The Art of Christian Alchemy

The Art of Christian Alchemy is a witty and provocative book that explores, in twentieth-century terms, the spiritual yearnings of modern people. It is a magic tour through evolutionary theory and the bi-cameral brain, with detours into such areas as handicrafts, dieting, and sex. But in all of these travels, Roger Corless is tracking down an ancient and rich vein: The Spiritual life, he says, is the ""transfiguration"" of the ordinary. Through prayer, meditation, and ascetical practices, we can take the ordinary stuff of life and change it into something more noble–just as alchemists of old sought to transform base metals into gold. The key to this transfiguration is the threefold ""way"" of work, listening, and praise outlined by St. Benedict in the sixth century and still practiced by communities of Benedictines in the U.S. and elsewhere. Corless initiates us into their method. Ultimately, he brings us to the place where St. Francis, Teilhard de Chardin, Buddha, Benedict, and Jesus dwell together at the table of unity. ROGER CORLESS is Professor of Religion Emeritus at Duke University. He has academic qualifications in Christian Theology (B.D, King's College, London) and Buddhist Studies (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin at Madison). He is a practitioner in both traditions, although he does not mix them, and has come to see himself as a one-man dialogue between them. He is a cofounder of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies and its journal ""Buddhist-Christian Studies"" (University of Hawaii OEi Press). His many publications in Buddhism, Christian Spirituality, and Buddhist-Christian Studies include the innovative introductory text, ""The Vision of Buddhism: The Space under the Tree.""