Divine Discontent - 9781441180629

Thomas Merton -- Trappist monk, writer, contemplative, social critic and (in the context of world faiths) ecumenist -- continues to intrigue and to challenge. His extensive writings, some of which have only become widely available in the last 20 years, make it possible to see the abiding fascination of the man, together with the many discontents -- human and divine -- that dominated so much of his life. The 2015 centenary of his birth provides an opportunity to reconsider both his international reputation and his startling relevance in today's world.

In Divine Discontent, John Moses inspires us to look again with Thomas Merton at our preconceived ideas about the natural world, the prevailing culture, abuses of power, questions of war and peace, contemplation and action, institutions and the freedom of the individual -- and the search for God.

John Moses is an Anglican priest who discovered Thomas Merton through his reading of Elected Silence in the 1960s and who has found himself drawn increasingly to Merton's writings over the years, fascinated by the man, the contradictions that he presents, and the prophetic voice with which he speaks.

His earlier books include studies of atonement theology (The Sacrifice of God), Church and State (A Broad and Living Way), the spirituality of the desert (The Desert), John Donne (One Equall Light) and prayer (The Language of Love).

He is Dean Emeritus of St Paul's Cathedral.