Do Christians Know How To Be Spiritual?

After a century or more of convincing ourselves that intelligent people should be ‘secular’, it is now trendy to be ‘spiritual’. Why the sudden change? And what do we mean by being ‘spiritual’? John Drane presents a whirlwind tour of the phenomenon of cultural change as it is being experienced in the West, identifying the challenges and opportunities this presents to the Christian church. He examines the question of whether human beings are intrinsically programmed to be ‘spiritual’, offers theological reflection on the ‘New Age’ phenomenon and focuses on how the Christian community can connect with spiritual seekers in today’s world.

John Drane is a theologian who is probably best known for his two best-selling books on the Bible, Introducing the Old Testament and Introducing the New Testament. He studied in the University of Aberdeen where he was a student of I. Howard Marshall, and he holds a PhD from the University of Manchester, where his mentor was F. F. Bruce. His doctoral research focused on Gnosticism in relation to early Christian thought and practice. This interest in esoteric spirituality later became a bridge between his study of the Bible and his concern for Christian mission, with particular reference to cultural change and the emergence of New Spirituality.