The Wilderness Within offers a strikingly original approach to the what, the why, and the how of practising meditation today. Meditation is not a form of 'spiritual technology' to help us achieve our personal goals, but simply sitting quietly before God. It is not a means to an end, but an end in itself. Though it can be learnt in a few minutes, it is likely to take more than a lifetime to master. Drawing extensively on the teachings of Jesus and other biblical narratives, The Wilderness Within takes a deeper look at what meditation really is and what it actually involves. It enables us to explore with honesty our motives for practising it, and explains the need to create a positive and balanced spiritual discipline in our lives. It encourages us to take a step back from ourselves, put things into perspective and learn to see reality as it really is, rather than as we would wish it to be. Ultimately, it is about becoming more fully who and what we really are.

There is a definite and growing interest and awareness amongst the general public of the competing arguments around faith, God and society. The book is divided into two sections. Section One tackles issues of ultimate concern and the place of God in the modern world, whilst Section Two considers the role of faith in public life. The contributors bring a range of different voices - both religious and secular - to the conversation. Section One: Examining God - Richard Harries discusses the challenge to faith from atheism, whilst Dan Cohn-Sherbok thinks about God from a post-holocaust point of view, Daphne Hampson wonders how God might be reconceived in a post-patriarchal context. David Jasper reflects on the role of the arts in leading us to spiritual reflection, and Mona Siddiqui offers a comparison between Muslim and Christian notions of divine love. Section Two: The role of faith in contemporary society - James Jones argues for `kingdom values' in public life, Catherine Pepinster advocates an incarnational engagement with social concerns, Roger Trigg asserts that the Christian values that have shaped our political assumptions cannot be ignored. Estelle Morris defends the place of faith schools in a secular society, and finally Tony Bayfield highlights the need for a truly `public square' where both religious and secular voices can be heard.

This is an informative and engaging book about monasticism, its history, practice, and relevance to contemporary life, combining personal insights with sound scholarship.This book combines a detailed and informative exposition of the Christian monastic tradition with the engaging story of a spiritual journey from despair and alcoholism to faith and redemption, via an ashram in India, Buddhism, academia and reality TV. Beginning with the origins of monasticism in the deserts of Egypt during the 4th century, the book considers some of the essential features of early monastic spirituality, before going on to explore key elements of the Benedictine tradition, drawing out its profoundly counter-cultural message for our times. In the final section, the narrative turns inwards to focus on the more interior aspects of spirituality - such as prayer and silence - concluding with some reflections on the author's own vocation to the priesthood.