Philip Sheldrake explores the roots and context of Celtic Christianity, its choice of particular landscapes and sacred sites, the ideal of enclosure and religious stability, the theme of pilgrimage, its strong sense of boundaries, and its reverence for the sacred in nature. He also seeks to explain the lure of Celtic spirituality for many church people today who are disillusioned with the institutional church and seek an alternative religious sensibility with strong roots and a capacity for wonder and surprise. Excellent for a parish or group study.
Philip Sheldrake is a theologian who has been closely involved with the emergence of Christian Spirituality as an academic field. Sheldrake is Past President of the International Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality, and was Leech Professor of Applied Theology at Durham University. His publications have focused on the interface of spirituality, theology, and religious history, and he has also written on religious reconciliation.
Sheldrake trained in history, philosophy, and theology at the universities of Oxford and London, and later taught at the Universities of London and Cambridge. Sheldrake is Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Senior Research Fellow, Cambridge Theological Federation, and Honorary Professor, University of Wales. He has also regularly been a visiting professor in the United States.