Living in Wonder
Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular Age
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4.6 • 8 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Join the bestselling author of The Benedict Option and Live Not by Lies on an exploration of the mystery and meaning of the supernatural world and discover that the universe is not what we think it is: it is far more strange, exciting, connected, and adventurous.
The West has become "disenchanted"--closed to the idea that the universe contains the supernatural, the metaphysical, or the non-material. Christianity is in crisis. People today are leaving the Church because faith has become dry and lifeless. But people aren't leaving faith for atheism. They are still searching for the divine, and it might just be right under their noses.
In Living in Wonder, thought leader, cultural critic, and New York Times bestselling author Rod Dreher shows you how to encounter and embrace wonder in the world. In his trademark mixture of analysis, reporting, and personal story, Dreher brings together history, cultural anthropology, neuroscience, and the ancient Church to show you--no matter your religious affiliation--how to reconnect with the natural world and the Great Tradition of Christianity so you can relate to the world with more depth and connection.
He shares stories of miracles, rumors of angels, and outbreaks of awe to offer hope, as well as a guide for discerning and defending the truth in a confusing and spiritually dark culture, full of contemporary spiritual deceptions and tempting counterfeit spiritualities.
The world is not what we think it is. It is far more mysterious, exciting, connected, and adventurous. As you learn practical ways to regain a sense of wonder and awaken your sense of God's presence--through prayer, attention, and living by spiritual disciplines--your eyes will be opened, and you will find the very thing every one of us searches for: our ultimate meaning.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Dreher (The Benedict Option), an editor at the American Conservative, offers an eclectic invitation for Christians to find the sacred in the everyday. Tracing the West's "progressive disenchantment" with a more mystical faith "since the High Middle Ages," he explains how the industrial revolution propelled a rise of capitalism that has left humans obsessed with their own power and knowledge, blinded to the signs of "divine reality" that permeated the lives of "our enchanted ancestors." As a corrective, readers are advised to adopt an attitude of vulnerability and openness to the existence of God, "or at least... meaning, beyond your head." According to Dreher, doing so opens up a world where music, art, and natural beauty are evidence of "God's handiwork"; "signs, wonders, and miracles" abound; and "demonic" activity is a reality. Dreher's message about making room for life's unknowns is often stimulating, though he struggles to tie together a surfeit of topics—UFOs, artificial intelligence, exorcisms—and has a tendency to wander into distracting hyperbole ("If AI becomes sentient, or so convincingly mimics sentience that it's a distinction without a difference, then we will treat AI entities like gods"). Flaws aside, this has much for the spiritually curious to chew on.
