During the Age of the Enlightenment, developments in mass printing allowed for the dissemination of new scientific knowledge, enriching the capacity to learn. Instead of extracting truth from authoritative sources such as the Gospel, importance was now placed on discovery through observation, aiming to understand the universe. This new science introduced a notion of truth as certain, objective and precise, incompatible with the medieval concept of spiritual reality and the ambiguity of the teachings of Jesus. However, the modern idea of objectivity is no longer credible, with emphasis instead on subjectivity and the limits of human capacity to discover absolute truth. 'Jesus after Modernity' constructs a model of truth compatible with the nature of humanity and the spirituality of the teachings and actions of Jesus. Addressing the need for a realistic notion of truth, Danaher aims to bring insight into the integrity of Jesus's message within a twenty-first century context, which celebrates ambiguity and allows for both logic and contradiction. James P. Danaher is Professor of Philosophy and Head of the Philosophy Department at Nyack College. He is the author of 'Eyes that See, Ears that Hear: Perceiving Jesus in a Postmodern Context' (2006), and 'Postmodern Christianity and the Reconstruction of the Christian Mind' (2001). 'We in religion concentrate so much on what we know for certain, but there has always been too little self critique about 'How do we know what we think we know?' This clear and well-written book is both very honest and very helpful on the subject. No one will lose their faith here - perhaps many will find it for the first time I am happy someone has written this much-needed book, and I hope it is used in classrooms, by many seekers, and in the churches'. Richard Rohr OFM, Center for Action and Contemplation

Description: The current popularity of contemplative prayer is not accidental. A twenty-first-century understanding of the human condition has made us suspicious of words and the understanding we craft out of words. Theology generally offers us words that purport to give us a more precise and certain understanding of God, but the mystic has always known that our relationship to God transcends words and the kind of understanding that words produce. The theology of the mystic has always been about understanding our communion with the mystery that is God in order to fall evermore deeply in love with the Divine. That is the ultimate purpose of contemplative prayer, and the purpose of this book is to offer a philosophy and theology of contemplative prayer in the twenty-first century. Endorsements: ""Again, James Danaher shows us that the use of the mind and the search for God are not in competition, but in fact enrich and feed one another at very deep levels. How much we need this kind of integration in our culture--where so much religious talk seems divisive and compromised. Contemplative Prayer is not just about divine prayer but about the very quality of human faith and love."" -Richard Rohr, OFM author of Everything Belongs and The Naked Now ""There is often a wide gulf in academia between the mind and the spirit. Many Christian academics start in the spirit but lose something of their spirituality in the development of their mind. Jim Danaher successfully bridges that gulf in this book on contemplative prayer. Jim's insights into this marvelous discipline nourish both the mind and the spirit, bringing them together in Holy Communion with the Trinity."" -Ron Walborn Dean, Alliance Theological Seminary About the Contributor(s): James P. Danaher is Professor of Philosophy and Head of the Philosophy Department at Nyack College, Nyack, New York. He is the author of Jesus after Modernity: A Twenty-First-Century Critique of Our Modern Concept of Truth and the Truth of the Gospel (2011), Eyes That See, Ears ThatHear: Perceiving Jesus in a Postmodern Context (2006), Postmodern Christianity and the Reconstruction of the Christian Mind (2001), and over sixty articles that have appeared in a variety of philosophy and theology journals.