William James' Revolution: A New Perspective on the Varieties of Religious Experience

by Ron Miller

When it was first published in 1902, The Varieties of Religious Experience caused a revolution, a quantum leap, a paradigm shift. James opened the door to the scientific study of religious experience, probing the relationship between religion and psychology. It is obvious no one can have a religious experience without brain activity. The salient question is whether this brain activity is the mediator or creator of the experience. This classic text by William James should be required reading for anyone wanting to study religion. But years of college teaching convinced the author that this is a daunting read for most undergraduate students, and even for some older adults. Ron parsed sections of James' text and provides commentary and insight on each one throughout this must-read book, thus opening the world of James like never before.

Genres: Philosophy

162 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 4, 2013

About the author

Dr. Ron H. Miller was a highly regarded religion professor at Lake Forest College for almost 40 years, co-founder of Common Ground, Board member at Hands of Peace, author and frequent lecturer on various theological topics including interreligious dialogue, early Christianity and spirituality.