This book is for thoughtful, intelligent persons from all spiritual traditions.
Anyone in serious, personal spiritual quest will find this book richly rewarding.
Opening to Grace is not an exposition of any specific system of beliefs.
Open-minded readers from all religious backgrounds
—and no religious background—will find that this book begins
with their own experience of spiritual suffering: our spiritual malaise.

    One chapter is devoted to each of the following:
(1) spiritual loneliness, (2) guilt, (3) depression, (4) meaninglessness,
(5) the spiritual Void, (6) insecurity, (7) despair, &  (8) anxiety.

    The book is punctuated by a few one-page poems.
And it concludes with a 5-page bibliography of further reading.

    Concept and organization:
Opening to Grace: Transcending Our Spiritual Malaise
is a small study-book (64 pages) for discussion groups of all types.
Most chapters are limited to 4 pages, about 20 minutes of reading,
which could lead to about an hour of discussion.
Discussion groups from older teens thru retired adults
will be able to read one chapter a week.
Each chapter concludes with a chart summarizing the differences
between the psychological problem and the spiritual dilemma.
Each chapter also has a few open-ended questions for discussion.
The discussion leader might want to read the chapter from the larger book
upon which this study-book is based: Our Existential Predicament:
Loneliness, Depression, Anxiety, & Death, also written by James Park.

    Opening to Grace is intended to be intelligible to many levels of readers.
Each chapter is about 1/3 the length
of the original chapter in Our Existential Predicament.
It avoids the most difficult parts of Our Existential Predicament,
but readers of a philosophical bent might wish to read the longer book.

    Opening to Grace avoids traditional religious language and Biblical quotation.
But readers familiar with the Bible will see some spiritual connections.
Readers who want a similar approach based in the Bible should read
James Park's An Existential Interpretation of Paul's Letter to the Romans.

     And readers who have no interest in the Bible
can explore this form of spirituality in another small book by James Park:
Spirituality for Humanists: Six Capacities of Our Human Spirits.

    James Park is an independent existential philosopher.
He holds a Master of Divinity degree
from Union Theological Seminary in New York City.
He is the author of a dozen books in the following areas:
love, sexology, existentialism,
existential spirituality, medical ethics, & death.
To see a complete list of his works in print
(and some in progress), click James Park's Complete Works .

Copyright page—Subject Headings for Opening to Grace

Chapter 1  Interpersonal Loneliness & Spiritual Loneliness

(The complete text of Chapter 1 is available on-line. Click the title above.)
(A three-page article based on this chapter appears here:
Loneliness of Spirit: Deeper than the Reach of Love .)

Chapter 2  Pangs of Conscience & Spiritual Guilt

       (A cyber-sermon on this theme is available on the Internet:
       Existential Guilt: Deeper than the Pangs of Conscience .)

Chapter 3  Psychological Depression & Spiritual Depression

(A three-page article based on this chapter appears here:
Being Depressed in Spirit: Deeper than Psychological Depression .)

Chapter 4  Relative Meaninglessness & Spiritual Meaninglessness

(A 10KB cyber-sermon based on this chapter appears here:
Looking for the Meaning of Life .)
 

Chapter 6  Ordinary Insecurity & Spiritual Insecurity

        (A cyber-sermon version of this chapter appears here:
        Existential Insecurity.)

Chapter 7  Sinking into the River of Despair

        (A three-page article based on this chapter appears here:
        Sinking into the River of Existential Despair .)

Chapter 8  Simple Fear & Spiritual Anxiety

(A three-page article based on this chapter appears here:
Existential Anxiety: Angst .)
 

    If you have decided to order Opening to Grace,
you might also want to consider other books by James Park.
Since the maximum postage and handling charge is $5.00 per package,
you could save money by ordering other books at the same time.
To see a complete list of his books in print,
click: James Park's Complete Works .