care of the soul: a guide for cultivating depth and
TRANSCRIPT
Leaven Leaven
Volume 3 Issue 2 Gospel of John Article 13
1-1-1995
Care of the Soul: A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Care of the Soul: A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in
Everyday Life, Thomas Moore Everyday Life, Thomas Moore
Constance M. Fulmer [email protected]
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Recommended Citation Recommended Citation Fulmer, Constance M. (1995) "Care of the Soul: A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life, Thomas Moore," Leaven: Vol. 3 : Iss. 2 , Article 13. Available at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol3/iss2/13
This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Religion at Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Leaven by an authorized editor of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected].
Gospel of John 43
Book Reviews
Thomas Moore, Care of the Soul: AGuide for Cultivating Depth and Sa-credness in Everyday Life (New York:Harper Collins, 1992), paperback, 1994. Re-viewed by Constance M.Fulmer.
Thomas Moore'sCare of the Soul, one ofthenumerous spiritual self-help books now available,has just appeared on the best seller list of the NewYork Times Book Review for the fifty-secondweekalong with his work Soul Mates and at least a half-dozen other books which promise "insights intoachieving a fulfilling life." This phenomenal currentinterest in matters of the soul was the topic of thecover story of the November 28, 1994, issue ofNewsweek entitled ''The Search for the Sacred:America's Quest for Spiritual Meaning."
This demonstration of intense interest andpersonal need being expressed by millions ofAmeri-can readers can provide those ofus whobelieve thatwe have spiritual meaning in our lives an unprec-edented opportunity to share our faith. As theapostle Paul suggests, our lives should be letters thatanyone can read demonstrating that our souls areenlightened by the presence of Christ and of God'sliving spirit (2 Corinthians 5).
The amazingly popular writer of these bestsellers, Thomas Moore, lived as a monk in a Catholicreligious order for twelve years, has degrees in the-ology, musicology, and philosophy, and he has ex-
perience as a psychotherapist. In Care ofthe Soulhetakes his quotations from contemporaries of Plato,Renaissance theologians, Romantic poets, andFreud-and not from scripture.
Rather than dismissing Thomas Moore'smessage as incomplete or inappropriate for theChristian reader, perhaps we should consider thefact that, within the broader spiritual perspective ofa profound recognition and dependence on the pres-ence ofthe divine, much ofwhat he says can apply tous. God's word can actually become for us a usefulmanual in providing care for our souls in the specificways that Moore suggests. The books of Proverbsand Ecclesiastes and much ofthe "practical" instruc-tion of the New Testament most definitely "instructus in concrete ways we can foster soulfulness in ourordinary everyday lives" (xiv),
The scriptures also tell us, as Moore does,that "Fulfilling work, rewarding relationships, per-sonal power, and relieffrom symptoms are all gifts ofthe soul" (xiv), Weall need a deeper awareness thatcaring for our souls "requires a special crafting oflifeitself, with an artist's sensitivity to the way thingsare done" (xvii). Perhaps we also need more in-struction in how to enrich these aspects of our ownspirituality and more sermons which recognize that"the care of the soul is a sacred art" (xv).
Those ofus who have "a religious sensibility"and "a recognition ofthe absolute need for a spirituallife" can certainly demonstrate more clearly a "spe-cifically Christian" perspective without sacrificing
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"the self-knowledge and self-acceptance which arethe very foundation of soul" or without giving upwhat Moore calls "the salvational fantasy" (xvii).Instead, we can benefit from becomingmore aware ofexperiencing "everyday sacredness" (214) as NewTestament Christians. We should allow our spiri-tuality to be a "way of sustaining mindfulness aboutreligion that is inherent in everything we do" (214).
In reading Care of the Soul our spirituallives can be strengthened by examining our heartsand providing honest answers as to whether the"charges" Mooremakes against a "specificallyChris-tian" viewpoint are true ofus, and ifthey are, whetheror not these attitudes are hindering the potential wehave of inspiring others to lift themselves "out oftheconfines of the human dimension" and in so doing"nourish" their own souls (233). As Thomas Mooresays, "care of the soul asks us to open our heartswider than they have ever been before, softening thejudging and moralism that may have characterizedour attitudes and behavior for years" (17). Are weable to do this or are we among the peoplewho"seemto be afraid that if they reflect on their moral prin-ciples they might lose their ethical sensitivity alto-gether"? (17) Or are we guilty of the attitude whichMoore describes by saying, "the tragedy of funda-mentalism in any context is its capacity to freeze lifeinto a solid cube ofmeaning"? (236)
Aswe attempt to be more flexible in bringingothers to Christianity, we need to recall Moore'sreminder that "it's easy to go crazy in the life of thespirit, warring against those who disagree, prosely-tizing for our own personal attachments rather thanexpressing our ownsoulfulness, or taking narcissisticsatisfactions in our beliefs rather than findingmeaning and pleasure in spirituality that is availableto everyone" (228).
