How I Pray

by Jim Castelli

Overview

Religion writer Jim Castelli set out to answer these profound questions by talking with twenty-six spiritual leaders and practitioners representing the wide spectrum of faith in America today. How I Pray gathers these remarkable conversations into a thought-provoking, personal, and deeply meaningful volume.

In How I Pray Christians and Jews, Muslims and Buddhists, Native Americans and Mormons, and members of many other faiths describe the intimate and unique ways in which they pray—and what prayer means to them. Catholic priest and novelist Andrew M. Greeley reveals that he prays to a womanly God because it enhances the intimacy of his spiritual encounters. Pollster George Gallup, Jr., considers his prayer life a dynamic two-way conversation with God. Lakota Sioux medicine man High Star shares the fascinating prayer rituals that his people have practiced for centuries.

Infused with honesty and passion, warmth, and a deep reverence for life's spirituality, How I Pray is sure to be a source of illumination and delight for readers of all religious backgrounds, with insights from the following spiritual leaders:

Philip C. Bom
Sidney Callahan
Joan Brown Campbell
Sandra Goodwin Clopine
Richard J. Foster
George Gallup, Jr.
Ann Garvin
Rajshri Gopal
Billy Graham
Andrew M. Greeley
High Star
Lawrence Kushner
Norman Lear
John Lewis
Martin E. Marty
Carole Mu’min
Ronald Y. Nakasone
Marlene Payne
Jane Redmont
Mary Frances Robles
Eve Rudin
Robert Schuller
Dan Seals
Eleana Silk
Rembert G. Weakland, O.S.B.
Lisa Wood

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780345383310
Publisher:	Random House Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/28/1994
Edition description:	1st ed
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.50(d)

Editorial Reviews

``Asking how I pray is a real Western question,'' observes High Star, a Lakota Sioux singer. Nevertheless, he and 26 other Americans, a cross section representing the breadth of religious traditions in this country, answer that and almost two dozen similar questions. The result is a very readable collection of honest reflections on the technique and the value of prayer. The techniques are as varied as the respondents themselves, encompassing everything from communal liturgy to spontaneous private expression, from eloquent words to simple silence. Paradoxically, many of those interviewed say that they experience the inward practice of prayer as a turning outward, a change in perspective that leads to greater awareness of the needs of others and to a heightened desire to improve their community and the world. Regardless of religious orientation, however, those who worry that they ``don't know how to pray'' will find this book to be an encouraging introduction to the habit of prayer. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly