book: Stirrings of the Soul

Book: Stirrings of the Soul.

I first heard Michael Raiter speak at a Katoomba convention years ago; a missionary at the time, he’s gone to to be an academic, and now a theological college principal. Here, he’s written a book in response to the wave of spirituality literature (and general interest) that has arisen in recent years.

Starting at Sydney’s Mind, Body, Spirit festival with a survey of possible meanings for the word Spiritual, he goes on to discuss a range of past interpretations of the word, including a few examples of Christian mysticism from years gone by.

As you would expect from a Matthias Media book, it’s quite conservative in its approach, but eventually comes down to showing a place for spirituality that’s not quite what you might expect. Worth reading through, if only to see a more nuanced approach to the place of emotions in the life of the evangelical.

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1 Comment

  1. I confess I have only dipped into this book (like so many others).

    Mike is an interesting person. About 10 years ago we spent a lengthy afternoon together, shooting pool and discussing a whole lot of issues. Though I recall very little of the conversation, I do remember discussing the Charismatic movement with him, and he was [surprisingly] generous in his assessment; some of this stemmed from his experiences in Pakistan.

    With all due respect to certain institutions, Mike is certainly not a product of anyone’s ‘sausage factory’. I’m sure his book on spirituality would well be worth reading cover-to-cover. Maybe one day I will do just that; your review is a good encouragement to make it sooner rather than later.

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