Wecouldbenefit from thinking about churchand religion in the twoways Mooresuggests: "Oneisthat we go to church in order to be in the presence ofthe holy, to learn and to have our lives influenced bythat presence. The other is that church teaches usdirectly and symbolicallyto see the sacred dimensionof everyday life" (214).
Constance M. Fulmer teaches in the Humani-ties Division, Seaver College, Pepperdine Univer-sity, Malibu, California.
Diana L. Eck, Encountering God: ASpiritual Journey from Bozeman toBanares (Boston: Beacon Press, 1993).Reviewed by Kathy J. Pulley.
"This book is about faith and the challengereligious diversity poses to people of faith. . .. It isa bookthat begins with the premise that our religioustraditions aremore like rivers than monuments" (ix),Like most of us late-twentieth-century folks, whenDiana Eck left her roots in Bozeman to travel toBanares and other places, she discovered that herneighbors were no longer just Roman Catholics orBaptists, but they were Hindus, Buddhists, Muslimsand other religious types. Sobegins the first chapterofDiana Eck's account ofher own spiritual journey.By profession she is a scholar in the comparativestudy ofreligion at Harvard; but, as a Methodist whodoes not shy away from religious questions of per-sonal meaning, Eck shares how her Christian beliefshave been shaped by her encounters with other faithperspectives in India and elsewhere. She exploreshowher ownthoughts and beliefs about God,spiritu-ality, life and death are both challenged andstrengthened by her contact with those from othertraditions.
"Is 'our God'listening to the prayers ofpeopleofother faiths? Ifnot, why not? ... ifGodis listening,what are we about" (166)? Although this question isnot raised specifically until chapter seven, it is thecentral issue of Eck's book. She claims that thegreatest challenge ahead for the urban cities of the'90s is not secularization as suggested by HarveyCox's book, The Secular City; rather, the biggestchallenge is pluralism: ethnic, racial and religious.The pews ofour city churches may show only limitedevidenceofbeing multi-cultural; and yet, in our dailylives our neighbors do have diverse identities. Oneexample she cites is that ordinary church membersare silently aware that neighboring Muslims praymuch more often than they-what do those of uscommitted to Christianity say to such a neighbor,howare wetounderstand a strong faith commitmentoutside Christianity, and is our God different fromtheirs? Although we may not feel prepared ad-equately to address these issues, it would be irre-sponsible to deny that the questions are real andserious forour ownChristian communities as wefacethe future. These questions may feel threatening attimes but Eck'sbook suggests approaches that at theleast need to be heard and at the most, may providevaluable insights into how to deepen our own com-mitment while at the same time increasing our un-derstanding of our neighbor's commitment.
Interwoven into chapter seven is an objectiveoverview of how religious pluralism has been dealtwith traditionally; the three approaches beingexclusivist, inclusivist and pluralist. She favors apluralistic approach but she has a strong opinionabout what pluralism is and is not:
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If people perceive pluralism as entailing therelinquishing of their particular religious commit-ments they are not interested. Neither am 1. ... Ifeverything is more or less true, I donot givemy heartto anything in particular. There is no beloved com-munity, no home in the context of which values aretested, no dream of the ongoing transformation ofthat community .... The pluralist, on the other hand,stands in a particular community and is willing to becommitted to the struggles of that community, evenas restless critic" (195).
Even though the issues raised above are thefoundation ofEck's work, the theologians amongst usmay be interested especially in the doctrinal topicsshe addresses in chapters three through six. In thesechapters she constructs what she means by ultimatereality, the incarnation ofJesus, and the mystery ofthe Holy Spirit in light ofher own conversations andexperiences with those outside the Christian tradi-tion.
The most practical section is chapter six,which probes spirituality and the need for deepeningspiritual discipline in our individual lives. She re-minds the reader that there is a rich tradition ofspirituality within the Bible and the history ofChris-tianity, and her comments about several differentworks provide an excellent introductory bibliogra-phy for further reading. Eck's primary emphasis isthat whether one is talking of Eastern or Westernspirituality, it requires practice. "To learn to pray,one must practice (157)." And, the result of suchpractice leads to a transformed life, "It is not at all amatter of 'checking out,' but ofbeing truly capable ofchecking in to life" (158).
