Panentheism across the World's Traditions

Not to be confused with pantheismthe ancient Greek notion that God is everywhere, an animistic force in rocks and treesthe concept of panentheism suggests that God is both in the world, immanent, and also beyond the confines of mere matter, transcendent. One of the fundamental premises of this groundbreaking collection of essays is that panentheism, despite being unlabeled until the nineteenth century, is not merely a modern Western invention. The contributors examine a number of the worlds established and ancient religious traditionsChristianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and othersto draw out the panentheistic dimensions of these traditions and the possibilities they suggest. Panentheism is not only an esoteric, potentially heretical, and deeply mystical vision of the worlds great religious pasts; it is also a key feature of contemporary global spirituality. As this volume demonstrates, the metaphors and practices associated with modern panentheism speak powerfully to the realities of our evolving species and our evolving technological world. Panentheisms enticingly heretical vision of the relationship between the divine and matter has historically been denied a serious place in scholarship. As Panentheism across the Worlds Traditions shows, the dynamism between matter and spirit that panentheism offers has had a profound influence in the modern world.

Loriliai Biernacki is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder and Director of Graduate Studies for the Department of Religious Studies. Her first book, Renowned Goddess of Desire: Women, Sex and Speech in Tantra (OUP 2007) won the Kayden Award in 2008. Philip Clayton is Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean of the Claremont School of Theology, and Provost of Claremont Lincoln University. He is the author of The Predicament of Belief: Science, Philosophy, Faith (OUP 2011) and editor of The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Science (OUP 2006).