PSYCHOLOGICAL DYNAMICS OF RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE, The
PSYCHOLOGICAL DYNAMICS OF RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE, The
by
André Godin
Summary: This
internationally acclaimed book written by one of Europe's most celebrated
psychologists of religion deals directly with the central issue in all religion
and religions, namely religious experience. Head on, it confronts key questions
such as: Is religious experience really possible? Can a person directly
encounter God in religious experience? How does religious experience actually
function? What is the
relation of religious experience to faith? Can religious experience be directly facilitated
by persons or by environments?
Spirit of the Book: The spirit of the book is one of a faith-filled yet a deeply scientific inquiry into the nature and manifestations of religious experience. It frontally addresses the major doubt felt not only by psychologists and theologians who study religious experience, but also by persons who believe they have had a religious experience. The major and nagging doubt is this: "Is God real or he an illusion?" Put differently, the doubt manifests itself as: "Does a person meet God in religious experience or does that individual merely meet his/her own needs and wishes?"
What this Book Gives You: This book gives you a lot of things. It gives you a deep appreciation of how central religious experience is in an authentic life of faith. It gives you an awareness that religious experience is not something spooky but something which is an innate part of each person's psyche. It gives you an eagerness to open up yourself to the possibility of religious experience. And it gives you the desire to help others to cultivate the possibility of religious experience in their own lives in order to enrich their personalities and their faith-life.
Distinctiveness: Why this Book is Special: The distinctiveness of this wonderful book is that it combines in a deeply sensitive manner the Freudian view of religion with a commitment to a robust Christian faith. In this perspective, the Freudian view of religion strengthens, enlarges, and makes more real a person's Christian faith.
Major Features: The major feature of this eye-opening volume is the careful examination of how religious experience actually functions in a person's life. The book's thesis is that religious experience "does not fall down from heaven' but comes about from deeply embracing the God who continues to incarnate himself in all reality.
Chapters
1. Functional Religious Experiences
2. Sudden
Conversions
3. Intense Experiences
4. Fusional Joy as an Experience of the
Spirit
5. The Excitement of Conflict as an Experience of Hope
6. The
Critique of Religious Experience as Illusion or Wish Fulfillment
7. The
Christian Experience
Praise for this Book: This book has been acclaimed throughout the world for the masterful treatment of religious experience:
A review in the JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY AND THEOLOGY states that "Godin has written a very stimulating book."
A review in CONTEMPORARY PSYCHOLOGY calls this book " a welcome addition to the literature on religious experience. Insightful."
A review in RELIGIOUS STUDIES REVIEW says: "a sophisticated formulation of the Christian faith experience. Its openness is refreshing."
H. NEWTON MALONY of Fuller Theological Seminary and author of WAYS PEOPLE MEET GOD: TODAY'S RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE says that Godin's book "is one of the best volumes of its kind published in recent years. I recommend it without hesitation.
MERTON P, STROMMEN, founder of Search Institute and editor of RESEARCH ON RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT writes: "This is a remarkable book. By skillfully drawing from the insights of both psychological research and Christian theology, Godin makes a unique and enormous contribution to a much neglected field."
BERNARD SPILKA of the University of Denver and author of THE PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION writes: "André Godin has provided readers with the opportunity to broaden their perspectives and enrich their vision of the meaning of religious experience."
Price and
Such:
279 pages List
Price: $18.95 ISBN 0-89135-039-X