African-American pastor in Baltimore; a Catholic nun; and the volume's editor, who serves as the voice behind Microsoft's Web site "Ask the Rabbi." With such an eclectic crew, the reader may hope for interfaith insights as well as glimpses into a new generation for the oft-maligned mainline religions. But the majority of essays disappoint, exhibiting sweeping generalizations, unintentional clich?s and an earnestness that weighs down the reader with good intentions. The writers are at their best when they are not attempting to solve all of religion's problems in "manifesto" fashion but are focusing
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A book everyone interested in religion must devour and debate." -- Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland, Archdiocese of Milwaukee

"From the irreverent and playful to the dogmatically stern and clerically cocksure, our Gen-Xers lead us into the millennium." -- Daniel Berrigan, S.J., West Side Jesuit Community

"Spiritual Manifestos helps us awaken to the fresh breath of new spirituality in our land and our hearts. It is a call to transformation, both personal and communal. Don't miss it." -- Lama Surya Das, author of Awakening the Buddha Within and Awakening to the Sacred

"These ten articulate young spiritual leaders engender hope for the vitality of 21st century religion." -- Rev. Forrest Church, Minister of All Souls Church in New York City and author of Life Lines

"What a wonderful, optimistic book! These young spiritual leaders, deeply dissatisfied with the religious status quo, offer a vision, both positive and practical, of where our congregations and religious institutions should be going." -- Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, President, Union of American Hebrew Congregations

"With passion and commitment, a new generation of religious leaders reveals an exciting vitality at the heart of their religious traditions." -- Mary Catherine Hilkert, Department of Theology, University of Notre Dame

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 226 pages
• Publisher: Skylight Paths Pub (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1893361098
• ISBN-13: 978-1893361096
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,618,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Niles Elliot Goldstein is a rabbi and the award-winning author or editor of nine books. He served as the founding rabbi and spiritual leader of The New Shul in Manhattan's Greenwich Village for over a decade (1999-2009), and he is now its Rabbi Emeritus. Niles has written for Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and many other publications, and he has been featured in Time, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, and other national venues, as well as on radio and television. Niles served as a U.S. Army chaplain and for the past 15 years has worked with the federal law enforcement community. His passion for adventure travel has taken him from the steppes of Central Asia and Mongolia to the dog mushing trails of Alaska and the Arctic. To unwind, Niles hikes, rides horses, and practices the martial arts (he holds a black belt in karate). Niles lectures all over the country and speaks on various topics in the areas of spirituality and religion. He currently lives in Chicago, Illinois.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Just New Spirituality, But New Religion, December 21, 2000

By 

Sharon O Sims (anywhere USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spiritual Manifestos: Visions for Renewed Religious Life in America from Young Spiritual Leaders of Many Faiths (Hardcover)

This book inspired me. Several years ago I lost interest in organized religion. But, I have always remained someone passionately involved in spirituality--deepening my own and helping others to do the same. This inspiring collection of pieces by young (30-somethings)spiritual/religious leaders showed me that religion is worth a second look. Things are changing, it seems! Lama Surya Das says on the back jacket: "Spiritual Manifestos helps us awaken to the fresh breath of new spirituality in our land and our hearts. It is a call to transformation, both personal and communal. Don't miss it!" I agree. (If you still aren't ready to look anew at organized religion, I recommend another book to you: "Who Is My God?")