The remaining chapters ofthe book(twoandeight) deal with ecumenism. Chapter two surveysreligious plurality in the United States since the1893 World's Parliament of Religions, especially asone studies immigration patterns from both Europeand Asia. Chapter eight concludes with a call forinterreligious dialogue. Eck's premise in the lastchapter is that the world is interrelated and willcontinue tobe evenmore closelyrelated in the future;thus, it is important for people of faith to involvethemselves in understanding others and their reli-gious commitments. Gandhi's attitudes and convic-tions serve as her guide for how we might go aboutgreater understanding.
Eck's book is not flawless and it may betheologically disturbing to some; nonetheless, it iswell worth reading. She brings a balance to con-versations about religious pluralism and faith com-mitments that is rare. Eck is a scholar but herinclusion of personal narrative makes this workaccessible, interesting, and challenging to anyone
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who is genuinely searching for new paths for under-standing and talking about multiple faith perspec-tives.
Kathy J. Pulley teaches religious studies atSouthwest Missouri State University, Springfield,Missouri.
Stanley Hauerwas, Unleashing theScripture: Freeing the Bible fromCaptivity to America, (Abingdon,1993).ReviewedbyMark Manassee.
"No task is more important than for theChurch to take the Bible out of the hands of indi-vidual Christians in North America." And sobeginsStanley Hauerwas's daring and critical book, Un-leashing the Scripture: Freeing the Bible fromCaptivity to America. Hauerwas affirms that theChurch has lost out because of a reliance on thehistorical-critical method or literal approaches toScripture. These methods assert that anyone withthe proper training and 'commonsense' can properlyunderstand and find the meaning of a biblical text.
In contrast, Hauerwas insists that withoutthe spiritual and moral transformation that comesfrom being part of the Church, one cannot properlyunderstand scripture. Furthermore, it is onlywithinthe BodyofChrist, gathered around the Lord's Sup-per, that the Church can truly exercise its role asteacher ofthe faith. The goal ofthe teaching officeofthe Church is not to find out what the biblical textmeant but how the text and community of faith canshape people to live faithfully in the Kingdom ofGod.SoHauerwas states, "If Paul could appear among ustoday to tell us what he 'really meant' when he wrote,for example, I Corinthians 13, his view would notnecessarily count more than Gregory's or Luther'saccount of Corinthians."
It becomes clear while reading Hauerwasthat his main concern is not somuch the scripture asit is the Church. By having "nocreed but the Bible,"private judgments have prevailed and people havecometo the biblical text as private individuals to findthe answers to their private needs. In contrast,Hauerwas says that Scripture never claims tobe self-sufficient but onlywhen it is joined to the Church arethere the necessary ingredients brought together forfaithful living before God. "Godcertainly uses Scrip-ture to call the Church to faithfulness, but such a callalways comes in the form of some in the Churchreminding others in the Church how to live as Chris-
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tians no 'text' can be substituted for the people ofGod."
Hauerwas decides to illustrate his case by 12ofhis sermons or as he calls them, "sermonic exhib-its." Since preaching is the discourse of the Churchand the main form that the teaching office of theChurch takes, the sermons are fitting. Readers willgreatly enjoy and appreciate Hauerwas' sermonsbecause they illustrate so well what he is proposingwhile challenging our assumptions about life in theKingdom. For example, in "ASermon on the Sermonon the Mount," he maintains that unless the Churchis an explicitly pacifist community, it cannot rightlyunderstand the Sermon on the Mount. Or in "HatingMothers as the Way to Peace," he contends that ifChrist and the Church are one's fundamental loyalty,then one will not use the defense of one's family as abasis for violence. It is in the Church and not thefamily that one learns peace.
Hauerwas' daring and extreme book is bothchallenging and hopeful to us in the RestorationMovement. It is challenging because it attacks fun-damental assumptions that have been part of our
movement since Campbell. Wehave contended thatdemocratic people with "commonsense" can read theBible on their own and reach the same conclusionsabout the meaning of the text. We have strained tofind the original meaning ofany particular text. Andwe have claimed no other authority or creed but theBible. However, we may have done this to the perilof the Church. In our quest for knowledge, we mayhave left out the need for transformed lives to under-stand scripture and the role that the Church plays intransforming lives. American democratic ideals andnationalistic loyalties may have unknowingly movedour churches from faithful communities of the King-dom to serving our presuppositions. It is thosepresuppositions that Hauerwas challenges. But it isalso a hopeful bookbecause it models and points outa road the Church can travel - a road not onlyleading to a cross, but also to the resurrection.
Mark Manassee serves as Campus Minister forthe South National Church of Christ, Springfield,Missouri.
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