Religious Life

Donald Capps (1939-2015) was William Harte Felmeth Professor of Pastoral Theology (Emeritus) and Adjunct Professor at Princeton Theological Seminary. He was the author of At Home in the World (2013), Still Growing (2014), and The Resourceful Self (2014). He was co-author with Nathan Carlin of The Gift of Sublimation (2015).

'I know of no more faithful introduction to William James' The Varieties of Religious Experience than Donald Capps' The Religious Life. Situating James at centre stage, Capps infiltrates every page with a lifetime of scholarship in the psychology of religion and a palpable appreciation for James' life and work. Seekers will find renewed encouragement in their spiritual quests, imbibing in the generosity of spirit and hopeful imagination that James and Capps share.'- Robert C. Dykstra, Charlotte W. Newcombe Professor of Pastoral Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary'The Religious Life is a remarkable scholarly achievement, and a richly textured exploration of the profoundly personal and contextual dimensions of James' The Varieties of Religious Experience. Capps ... provides readers with insights into the creation of James' stunning book, and a nuanced commentary on James' study of human nature and religion.'- Lewis R. Rambo, Senior Research Professor of Psychology and Religion, San Francisco Theological Seminary'Donald Capps has written a beautiful text ... with the same kind of insight and intuition that he culls from James. In the same manner that Varieties has become a classic text in religious studies, Capps' volume will surely become a classic in its own right. The contemporary reader is provided with an opportunity to consider what it means to live a religious or spiritual life.'- Carol Schweitzer, Associate Professor of Pastoral Care, Union Presbyterian Seminary'[Donald] Capps offers us edifying highlights from James's classic work on religious experience'.- Jeremy Carrette, Theology, Volume 120, Issue 5, September to October'This superb guide to the writings of William James is the last work of a renowned pastoral theologian. It acts as a signpost pointing in two directions: both to the seminal work of James and to other books by Capps. Not only is it a tribute to the author of the classic work The Varieties of Religious Experience, but it is a fitting finale to a life lived with a rare combination of scholarship and compassion.'- Anne Holmes, Churchtimes.co.uk, October 2017

• Acknowledgments IntroductionPart I: Varieties of Religious Experience 1 The Book and Its Author 2 Personal Religious Experience 3 The Healthy Mind 4 The Sick Soul 5 The Divided Self and the Process of Its Unification 6 The Psychology of Religious Conversion 7 The Saintly Character 8 The Prayerful ConsciousnessPart II: Living In Hope 9 A Troubled Man: The Case of Ansel Bourne 10 A Spiritual Person: The Example of Phillips Brooks 11 The Letting Loose of HopeReferences Index of Names