Book Review A Theology of Love: Reimagining Christianity through A Course in Miracles: A Spirituality Based on Love, Not Fear by Richard Smoley
Reviewed by Lalia Wilson who received a review copy from the publisher.
Published by Inner Traditions an imprint of Inner Traditions Bear & Company, 2019.
This classic blue colored book is perfect bound and measures 6” by 9”, 229 pages with index. It is also available in an e-book format. ISBN 978-1-62055-925-3 (print) and 978-1-62055-926-0 (e-book)
We might want to start with understanding the title. Theology means the study of God and religious belief. A Theology of Love proposes a loving god, who loves his people, instead of a god with many rules who punishes his people. The Course in Miracles is a bit harder to define so I am taking the definition from Wikipedia: “A Course in Miracles (also referred to as ACIM or The Course) is a 1333 page 1976 book by Helen Schucman. It is a curriculum for those seeking to achieve spiritual transformation. The underlying premise is that the greatest ‛miracle’ is the act of simply gaining a full ‛awareness of love's presence’ in one's own life. The author claimed that the book had been dictated to her, word for word, via ‛inner dictation’ from Jesus.”
Readers with an interest in Christian theology, A Course in Miracles, or many New Age approaches to life, and a scholarly bent, will enjoy this book. A good author to compare and contrast with Richard Smoley would be John Shelby "Jack" Spong (born June 16, 1931) a retired bishop of the Episcopal Church. A liberal Christian theologian, religion commentator and author, he calls for a fundamental rethinking of Christian belief away from theism and traditional doctrines. While Spong is more mainstream, both men advocate a lighter, more evolved, more love-centered version of Christianity.
Richard Smoley, age 64, is one of the world’s leading authorities on the Western esoteric traditions, with degrees from both Harvard and Oxford. His books include Inner Christianity: A Guide to the Esoteric Tradition and How God Became God: What Scholars Are Really Saying about God and the Bible. Former editor of Gnosis, he is now editor of Quest: Journal of the Theosophical Society in America. The author of a book on Nostradamus, Smoley says, "I would not base any of my future plans of expectations on anything Nostradamus predicted or is imagined to have predicted." Smoley has published at least 12 books related to mystical and esoteric teachings. He also has YouTube videos on the tarot and on other esoteric matters.