Into Thin Places: One Man’s Search for the Center

Robert P. Vande Kappelle

jan 2011 · Wipf and Stock Publishers

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In this third volume of his "Adventures in Spirituality" trilogy, Dr. Robert Vande Kappelle travels from Amsterdam to Cairo in search of his cultural and spiritual roots, inviting readers to join him in exploring fabled places across the Mediterranean World. Despite the grave problems centered in this region, it is the birthplace of Western civilization and the source of the world's three guiding religions. Readers unfamiliar with the emergence and development of Western civilization will find Into Thin Places a compelling introduction; others will discover here a new perspective. Affirming the human quest for adventure, meaning, and wholeness, Professor Vande Kappelle beckons adventurers to enjoy the wonderful experiences described in the book's "travel entries." Those seeking historical and cultural perspective will want to examine the numerous "explanatory entries" scattered throughout the narrative. These vignettes expand and deepen the storyline, piquing curiosity about seminal events, persons, and places that helped shape Western sensibility. As Dr. Vande Kappelle points out in his closing chapter, our world is in a state of crisis, precipitated by numerous factors but primarily by the loss of the sacred. "Whether the current crisis is curable is debatable, but it will clearly require massive cultural reorientation. More importantly, it will require a transformation of the human spirit and a commitment of will." Into Thin Places encourages readers to find "thin places"--places transparent to the divine--in their own transformative journeys of discovery.

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Robert Vande Kappelle is College Chaplain and Chair of Religious Studies at Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania. His articles and chapters have been published in various texts and journals. He is the author of Love Never Fails (2006) and The Invisible Mountain (2010). Born in Latin America of missionary parents, his fascination with other cultures and places has led him to study nine languages and to travel through five continents.