The first chapter of Genesis reports that human beings are created in God's own image, but since the blunder of Eve and Adam in the garden of Eden, tragic flaws have been apparent in our spiritual/psychological structure. Consequently, biblical stories abound with examples of spiritual failure. Eve and Adam were grossly disobedient to the authority of their Heavenly Father. Sibling rivalry would have been unusual for children of the first parents, but who would have predicted a family bond so conflicted that Cain would murder his brother Abel. Then there are the foibles of Simon Peter, the rock on whom Jesus would found a church so mighty that the gates of hell would never prevail against it, but Peter was so often fecklessly confused. Consider doubting Thomas succumbing to the demand for empirical proof and therefore experiencing the despair of faithlessness. Even the spiritual giant St. Paul could state, "I do not do the good I want but I do the evil I do not want" (Rom. 7:19). The Sacred Nexus proposes that factual links exist between the spirit of the image of God and the principles of psychology. These connections help explain the human frailty displayed by biblical characters. Furthermore, psychological study examines the development of dysfunctional habituating behaviors, which possess the potential to destroy the spiritual qualities of God's creation. On the other hand, the linkage of psychology with the image of God may produce a relationship that can enhance the creation of Christ-like quality that God has commanded Christians to willfully produce. Ultimately, The Sacred Nexus exposes the consequences of our psychological/spiritual dilemmas by analyzing six sacred links that define the destiny of our immortal souls.

Two partial apprehensions of nature vied for dominance in the past century: religious (void of any influence from science) and scientific (unable to admit any reality, beyond the empirical). Both views have led to the exploitation of nature -- and the scientific may prove even more devastating. The fault, Gilkey argues, lies not in the scientific knowledge of nature but in the assumed philosophy of science that accompanies most scientific and technological practice. Scientific knowing needs to be critiqued and brought into relationship with other complementary ways of knowing.

The Sacred Santa is an inquiry into the religious dimension of postmodern culture, seriously considering the widespread perception that contemporary culture witnesses a profound struggle between two antithetical systems -- a collision of two worlds, both religious, yet each with vivid visions of the sacred that differ radically with regard to what the sacred is and what it means to human life and social endeavor.

Nature, Space and the Sacred offers the first investigative mapping of a new and highly significant agenda: the spatial interactions between religion, nature and culture. In this ground-breaking work, different concepts of religion, theology, space and place and their internal relations are discussed in an impressive range of approaches. Weaving together a diversity of perspectives, this book presents an innovative and truly transdisciplinary environmental science. Its broad range offers a rich exchange of insights, methods and theoretical engagements.

Seeking relief from Chicago's hectic pace, William Baltz purchased a small lake house in the serene countryside of southwest Michigan. His neighbor-an artist in the process of beautifying the sanctuary of a large Catholic parish-related to him that five nearby spiritual centers proved critical to his complete recovery from a serious illness. Intrigued, William set out to learn about these places for himself. Nestled in a tranquil area of wild-flower fields, lakes and woods not far from his cottage, he discovered that these retreat centers-which form what many call a spiritual nexus-quietly attract people from around the country and all walks of life who seek self-discovery, rest and healing. In order of their founding they are: St. Gregory's Abbey, a Benedictine monastery; Apple Farm Community, established by Helen Luke and three other women inspired by the teachings of psychologist Carl Jung; the Hermitage, founded by a man whose life-long dream was to build a place in the country where people could rest, pray and enjoy nature in silence; GilChrist, a contemplative retreat that welcomes all faiths and beliefs; and the EarthSong Peace Chamber, inspired by Native-American mystic Jospeh Rael. How did these beautiful, peaceful and comfortable retreats-all within a two-mile radius of each other-come to be on the outskirts of a small Midwestern town? Who runs and stays at them, and why? What began as an investigation by a writer on the trail of another story turned into a personal journey of enlightenment. Join William Allen Baltz as he explores the Spiritual Nexus of Three Rivers, Michigan, and meet the warm, friendly and fascinating people who make it a truly special place. Watch his story on the PBS television program Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.

This title was first published in 2002: A Poetics of Jesus explores the act of writing within and between the boundaries of 19th century biblical criticism and fiction. Reflecting on the work of Christian poetics after Augustine to Baur, Feuerbach, Friedrich Strauss and Victorian novelists of the eighteenth and nineteenth century, this book breaks new ground in juxtaposing the evoked image of Christ arising from Victorian biblical criticism against the image of Christ within fiction, letting both these images and the words that figured them interact. This book offers a highly accessible introduction to 19th century literature and theology through comparisons made to contemporary post-modern theorists. Demonstrating how literature can inform theology without itself becoming 'theology', this book constitutes an important contribution to the literature/theology debate and a much needed contribution to contemporary Christology through its introduction to the literature and the writers central to the beginnings of the historical quest for Jesus.