All in Sync : How Music and Art Are Revitalizing American Religion / Robert Wuthnow.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wuthnow, Robert, Author.

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (300 p.)

Place of Publication:

Berkeley, CA : University of California Press, [2003]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Robert Wuthnow shows how music and art are revitalizing churches and religious life across the nation in this first-ever consideration of the relationship between religion and the arts. All in Sync draws on more than four hundred in-depth interviews with church members, clergy, and directors of leading arts organizations and a new national survey to document a strong positive relationship between participation in the arts and interest in spiritual growth. Wuthnow argues that contemporary spirituality is increasingly encouraged by the arts because of its emphasis on transcendent experience and personal reflection. This kind of spirituality, contrary to what many observers have imagined, is compatible with active involvement in churches and serious devotion to Christian practices.The absorbing narrative relates the story of a woman who overcame a severe personal crisis and went on to head a spiritual direction center where participants use the arts to gain clarity about their own spiritual journeys. Readers visit contemporary worship services in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston and listen to leaders and participants explain how music and art have contributed to the success of these services. All in Sync also illustrates how music and art are integral parts of some Episcopal, African American, and Orthodox worship services, and how people of faith are using their artistic talents to serve others.Besides examining the role of the arts in personal spirituality and in congregational life, Wuthnow discusses how clergy and lay leaders are rethinking the role of the imagination, especially in connection with traditional theological virtues. He also shows how churches and arts organizations sometimes find themselves at odds over controversial moral questions and competing claims about spirituality. Accessible, relevant, and innovative, this book is essential for anyone searching for a better understanding of the dynamic relationships among religion, spirituality, and American culture.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

List of Tables

Preface

1. A Puzzle: The Question of Religious Vitality

2. Contemporary Spirituality: Seeking the Sacred in an Era of Uncertainty

3. A Blending of Cultures: The Arts and Spirituality

4. Personal Spirituality: Art and the Practice of Spiritual Discipline

5. The Joy of Worship: Expression and Tradition in Congregational Life

6. Redeeming the Imagination: The Arts and Spiritual Virtue

7. The Morality Problem: Why Churches and Artists Disagree

8. The Artist in Everyone: Faithful Living in a Spiritual Democracy

Appendix: Methodology

Notes

Index

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 18. Sep 2024)

ISBN:

9780520420618

0520420616

OCLC:

56028959