Abstract
Why are ʼnew expressions’ of contemplative traditions emerging at this particular historical moment? What kind of movement are these new expressions? What is the nature of their appeal? To what particular challenges-imaginative, spiritual, cultural and political-are they providing a response? And what role are they playing in the search for meaning and purpose and a more just society in the present historical moment? Given the wide diversity in origins, influences, styles and aims of these new contemplative expressions, such questions are difficult to answer. To this end, it will be useful to consider the diverse and wide-ranging phenomenon of new contemplative expressions through the lens of two key questions that have emerged in contemporary scholarship on religion. First, in what way can discussions about the ambiguous relationship between ‘spirituality and religion’ help us understand the emergence, appeal and meaning of new contemplative movements? Second, how might the concept of ‘lived religion’ be brought to bear in illuminating some of the characteristic means employed by new contemplative movements in seeking spiritual meaning?.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Mystical Theology and Contemporary Spiritual Practice |
| Subtitle of host publication | Renewing the Contemplative Tradition |
| Publisher | Taylor and Francis |
| Pages | 80-94 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781317066194 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781472480095 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 01 Jan 2017 |