Stirrings of the Soul: Evangelicals and the New Spirituality

The explosion of interest in spirituality in our society is nothing short of phenomenal. New Age, feminist, environmental, occult, animal, vegetable and mineral… While ‘religion’ and ‘Christianity’ arouse little enthusiasm from a disinterested and cynical public, ‘spirituality’ draws a crowd.

Among Christians, too, there is a flourishing interest in developing a greater ‘spirituality’. Many who love the Lord Jesus Christ and long to please him seem frustrated that their spiritual lives-and the church services they attend-are too often dry and lacking in vitality. There has been a turn to the charismatic movement, to forms of mysticism, and even monasticism, in search of a way to ‘practise the presence of God’.

In this intriguing and appealing book, Michael Raiter surveys contemporary spiritualities, highlighting both their enormous variety and their common features, and tracing their historical, cultural and social roots. He then addresses a range of important questions for Christians: What is true spirituality? If we were to meet a ‘truly spiritual’ person, what would he or she look like? How do we respond biblically to our longing for spiritual intimacy? And is evangelicalism, in its current expressions, contributing to an atmosphere of spiritual dryness?