Sacred America: The Emerging Spirit of the People

In Sacred America, Roger Housden uncovers a powerful current in the American zeitgeist that illuminates the frontiers of the transformational process. I found this book to be deeply nourishing soul food, especially in a time like ours, when the spiritual life, along with everything else, is being reconceptualized for the global era. The search for a deeper spiritual chord that is more resonant with the times than the traditional creeds of organized religion is well under way in the US. This is the territory that Sacred America beautifully explores, and, I feel strongly that the Kirkus review has missed the point entirely in complaining that the book should include something on the Episcopalians and a trip to Salt Lake City. Housden clearly has no interest in making yet another journey through well tried and well worn dogmas and movements. His focus is much more specific - he wants to unearth what is new and emergent (note the subtitle) that is shaping the way we may experience ourselves both as individuals and as a culture in the new millenium. The result for me is a stirring book that gives us a hopeful and empowering field guide - both to the human heart and to the soul of America. I am grateful to Housden for the stories he tells so well and for his penetrating observations and compassionate ear.

This is frankly the best book I have ever read on the fertile landscape of the spirit in America. I was moved, uplifted, and encouraged to trust more in the intelligence of my own life's pattern by the stories of the people Housden meets as well as by his own story. It was also gratifying to hear that a foreigner - an Englishman - sees such promise for the inner life in our country. Housden's view is a welcome relief from the other, more common picture of America as the engine of global greed. He also happens to be a deep and insightful writer. In Sacred America, he has made a profound and inspiring contribution to the ongoing conversation on our culture.