Spirituality: What It Is and Why It Matters
"The single best book giving an objective look at the burgeoning interest in spirituality that exists in the English language." --Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor-in-chief ofTikkun"We agree with Gottlieb when he affirms a piece of wisdom which traveled the world: 'Do your best and leave the rest to God'...Gottlieb puts his faith in grace and in the human capacity for transformation."--Spirituality & Practice"Roger Gottlieb has created a piece of art in surveying the literature on how meditation and Yoga might help reduce pain and suffering, then switching to a heart-felt narration of struggles within his own family." -- Christopher Chapple, Loyola Marymount University"This book validates and provides grounding for the wide range of discussions and claims around 'spirituality.'  It is much needed in a time when many claim to be 'spiritual' rather than 'religious,' eschewing organized religion for individualized experiences of the sacred."--Stephanie Kaza, Professor of Environmental Studies, University of Vermont"Gottlieb is an outstanding scholar whose work in areas related to spirituality is well known and much appreciated.  This book is timely, perhaps overdue, given the extensive interest in 'things spiritual' in the broader culture, the intense concern for a more eclectic approach to 'the spiritual' in the larger culture, and the need for a single volume text that offers a survey of opinions, options and practices."--Bill J. Leonard, James and Marilyn Dunn Professor of Baptist Studies and Professor of Church History, Wake Forest University"Spiritualityis a concept that requires attention given its inconsistent yet ubiquitous employment in a full range of contemporary human endeavors. Gottlieb's judicious selection of representative examples of figures and practices will give readers some tools to help better understand and define spirituality without falsely representing it as a uniform phenomenon."--Diane L. Moore, Senior Lecturer on Religious Studies and Education, Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of World Religions, and Director of the Religious Literacy Project and the Certificate in Religious Studies and Education, Harvard Divinity School"Gottlieb s explorations are critical to our times, as new medical threats arise from superbugs, climate disasters, and accumulating environmental toxins." -- Stephanie Kaza, University of Vermont