A 2004
Publishers Weekly Book of the Year; 2004 Quills Award Nominee
Poet George Herbert marveled that the human being is "once a poor creature, now a wonder . . . tortur'd in the space/Betwixt this world and that of grace."
In Tortured Wonders, Rodney Clapp takes up the topic of embodied Christian spirituality with poetic intelligence and flair. With wisdom and flashes of humor, he reminds us that we are "in-between" creatures--neither entirely body nor entirely spirit, neither apes nor angels.
Tortured Wonders begins by showing how orthodox Christian spirituality "never gives up on the body." Clapp addresses the incarnation of Christ and the resurrection of the body, as well as the place of sacraments in Christian spirituality.
Later, Clapp conjures pop-culture figures and narratives, namely Elvis and Bambi, to explore the spiritual consequences of our contemporary phobia about death and obsession with spectacle and celebrity. He calls us to embrace our creatureliness through a string of irresistible topics: Is there sex in heaven? What is the most "biblical" posture for prayer? What can we learn from non-Christian spiritual traditions?
Pastors, counselors, and anyone interested in Christian spirituality will appreciate this lucid and insightful book.
