Australian theologian Scott Cowdell explores how "having religion" has replaced less than the impression of modernity and post-modernity within the West. He returns religion from pious sentimentality and arid philosophy of faith to the area of "participating knowing," "paradigmatic imagination," and private transformation the place it belongs as a "form of life," formed by way of stumble upon with Jesus Christ and labored out throughout the Eucharistic neighborhood. this can be proven to were the common realizing of religion from Saint Paul to the Fathers to the medieval monastic theologians. because the upward thrust of nominalism, in spite of the fact that, smooth participants reflecting a God newly distant from the area have struggled to keep up this participatory imaginative and prescient of religion as a formative habitat. Mysticism is as shut as modernity bought, whereas "officially" religion was once annexed through sleek Western tradition, coming to proportion its apprehensive want for simple task and control--systemic, particular, and violent-tending.

Scott Cowdell has written a wide-ranging publication, bringing jointly a number of generally separate debates whereas tackling the matter from a particular point of view. He explores religion opposed to the backdrop of secularization, the cave in of neighborhood, and the encroachment of an deliberately destabilizing customer tradition. He expounds the character of wish when it comes to imitation and contention, and the violent false-sacred roots of cultural formation obvious within the glossy West's many sufferers, all in keeping with the uniquely complete imaginative and prescient of René Girard. eventually, he dismisses latest growing to be temper of militant spiritual skepticism as philosophically outmoded and out of its intensity earlier than the resilient self belief of a real residing religion. What Cowdell calls "abiding religion" emerges as a venerable but strikingly modern chance. this can be excellent news for modern-day "homeless hearts"--there is the reward of a safe identification and a mature spirituality on supply, inside a releasing, inclusive, world-affirming, ecclesial type of lifestyles.

"Scott Cowdell is striking. He works on an unlimited canvas and demonstrates a competence within the technical literature moment to none; but he writes in a compelling approach a couple of mystical, relational religion which can and will be the root of a latest, western apologetics. A travel de strength that warrants cautious study."
--Ian Markham, Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary

"A theology of huge studying and beneficiant spirit, infrequent in its mystically tinged yet resolute religion. Even the non-Giradian reader might treasure the 'modest metaphysics' and 'participatory understanding' wherein Cowdell builds his postmodern bridge among conventional and revolutionary faith."
--Catherine Keller, Professor of confident Theology, Drew University

Scott Cowdell is an affiliate professor at Charles Sturt college, Australia and holds a study fellowship in public and contextual theology. An Anglican priest, he's Canon Theologian of the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn.