A Spirituality Named Compassion was originally published in 1979 and is now reissued with a new preface. The author is a theologian, educator, former Dominican priest, and the author of such popular books as Original Blessing and The Coming of the Cosmic Christ. He is also the founder and president of the University of Creation Spirituality and codirector of The Naropa Institute's master's program in Creation Spirituality, both in Oakland, California. "Now that the world is a global village we need compassion more than ever," he writes, "not for altruism's sake, nor for philosophy's sake, or theology's sake, but for survival's sake."
How does he define this important attribute? Fox sees it as a sensitivity to all aspects of creation, an appreciation of the interconnectedness of all living things, and a passion "for making justice and doing works of mercy." In stirring passages the author reveals how competition, compulsiveness, and hierarchical thinking have put compassion into exile in the modern world. The renewal of our lives and of the good earth will take place when we combine creativity and compassion. Only then can we transcend our fears of life, suffering, guilt, and death.
Reading A Spirituality Named Compassion, you will be revved up by Matthew Fox's enthusiasm for this way of living. It will revitalize your understanding of ecology, ethics, economics, and politics. The missing link between spirituality and environmentalism is compassion.