Book description
Internationally acclaimed for his work on Celtic spirituality, John
Philip Newell here addresses the question 'Who is Christ for us today?'
As increasing numbers of people are attracted to the Celtic vision with
its focus on the environment and its sense of the sacred existing in all
things and creatures, the author explores what it is that makes Celtic
spirituality particularly relevant for the modern world. In doing so he
draws on long-hidden documents, such as The Gospel of Thomas, The Secret
Book of John and The Acts of John and the great teachers of the Celtic
world such as Irenaeus, Eriugena and Teilhard de Chardin.
To look at Christ in the light of Celtic spirituality brings up for
examination the divisive doctrines of the past that had more to do with
the state's need to control people than with any true spiritual
teaching. By contrast, a spirituality that combines the best features of
the Celtic heritage with the new earth consciousness of today is one of
essential harmony between Christ and creation. At the core of Christ's
teaching is the truth that we are most deeply divine precisely when we
are most deeply human, and in reclaiming Christianity for the people and
the human soul lies the potential for its rebirthing as a spirituality
revelant for the 21st century. 'Diagnosing the human soul with a
longing for peace in the face of fear and fragmentation nurtured by
global political forces and fundamentalisms, Newell offers the ancient
traditions of Celtic Christianity as a way forward in healing humankind
and the earth. An international retreat leader who is the former warden
of Scotland's Iona Abbey, the author of Listening for the Heartbeat of
God argues we discover unity as we become connected to one another and
"allow ourselves to be surprised by the Presence that is within
creation and within the human soul". Drawing on ancient and
contemporary sources both within and outside the conventional Christian
canon, Newell is critical of, and offers alternatives to, ancient
Christian doctrines like creation ex nihilo (out of nothing), original
sin and substitutionary atonement.'
Publishers Weekly, March 2008
