A Spirituality Named Compassion [Paperback]

Matthew Fox (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1999

• Fox marries mysticism with social justice, leading the way toward a gentler and more ecological spirituality and an acceptance of our interdependence

• A road map to fulfillment for the coming century

In A Spirituality Named Compassion, Matthew Fox, the popular and controversial author, establishes a spirituality for the future that promises personal, social, and global healing. Using his own experiences with the pain and lifestyle changes that resulted from an accident, Fox has written an uplifting book on the issues of ecological justice, the suffering of Earth, and the rights of her nonhuman citizens.

Fox defines compassion as creativity put to the service of justice and argues that we can achieve compassion for both humanity and the environment as we recognize the interconnectedness of all things. Working toward the creation of a gentler, ecological, and feminist Christianity, Fox marries mysticism and social justice, emphasizing that as we enter a new millennium society needs to realize that spirituality's purpose is to guide us on a path that leads to a genuine love of all our relations and a love for our shared interdependence.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Forceful and compelling. . . . A work of marvelous construction."
(Spirituality Today )

About the Author

Matthew Fox is a theologian, educator, former Dominican priest, and the author of such popular books as Original Blessing and The Coming of the Cosmic Christ. The author of 21 books and the winner of numerous awards, he is also the founder and president of the University of Creation Spirituality and codirector of The Naropa Institute's master's program in Creation Spirituality, both in Oakland, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Inner Traditions (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892818026
• ISBN-13: 978-0892818020
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #561,224 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dancing Sarah's Circle, September 27, 2001

By 

Dave Kinnear "Executive Leader Coach" (Lake Forest, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A spirituality named compassion and the healing of the global village, Humpty Dumpty and us (Paperback)

Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice. This book was a gift from a dear friend, and what a gift it has turned out to be. I will always be mindful of the difference between climbing Jacob's Ladder and dancing Sarah's Circle. It is such a perfect metaphor for the lives we have built. It is especially poignant to have read this volume and finished it so close to the recent tragedies here in the US on 9/11/01. It makes me wonder exactly how much of the hate directed at our country is due to the Jacob's Ladder world we have created. It is high time that we paid attention to dancing instead of climbing.

Matthew had so much to teach me about compassion - that it is not pity but celebration, not sentiment but making justice and doing works of mercy, and that it is not private or ego-centric but public. Then Matthew helps us to understand how the teachings in our culture, that of ever climbing - the ladders of success or acquisitions - and distancing ourselves from others and how those teachings separate us from compassion, can be a significant cause of pain in our world.

Many of us know the song to which Matthew refers: We are climbing Jacob's Ladder / Soldiers of the Cross. We may not be familiar with the corollary to that song (sung to the same tune): We are Dancing Sarah's Circle / Sisters, Brothers, All. The message of this book - give up being "Soldiers of the Cross," and instead become "Sisters, Brothers, All," is definitely a message for our time.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Weighty Message in Unorthodox Garb., May 27, 2000

By 

Victor McCracken (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Spirituality Named Compassion (Paperback)

If one can get beyond the panentheism of Fox's mystical theology, one can hear a brilliant voice making a valid plea. Fox urges that the church free itself from hierarchical posturing and embrace a holistic spirituality that embraces compassion as the heart of life. Fox brilliantly critiques the manner in which modernity has perverted compassion, turning it into a sappy, sentimental virtue rather than a celebration of creation and the communion of humanity. His plea for a holistic spirituality of mystical communion is engaging but will miss the mark for Christians looking for 12-step techniques for spiritual revival. But maybe this is Fox's point: spirituality is inevitably distorted when transformed into a linear "technique."

5.0 out of 5 stars My Most Favorite Book, September 22, 2010

By 

Tamara Suttle - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Spirituality Named Compassion (Paperback)

This is my most favorite book of all times. It it Fox points out that the true definition of compassion is grounded in social justice and notes compassion is an act and not a mushy, impotent feeling. Brilliant! Gotta love this man for turning piousness upside down and nudging all of us toward a better world!