Spirituality: A Postmodern & Interfaith Approach to Cultivating a Relationship with God

The Book
In “Traveling Mercies” Anne Lamott quotes a friend: “Religion is for people who are afraid of hell; spirituality is for people who have been there”. I don’t know if Carl McColman has been to Hell or not, but he spends 229 pages exploring what it means to be spiritual in “Spirituality: A Postmodern & Interfaith Approach to Cultivating a Relationship with God”.

McColman is a freelance writer and blogger with a spiritually varied background (Lutheran, Episcopalian, and finally Catholic after a detour through Wicca and Neopaganism). McColman wrote “Spirituality” as an Episcopalian in 1997. The current edition is a 2008 reprint.

Quote
“To believe in the Sacred means to cultivate and cherish – out of the basic human capacity for wonder and openness – a loving relationship with God”.

The Good
What’s good is that McColman takes a look at aspects of life not often associated with spirituality. Of course he touches on the usual suspects: community, good works and social responsibility, but he also discusses at length things like awe, wonder, creativity and playfulness. The book could be paradigm changing for readers with rigidly two-dimensional views of religion. McColman demonstrates with balance and poise that spiritually minded folks don’t have to be dour prudes, but can actually live, love, laugh, play and enjoy healthy sexual relationships while pursuing a connection with the Sacred.

The Bad
McColman gives equal time to different spiritual paths, going from Pentecostalism to Paganism and everything in between. Although his openness is commendable – and perhaps necessary for a book like this one – it made for bland reading. Had he explored the subject from a narrower perspective, it would have given the book a more intense flavor. Thomas Merton did this well when he explored Buddhism from a Catholic perspective in his “Asian Journal”, a much more pungent and memorable offering.

In addition, the book was too long for the subject matter. By the time I had reached page 125 I was starting to wish McColman would wrap it up. A shorter, more focused presentation would have been both possible and desirable. Think Henri Nouwen for brief but deeply spiritual books that deal with much of the same material.

The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that while McColman’s “Spirituality” may serve as a basic introduction for readers who have never considered the subject, it offers little of substance to those already committed to a particular path.