Thomas Merton and the Individual Witness: Kingdom Making in a Post-Christian, Post-Truth World - Hardcover

by David E. Orberson (Author)

Over sixty years ago, Thomas Merton--monk, mystic, and writer--proclaimed that we are living in a post-Christian world. That is, the influence of the institutional church is in decline and the popular version of Christianity presented to society has in many ways become a caricature of itself. Since that time, the religious landscape has continued to change. Today the number of people who identify as "None," someone with no particular religious affiliation, outnumbers the combined total of all Mainline Protestants. In addition, many popular Christian responses to our secular world are divisive and focused on fighting the culture war instead of finding ways to live the gospel. All of these religious changes are occurring in a broader post-truth culture in which facts matter less and less, and our society is increasingly divided. This book delves into these issues and introduces the life and writings of Thomas Merton, showing how he can guide Christians working to build God's kingdom in the world today.

Author Biography

David E. Orberson earned an MTS from Saint Meinrad School of Theology and a PhD from the University of Louisville's comparative humanities program. He has taught theology part-time at Bellarmine University in Louisville since 2007 and worked in the insurance and risk management industry for three decades. He is author of Thomas Merton-Evil and Why We Suffer (Cascade, 2018).