Imagination and the Journey of Faith

by Sandra M. Levy

Overview

What makes us open to mystery, to glimpses of the Transcendent in our daily lives? The power of the imagination, according to Sandra Levy — a power that has been seriously depleted in today's postmodern culture.

To address and redress this situation, Levy first explores how the imagination expresses itself — through ritual, music, poetry, art, and story — and then focuses on specific practices that can exercise and enrich our spiritual capacity, thus opening us up to divine encounter.

Imagination and the Journey of Faith will speak to both those outside of a religious tradition and those in faith communities who wish to strengthen and deepen the imaginative power of their spiritual lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802863010
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	09/05/2008
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	202
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Sandra M. Levy is a clinical psychologist and Episcopal priest and author, currently serving as priest associate at historic St. john's Church in Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Levy has a dual background in Psychology and Religion, with a Ph.D. granted from Indiana University—Bloomington, and a Masters of Divinity degree granted from Virginia Theological Seminary. She held the academic rank of Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh before attending seminary. For further information, see her web site at www.sandralevy.net.

Table of Contents

Preface ix Introduction: Why Imagination Matters in the Journey of Faith 1 Section I
1 Meeting God in Ritual 21
2 Meeting God in Poetry and Visual Art: The Power of Metaphor and Symbol 44
3 Meeting God in the Story Told: Sacred and Secular Narratives 74 Coda: Criteria for Truth 103 Section II Introduction: The Development of the Imaginative Mind 111
4 Exercising the Imagination: Practices in the Home 117
5 Exercising the Imagination: Practices in Communities and Churches 135
6 Concluding Thoughts: The Imagination and the Making of Meaning 160 Appendix Practical Resources 176 Bibliography 180 Index 185

Editorial Reviews

Jerome W. Berryman, Center for the Theology of Childhood, Godly Play Foundation
"There is a calmness in this book that is palpable, but the passion that keeps the pages turning connects God's originating act with the understanding from Coleridge to Csikszentmihalyi that the nature of the imagination is to need nurture. A steady and healthy diet of sacred stories, liturgy, and art is critical because the imagination 'can run amok if not rooted in community wisdom.' The searing irony that postmodern culture offers can only cauterize the bleeding of the wounded spirit. It never heals it. To heal we need to be responsible creators, as Sandra Levy shows, so that the story we weave together can be as redemptive as this book."

Catherine M. Wallace, author of Selling Ourselves Short
"Imagination animates faith, Levy argues, through those rare but personally transformative glimpses of transcendence. Drawing adeptly on a range of thinkers from Coleridge to contemporary cognitive linguists, she outlines the way in which nurturing imagination can deepen both our faith and our grasp of the ultimate meanings of our lives."

Jill Peláez Baumgaertner, Wheaton College
"This book is essential reading for anyone frustrated by the lack of attention the contemporary church pays to the power of the imagination to shape and transform our faith lives. Its arguments and compelling suggestions should be read by all those seeking to live their faith more alertly and more passionately. If the paucity of faith so evident in our culture is a sign of the failure of the imagination, then faith is its flourishing, and this book is a vital guide offering sound theology and a downright good read."

From the Publisher