Heart of God

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori is the presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church. She became the Anglican Communion's first female primate in 2006. She is the author of The Heartbeat of God: Finding the Sacred in the Middle of Everything, Gathering at God's Table: The Meaning of Mission in the Feast of Faith (both SkyLight Paths) and other books.Joan Chittister, OSB, is an international lecturer and award-winning author of more than thirty-five books, including The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully. She is founder and executive director of Benetvision, a resource and research center for contemporary spirituality located in Erie, Pennsylvania. She serves as co-chair of the Global Peace Initiative of Women and the Network of Spiritual Progressives.

"Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, with her elegant, light touch, shows how an authentic Christianity demands a concern for, and an involvement with, thoroughly mundane issues such as ending poverty and hunger, providing health care, and dealing with climate change, gender equality, and crime. In her version of reality, everything is sacred except sin."—The Rt. Rev. Desmond Tutu"By meditations on scripture and personal anecdotes, Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori calls the Church to love our neighbor as ourselves and gives examples of how to do so."—John C. Danforth, Episcopal priest; former U.S. senator from Missouri; special envoy for peace in Sudan; U.S. ambassador to the United Nations“A down to earth, heartfelt exposition of biblical truth for everyday life—from a remarkable, barrier-breaking woman.”—Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell, director of religion, Chautauqua Institution; author, Living into Hope: A Call to Spiritual Action for Such a Time as This“With a sense of proportion informed by hope ... gives us a great gift: the sound of a voice of calm in the midst of seemingly perpetual storm.”—Jon Meacham, author, American Gospel; winner of the Pulitzer Prize“Uses a sensitive spiritual stethoscope to detect the 'heartbeat of God' among people crying out for justice…. A wonderful invitation to join Bishop Katharine in a powerful and prayerful twenty-first-century reflection.”—Maureen Fiedler, host of Interfaith Voices (a public radio show); editor, Breaking Through the Stained Glass Ceiling: Women Religious Leaders in Their Own Words“Bishop Jefferts Schori wrestles—sincerely and fearlessly—with the call of the gospel and with every kind of impediment we have to a vibrant response to that call. Her exploration of the core teachings of Christian texts will challenge and illuminate people far beyond the Episcopal world.”—Andrea Cohen-Kiener, author, Claiming Earth as Common Ground: The Ecological Crisis through the Lens of Faith

• Foreword ixAcknowledgments xiIntroduction xiiiPart OneConnecting with the Margins 1Serving the Poor 3Healing for All 20Listening for the Voice of God 25Creative Survival 30Opening Doors to Women 35Seeking Our Roots 41Peace Work 46Part TwoConnecting Faith with Public Life 51Immigration and Faith 53Salt of the Earth 57Heaven on Earth 62Blessed Are the Change Makers 67Provoking Love 72Interrupting Business as Usual 77Mission Possible 82Ubuntu 87Part ThreeConnecting with Creation 93God on the Gulf Coast 95Science and Faith 99The Ecology of Faith 106Good Shepherd 112Part FourConnecting with the Heart of God 117Who Is Jesus in the World Today? 119Finding Our Way Home 127Stardust 131The Dream of God 134Called by Name 139The Web of Life 143Saints and Superheroes 148Holy Conversation 153Part FiveHealing Broken Connections 159Practicing Peace 161Pentecost Continues 166Living the Questions 172High Anxiety 177Pushing the Boundaries 182Go Forth for God 187Fossils 192A Moveable Feast 196Healing Division 201Finding God in Dissent 206Notes 211Suggestions for Further Reading 213