Meditations by Howard Thurman on timeless religious themes: A Sense of History, A Sense of Self, A Sense of Presence, and For the Quiet.Originally written for the bulletin at the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco.
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Meditations by Howard Thurman on timeless religious themes: A Sense of History, A Sense of Self, A Sense of Presence, and For the Quiet.Originally written for the bulletin at the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco.
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Fine. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 228 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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Near Fine. Reprint. Near fine, lacking the dust jacket. Warmly Inscribed by the author to American businessman Kivie Kaplan, philanthropist and President of the NAACP from 1966 until 1975, and trustee of Lincoln University and Tougaloo College: "To Kivie & Emily-In whose lives there is manifest what it means to be an authentic apostle of sensitiveness, Howard Thurman."
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Seller's Description:
Fine. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 228 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Between his positions as chaplain at Howard University and at Boston University, Howard Thurman (1899 -- 1981) co-founded the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco and served as its pastor from 1944 -- 1954. This church was the first ecumenical house of worship in the United States and welcomed individuals from every racial, national, or religious background. Thurman's work for the church was a lasting accomplishment.
During the course of his work, Thurman prepared short weekly meditations for Sunday services together with additional short remarks he delivered before sessions of silent meditation. Thurman ultimately gathered his meditations into three volumes of which "Deep is the Hunger" is the first. In his autobiography, "With Head and Heart", Thurman's explained the origin of the book's title. In a meeting with the publisher, the publisher remarked that a friend had given a series of lectures about religion which had been attended primarily by psychiatrists. Thurman remarked that this was evidence of how "deep is the hunger" for spirituality; and the title for the book was born. In his autobiography, Thurman writes further about the meditations: "From the beginning, the meditations were a channel through which I was able to place my own resources at the disposal of those who shared experientially in my pilgrimage. But there was more! The meditations were an experience of my own hunger and hope. Through them, I joined the spiritual quest of those to whom I ministered."
Thurman's explanation of the subtitle of the book, "Meditations for the Apostles of Sensitiveness", is also worth noting. In "Deep is the Hunger" he refers to Paul's letter to the Philippians and comments: "To have a sense of what is vital, a basic and underlying awareness of life and its potentialities at every level of experience, this is to be an Apostle of Sensitiveness." Thurman's goal was to bring a sense of the potentialities of life to his congregation and to his readers.
The book is divided into four sections, each of which consists of short numbered meditations, some of which are in poetry. Each meditation is intended to be read separately rather than as a continuous narrative. Thurman writes "The attempt is not to set forth a connected series of observations or reflections, but rather to throw a shaft of light on aspects of thought. of life, of religious experience as they are encountered in the daily round."
Each of the book's four sections has a theme, and Thurman offers a few introductory words on the first three sections. In the first section, "A Sense of History", Thurman remarks on the "universal urgency for both personal and social stability" and on the need for the development of a fresh sense of history and of the interconnectedness of events. In part 2, Thurman offers meditations on "A Sense of Self" He writes that "the assumption of democracy, that the quality of infinite worth is the priceless ingredient in human life and relations, must be examined and re-emphasized. The meditations in the third section of the book explore "a sense of presence". Thurman writes: "To state it in the simplest language of religion, modern man must know that he is a child of God and that the God of life in all its parts and the God of the human heart are on and the same. Such an assurance will vitalize the sense of self, and highlight the sense of history, with the warmth of great confidence." The final section of the book "For the Quiet Time" consists in part of reflections on the process of meditation itself.
I found many beautiful and thoughtful passages in this book together with some writing that seemed to me more routine. Readers should linger over and think about the parts of this book that touch something in them. Thurman initially prepared these meditations to be delivered and heard individually rather than to be read one after the other in a book. It is valuable to remember the origins of these meditations in reading the book, which should be done slowly and a little at a time.
I have been learning a great deal in reading books by and about Howard Thurman. These meditations are an effective way to become involved with Thurman's message and teaching.
