Working on God (Modern Library

by Winifred Gallagher

Millions of Americans are finding it more and more difficult to apply the traditional demands of organized religion to their lives, and yet a complete absence of spirituality leaves them uneasy. Working on God is a book for and about such intelligent, independent people, who are seeking to reconcile their spiritual yearnings with their skeptical intellects. Winifred Gallagher, a behavioral-science reporter, began her investigation of religion in our postmodern age with research and interviews and soon discovered a vast, quiet revolution under way among ordinary men and women grappling with the sacred. Both Gallagher's brilliant journalistic inquiry and her very personal journey unfold over time spent in a Zen monastery and a cloistered convent, in small-group discussions and healing rituals, in a Conservative synagogue that shares spaces with a Christian church, and in the birthplace of the New Age. Written with humor, empathy, and a rigorous curiosity, Working on God breaks new ground in depicting the broad-based spiritual movement that is transforming many lives.

Genres: Religion, Spirituality, Nonfiction

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Walter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sneakily compelling book written by an accomplished author covering new and more personal terrain. What I have enjoyed most about the author's style is that even though her own experiences are a core component of the book, she includes them in a way that is complimentary to story line and helps to deepen one's appreciation for the other phenomena that she investigates.

Simply put, this is a parallel journey and journal: one the one hand, the author investigates the renewed interest in spirituality at the dawn of the millenium; on the other, she chronicles her own personal quest in this regard. Both stories are fascinating, as they evidence important developments in our societal evolution. For example, it is clear that there is a yearning for greater spiritual fulfillment in the polity at large, but the ways in which this is being sought are different than in the past. The development of a group of religious and spiritual skeptics, whom Gallagher calls "neoagnostics" is effectively both an indictment of organized religion and one of its largest future growth opportunities. Also, given the tendency of so many to change religious affiliations over the course of their lifetime, there is also a complimentary trend toward customization - the blending of denominational spiritual elements to create a more personally fulfilling spiritual belief set. In this regard, the author's recommitment to Christianity (though not necessarily to a belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ) along with the adoption of the practice of Zen meditation and of the Jewish approach to scriptural study and illumination is representative.

Although a generally strong effort throughout, there are some places that the book does seem to wander or even get off of its track, but these are relatively few and not particularly harmful diversions. Also, I believe that the author misses an important opportunity in recounting her personal spiritual evolution but not offering specific guidance or suggestions to readers on how to do the same (as the rest of us aren't in the position of a having a funded book project to allow us to explore freely as she does).

Other than these quibbles, though, this is a valuable contribution to understanding the renewed interest in spirituality in our society and a thought-provoking journey that can encourage readers' re-consideration of their own personal spirituality.

[Linda]

This is quite a good book. I relished every word that I read. But, I kept putting it back and reading something else. Every time I picked it up I began to feel like I was on the brink of some kind of wonderful and exciting breakthrough. I felt like I understood modern culture and why we are so aimless in our spirituality. Then, I would read something else. Go figure.