The Future of Christian Spirituality In Our Lives, In Our Churches, and In the Academy: Essays in Honor of Fr. Ronald Rolheiser

Father Ron Rolheiser is ecumenically recognized as one of the most important voices in Christian spirituality today. His career has spanned fifty years. He has served the Church as a theologian, educator, and priest in the religious congregation of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. This volume offers ten essays that dare to imagine what the future might hold for Christian spirituality and Christian spiritual formation. They are written by Catholic and Protestant scholars and practitioners, both men and women. They explore the contemporary landscape of contemplation, community, the mystical life, and some of the many spaces in which spirituality intersects (such as spirituality and theology, sexuality, gender, and aging). Fr. Rolheiser has devoted his life to practicing and teaching others to practice a thoughtful and robust spiritual life. He envisioned and helped to develop a Christian spirituality institute which is now flourishing at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. His friends and colleagues have come together to honor his life’ s work by contributing these essays, sharing their unique perspectives.

David Pocta is a Christian Spirituality Scholar, ministry builder, and educator. After nearly three decades of pastoral work, he returned to school for his PhD in Christian Contemporary Spirituality. His work blends his experience in pastoral ministry with spirituality scholarship. John Markey, OP, is a Professor of Theology and the Director of the PhD program in Spirituality at Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1984, then earned an M.A. in Theology there two years later. He entered the Dominican Order in 1987 and was ordained a priest in 1993. He received his M.Div from the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in 1991 and his PhD in Philosophy and Theology from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California in 1997.

Preface Introduction 1 Ron Rolheiser, Christian Spirituality in Our Cities, Our Churches, and in the Academy: The Agenda Moving Forward IN OUR LIVES 2 Wendy Wright, Lessons for the Road Ahead 3 Robert Ellsberg, The Future of Christian Spirituality 4 Steven L. Porter, The Future of Christian Spiritual Formation IN OUR CHURCHES 5 Ruth Haley Barton, Known by What We Protest: A Protestant’ s Journey Toward a More Unified Faith 6 John Shea, Three Futures of Christian Spirituality IN THE ACADEMY 7 Sandra M. Schneiders, The Future of Christian Spirituality as an Academic Discipline 8 Amy E.W. Maxey, Feminist Theologies and Christian Mystical Spiritualities: Convergences, Challenges, and the Future 9 Philip Sheldrake, The Mystical Way in Times of Challenge Contributors Index